Place Description
137-139 Kent Street is a three storey, brick former double tenement that now houses a shop and office space. The building is located in a commercial area of the City. The designation encompasses the building's exterior and parcel; it does not include the building's interior.
Why is this place important?
The heritage value of 137-139 Kent Street lies in its association with various members of the Charlottetown business community, its architectural aesthetic as demonstrated through its craftsmanship and masonry construction, and its role in supporting the Kent Street streetscape.
In 1886, merchant and builder, M.P. Hogan hired the talented architectural firm of Stirling and Harris to design his impressive double tenement at 137-139 Kent Street. Contractors, Trainor and Hughes were hired and Crosby and Ramsay were the masons and stonecutters on the project. Together, they constructed a grand home, which included features such as white marble windowsills, a medallion with a flower in the centre, as well as cornices of buff chocolate and black pressed brick. Some of these features are still visible on the upper floors but the lower level is now a modern storefront. Although the home faced bustling Kent Street, the parlour and the dining rooms overlooked a grassy area in the backyard.
The building stayed in the Hogan family for a number of years until Michael Hogan sold it in 1894 to Dr. Frederick Kelly. Kelly lived in one side of the building and rented the other side to George Reddin of the Reddin Bros. Drug Store.
It is not clear when the residence became a commercial building, but an addition was added to the west side at some point after 1971. It remains a building which demonstrates a good aesthetic design as a former home which is now being used for commercial purposes, it harmonizes with and complements the Kent Street streetscape.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Special Characteristics
The following character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of 137-139 Kent Street:
- The overall massing of the building with its three storeys
- The colour, style and placement of the brick and Wallace stone throughout the facade, including the various decorative mouldings and detailing such as the stringcourses, the lintels and sills, the square designs set into the brick, the pediment near the roof of the building, and the medallion with the floral decoration
- The size and placement of the windows, particularly the paired windows of the second floor and the plate glass windows of the storefront
- The size and placement of the storefronts
- The flat roof
- The small modern addition on the east side
Other character-defining elements include:
- The location of the building on Kent Street
