Description du lieu patrimonial

247-249-251 Queen Street is a Georgian inspired brick building with two storeys and a gable roof. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.

Valeur patrimoniale

Local mason, Charles Heartz (1818-1897), built 247-249-251 Queen Street in the years 1870 and 1871 for his own use. Heartz was one of a long line of masons including his Loyalist grandfather, Jacob and his father, Martin. Although Charles was the chief mason on many projects throughout Charlottetown, it is interesting to view how the home that he built for himself was constructed. He chose a style that had been out of fashion in Charlottetown for a number of years, but its sturdiness has been proven through the test of time.

Heartz's building shows Georgian influences, with a largely symmetrical front facade, gable roof, and rectangular plan. The Georgian style emerged from 18th Century Britain and was intent on expressing confidence, order and balance. Combined with the solid brick construction of this building, the result was intended to impress. The front of the building features the Flemish bond - a method of bricklaying whereby a length of brick and an end of brick are laid alternately on each row. This makes for a very strong wall. The sides of the building are in the common bond however there are three courses of stretchers to one of the headers rather than the usual five or seven rows.

Charles Heartz's will of 1895 stated that the home be left to his wife Margaret and then to their son Frederick. In the early Twentieth Century, the home was purchased by local hotelkeeper, George Offer. He operated a boarding house called Anaconda House, as well as the Wellington Hotel in Charlottetown. The home at 247-249-251 Queen Street was in the Offer family until 1940. Later owners included Lorne Harper and E. Dalvay Coyle. It is unclear when the home was turned into an apartment building.

A beautiful brick building, it is a testament to the work of one of Charlottetown's most talented master masons. Located in an area with a number of historic homes, 247-249-251 Queen Street helps support the streetscape.

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

The following Georgian inspired character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 247-249-251 Queen Street:
- The symmetrical massing of the home
- The style and placement of the brick exterior
- The gable roof
- The style and placement of the windows, including the tall windows with their lintels and sills painted in a contrasting colour
- The style and placement of the doors including the two central doors and the door in the southern corner of the front facade.
- The contrasting porches above each door with their simple brackets and dentil details
- The size and placement of the chimneys extending, in the Scottish manner, up the gable end walls
Other character-defining elements of 247-249-251 Queen Street are:
- The location of the home on Queen Street