Description of Historic Place

The Sullivan Residence is a one and one-half storey, ornate Victorian era building located in one of Nanaimo's oldest residential neighbourhoods. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.

Heritage Value

Built around 1892, the Sullivan Residence is a rare surviving and excellent example of a Queen Anne Vernacular style building. This picturesque and exuberant style featured asymmetrical shapes, ornate ornamentation, bays and prominent, varied rooflines. This ornamental excess was made possible by new power tools and mass-produced decorative trim work. In Nanaimo, very few of these buildings survive in their original condition. Over the years, the fragile ornamentation was either removed or obscured by later renovations.

The Sullivan Residence is part of a significant grouping of heritage buildings in an area that, in the late 19th century, was one of Nanaimo's most prestigious.

The ornate and unusual Sullivan Residence, located on a gently sloping site, is a neighbourhood landmark.

Source: City of Nanaimo, Development Services Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Sullivan Residence include:
-all of the elements of the Queen Anne Vernacular style as expressed in the asymmetrical massing, extensive carpenter ornamentation, wraparound curved verandah with diagonal gabled dormer above, twin coursed shingles with cornerboards, multi-paned double hung wooden sash windows, and gabled corner turret.
-the building's location within a grouping of historic buildings.