Description of Historic Place

The MacLennan-Hunt House is a 2 storey Neoclassical Georgian house with Gothic Revival elements located on a picturesque large treed lot at 193 Fitzroy Street in Summerside. The provincial registration includes the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Because of its high style elements, the MacLennan-Hunt house is an excellent example of pre-Confederation Canadian architecture and is emblematic of the mercantile wealth of Summerside in the 1850s-1860s. Built in 1860 for local merchant, Colin MacLennan, the house is a testament to the wealth generated during the shipbuilding era in Summerside. The house later became the home of both J.C. Pope (a PEI Premier) and his brother, W.H. Pope (a PEI Father of Confederation). It was W.H. Pope who rowed out to greet the delegates from the Canadas at the 1864 Charlottetown Conference. The house survived the devastating 1906 Summerside Fire thanks to the Hunt family, who occupied the home then and worked frantically to keep wet blankets on the roof!

Source: PEI Heritage Places Registration Files, #4310-20/M1

Character-Defining Elements

This pre-Confederation house is a unique combination of Neoclassical and Georgian elements. The Neoclassical elements include: the symmetrical design, blocked eave returns, and gabled roof. The Gothic Revival elements include: the second storey window in the pedimented front projection and the ornate front door.