Description of Historic Place

20-22 Dorchester Street is a wood framed, Georgian influenced, double tenement. It is a good example of middle class tenement housing of the 19th century and an important part of Dorchester Street. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of 20-22 Dorchester Street lies in its Georgian influenced architecture and its importance to the Dorchester Street streetscape.

This building is a good example of middle class tenement housing which was being constructed in Charlottetown by the mid-19th Century. It was built sometime after the Great Fire of 1866.

The Georgian influenced architecture is shown by the symmetrical facade of the building, its balanced proportions, and its simple gabled roof and trim details.

City Directories tell us that Peter Wilson, a watchman with the Charlottetown Steam Navigation Company, was living in the 20 Dorchester Street section of the home in 1914. The 22 Dorchester Street side was the residence of local carpenter, Harry Corcoran, who remained there until at least 1930.

The well kept and attractive home has undergone sympathetic renovations at some point in its history but it remains a double residence to this day. Very similar in style to its neighbor 26-28 Dorchester Street, it adds a great deal to the Dorchester Street streetscape.

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

Character-Defining Elements

The following Georgian influenced character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of 20-22 Dorchester Street:
- The overall massing of the building
- The symmetrical facade
- The placement and style of the six over six windows, including the tall windows of the first floor and the row of three slightly shorter windows of the second floor
- The central placement and style of the doors with their transom lights
- The simple contrasting trim around the windows and doors
- The steep pitch of the gabled roof
- The style and placement of the chimneys
Other character-defining elements of 20-22 Dorchester Street include:
- The location of the home on Dorchester Street