Description of Historic Place

295 Richmond Street is a Foursquare home built of concrete blocks. Its features include decorated concrete block quoins, a pyramidal roof and a centre dormer. The house is located in a residential area with a number of 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 295 Richmond Street lies in its role as Charlottetown's only example of a decorated concrete block house in the Foursquare style, in its association with early residents of the City, and in its role in supporting the Richmond Street streetscape.

Superintendent of the Prince Edward Island Railway, G.A. Sharp, built 295 Richmond Street in 1915. He chose fireproof concrete blocks for his home and topped the structure with a slate roof. One of its more outstanding features is the decorative concrete blocks that serve as quoins at the sides of the windows, doors and the corners of the house. By 1928, William Moran the principal of the Charlottetown Business College resided at 295 Richmond Street.

295 Richmond Street is a Foursquare home. Foursquares were very popular across North America from approximately 1890 until 1930. Recognizing the popularity and functionality of the homes, Sears and Roebuck sold at least 15 varieties in a kit form. The large square plan, generally with four rooms on the top floor and four rooms on the bottom, made it comfortable for families and provided the maximum living space on small city lots. Foursquares were constructed from almost any medium including wood, brick and, as is the case of 295 Richmond Street, concrete blocks.

A unique home in Charlottetown, 295 Richmond helps support the Richmond Street streetscape.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 295 Richmond Street:

- The overall square massing of the building
- The concrete block construction, with concrete sills and decorative quoins at the windows, doors, and at the corners of the building
- The pyramidal roof with wide eaves and centre dormer
- The size and placement of the sash windows, particularly the bay window of the main floor, the two sash windows of the second floor and the paired window of the hipped dormer
- The style and centre placement of the door
- The size and shape of the front porch with sloping roof and three support columns
- The size and side placement of the brick chimney

Other character-defining elements include:

- The location of the building on Richmond Street and its physical and visual relationship to its streetscape