Description of Historic Place

24 Water Street is a wood framed, former warehouse that was built in the 1860s. Converted into a Georgian style apartment building in 1925, the building has a fine view of the Charlottetown Harbour. It is located on historic Water Street, which contains a number of large, renovated heritage homes. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 24 Water Street lies originally in its use as a warehouse for a ship chandlery and later as an apartment building known as the Riverside Apartments; its attractive Georgian architectural details; and its role in supporting the Water Street streetscape.

A sail maker and ship chandler, David Small operated his business from the Queen Street wharf in the 1880s. Ship chandlers were dealers in sails and ropes and other supplies for sailing ships. In 1883, he had a warehouse building constructed at 24 Water Street. The building was transformed into an apartment building named the Riverside Apartments in 1925. Local directories from 1928 and 1935 reveal residents of the building included: Mrs. L.B. Hunt, J.A. Kelly, F.J. Casey, Charles S. Drew and B.H. Hughes.

According to the 31 December 1925 edition of the local newspaper, the Patriot, which discussed projects that were finished that year, Cudmore and Webster were the contractors on the large project. The building was renovated to house four new apartments and attractive architectural details were added to its exterior that have survived to this day.

The Georgian or Neoclassical style was popular for its grand proportions and symmetry. It conveyed a sense of order and was most used in public buildings such as courthouses. In private homes, it gave a distinct sense of dignity and European style - based on classical motifs.

A well-kept and attractive building, its size and roofline are all that is left to indicate its original use as a warehouse. On a street with a number of heritage homes, 24 Water Street helps support the streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
#1236

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the Georgian influenced heritage value of 24 Water Street:

- The overall rectangular two storey massing of the building
- The symmetrical facade with Palladian style central entrance door
- The wood shingled exterior with its attractive details painted in a contrasting colour including:
- the shutters, the decorative window surrounds
- the corner boards and the pilasters on either side of the central door
- the broken pediment above French doors creating a temple effect
- The flat roofline with wide eaves decorated with roof brackets
- The size and placement of the windows particularly the large, symmetrically placed, sash windows of the first and second floor, the paired casement windows in the centre of the facade and the Palladian style fanlight above the entrance door
- The hood moulding on the windows
- The centrally placed terrace of the second floor with its decorative bracketing and balustrade

Other character-defining elements of 24 Water Street include:

- The location of the home on Water Street with its view of the Charlottetown Harbour