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Lorenzo Spencer House

20 Dominion Street, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1995/06/05

Lorenzo Spencer House, east elevation, 2004; Heritage Division, N.S. Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2004
front elevation
Lorenzo Spencer House, front gable detail, 2004; Heritage Division, N.S. Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2004
front gable detail
No Image

Other Name(s)

Lorenzo Spencer House
20 Dominion Street

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1887/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/09/24

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Lorenzo Spencer House is a two storey wood frame building located at 20 Dominion Street in Truro, NS. The house, which has been adapted for commercial reuse, can be identified by its elaborate Victorian decoration and the Palladian window in the front gable. Both the house and surrounding grounds are included in the heritage designation.

Heritage Value

Historical Value

This house is valued for its association with Lorenzo E. Spencer, one of three brothers who founded Spencer Bros. and Turner, Ltd., a sash, door and woodworking factory that was in a large wooden building originally located near this site. The factory was later moved to a location in the east end of Truro, closer to the railway line, where it operated until the mid-twentieth century. The prefabricated decorative elements that the factory produced are well-represented on the exterior of this building and many others in Truro.

Architectural Value

Architecturally, Lorenzo Spencer House is an example of the many influences that contributed to the design of most houses in this period. This house combines the simple proportions of the Greek Revival style with the massing, textures and decoration from the later Queen Anne and Stick styles. It illustrates how an earlier style was often absorbed into later styles, rather than being entirely supplanted by them.

Source: Planning Department, Town of Truro, file 10MNS0007

Character-Defining Elements

External elements that define the building’s heritage character include:
- all Late Victorian building elements, including: basic form and massing; textured shingling, stick brackets, rosettes and fascia detailing.
- all window and door elements, including: Palladian window in the front pediment; narrow sashed windows.
- all building materials, including: wood clapboard cladding and trim painted in a contrasting colour; asphalt-shingled roof.

Elements that define the site’s heritage charater include:
- placement of the house relative to the street.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Nova Scotia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NS)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act

Recognition Type

Municipally Registered Property

Recognition Date

1995/06/05

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Shop or Wholesale Establishment

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Planning Department, Town of Truro, PO Box 427, Truro, NS B2N 5C5; file 10MNS0007

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

10MNS0007

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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