Description of Historic Place

The Rowe Residence is a two-storey, Edwardian building located in one of Nanaimo's oldest neighbourhoods, just south of the downtown core. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.

Heritage Value

Built around 1906, the Rowe Residence is a very good example of an Edwardian era residence. This elegant, symmetrical building demonstrates the stylistic shift from the picturesque asymmetry of the Late Victorian era to the rigid formality that was favoured in the Edwardian era.

The Rowe Residence is significant for its association with the Malpass family. This house was built for Mary Ann Malpass Blundell Rowe, the daughter of John and Lavinia Malpass. The Malpass family arrived in Nanaimo in 1854 after a lengthy voyage from England aboard the barque Princess Royal. Although there were settlers here before the arrival of the Princess Royal families, the latter are typically celebrated as Nanaimo's founding families. These families continue to be commemorated in an annual public ceremony that marks their historic arrival.

The Rowe Residence is located on the main thoroughfare of one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Nanaimo within a grouping a heritage buildings.

Source: City of Nanaimo, Development Services Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Rowe Residence include:
-all of the elements of the Edwardian style as expressed in the symmetrical massing, central entry, twin projecting front bays on the ground floor, horizontal twin beveled wooden siding, double hung wooden sash windows, bellcast hip roof, full open front verandah with a lattice balustrade and turned columns, and a central second floor bay.
-the location on the main thoroughfare within a grouping of historic buildings.