Description of Historic Place

St. Michael's Orphanage is a four storey, Second Empire style, brick building. Built in 1885, the building is located on Bonaventure Avenue in St. John’s in an area once known as Belvedere. This designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

St. Michael's Orphanage is designated as a Registered Heritage Structure due to its architectural and historic values.

St. Michael's Orphanage is architecturally valuable as an excellent example of the Second Empire style employed in an institutional building. Furthermore, St. Michael's Orphanage is, along with the Benevolent Irish Society, the only surviving Second Empire masonry institutional building in Newfoundland. St. Michael's Orphanage is a four storey building with a central tower and ornate detailing in the trim. The window hoods in this building are the most important architectural feature of the building both for their rarity and their detailing. Made of cast iron, the window hoods on the first floor are different from those on the second floor. Other intricate Second Empire details include quoining, hooded dormers and elaborate eaves brackets.

St. Michael's Orphanage is also architecturally valuable for its association with Bishop M. F. Howley. Howley is associated with designing a number of ecclesiastical buildings in St. John’s, but St. Michael's Orphanage is likely the last remaining of these buildings.

St. Michael's Orphanage was built in 1885 to meet the demands for an orphanage for young girls. St. Michael's Orphanage was run by the Sisters of Mercy and is historically valuable for its association with this order. This Order was formed in Dublin in 1831 by Sister Catherine McAuley. The Sisters of Mercy have made a very important contribution to the community of St. John’s through their work in various fields. The Mercy Sisters are known for their work in health care at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital, as well as their work with the elderly at St. Patrick’s Mercy Home, and especially their work in education. St. Michael's Orphanage serves as a reminder of the community work of the Sisters of Mercy.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, file C-002-351, St. John's - Belvedere Orphanage

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements that are representative of the building's age, construction and design in the Second Empire style, including:
-mansard roof, eaves brackets, dormers;
-ornate cast iron window hoods;
-central tower with mansard roof;
-original porch with pedimented entrance;
-arched windows in central tower;
-brick construction;
-quoining;
-window size and placement; and,
-building height, size, and massing.