The Patriot of May 11, 1872 noted that John Quirk had commenced digging the cellar for a three-storey brick building on Prince Street. By the time John Quirk built this substantial building he was already a well-established merchant. A baker by trade, Quirk used 120-124 Prince Street as both a residence and store until 1875 when he built a brick-encased structure to the rear. An 1872 advertisement gave the potential customer a sense of the wide range of pilot bread, biscuits and crackers available from Quirk's Charlottetown Steam Bakery. Always on hand were such quality products as No. 1 and No. 2 Navy pilot bread, Medford biscuits and Dyspepsia crackers. [4] Mason-architect John Corbett designed a building typical of its period. Features include round-headed windows set in groups, substantial window trim, well-defined corbel and keys and decorative brickwork supporting a flat roof. Pressed brick imported from the United States makes up the front façade of the building, less expensive locally-made brick makes up the back and sides.
While John Quirk was a well-known businessman in his day, the building is more often associated with the Nicholson family who owned it for some seventy years. In 1897, D. Nicholson requested that the local insurance underwriters' board change the rating for this building from that of a shop and dwelling to a dwelling only. The updated insurance policy eventually proved useful; in 1906 the Examiner reported that Donald Nicholson's brick house had been badly damaged by lightning during a storm.
Newspaper articles and notices over the years give some sense of the changing occupants and use of the building. A 1926 auction notice indicated that the valuable effects of Mrs. A.J. McLaine would be sold at 124 Prince Street. A 1942 article mentioned that Elsie Nicholson was turning 124 Prince Street into three apartments.
From the City of Charlottetown
124 Prince Street
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
124 Prince Street is one half of a brick Italianate building that was built for local baker, John Quirk in 1872. The building originally housed a shop and a residence but currently houses offices. The designation encompasses the building’s exterior and parcel; it does not include the building’s interior.
HERITAGE VALUE
The heritage value of 124 Prince Street lies in its attractive Italianate architecture; its association with one of Charlottetown’s former businesses; and its role in supporting the Prince Street streetscape.
The 11 May 1872 edition of the local newspaper, the Patriot, reported that successful merchant and baker, John Quirk, had begun work on the cellar of his new building. The building would become his shop and residence until 1875 when he built a brick encased structure at the back of his property. According to Hutchinson’s Directory, John Quirk had operated his bakery and general store from the corner of Grafton and Prince as early as 1864.
Quirk’s Charlottetown Steam Bakery produced pilot bread, biscuits and crackers. Pilot bread is a dense, unleavened bread that lasts a long time without spoiling. According to an advertisement for the business in 1872, No.1 and No.2 Navy pilot bread, Medford biscuits and Dyspepsia crackers were always on hand.
After Quirk owned the building for a time, the Nicholson Family bought the building. The Nicholsons' remained the owners for almost seventy years. According to the minute book of the Insurance Underwriters Board, in 1897, D. Nicholson requested that the rating for his building be changed from that of a shop and a dwelling to a dwelling only. The policy was updated and Nicholson benefited from his insurance in 1906 when his building was damaged during a lightening storm!
The uses of the building have changed throughout the years. The 124 Prince Street side of the building housed office space and apartments. The chiropractic office of Dr. W.R. Carson was located at 124 Prince Street from as early as 1928 until as late as 1935. A 1926 article in the local newspaper, the Patriot, mentioned that the valuable effects of Mrs. A.J. MacLaine would be sold from 124 Prince Street. The 124 Prince Street side of the building appeared in the news again in the 23 October 1942 edition of the Guardian newspaper where it was noted that Elsie Nicholson was turning 124 Prince Street into three apartments.
Although the 124 section of the building had various uses, the 120 Prince Street section of the building remained a residence for some time. According to telephone directories from the early 1920s until 1935, Donald Nicholson and his wife lived at 120 Prince Street.
John Corbett who was a mason and talented architect designed the beautiful Italianate building. Quirk imported brick form the United States to create the façade and used cheaper, local brick on the sides and back of the building. The Italianate style was in vogue all over North America. It was considered more fireproof than the wooden structures it invariably replaced. The design was also more decorative, its round arch windows evocative of the Venetian arcades of the Renaissance period. Today, the building remains one of the City's best-preserved examples of the style.
124 Prince Street is half of a well-preserved example of an Italianate building. Used for many purposes throughout the years, it has retained its heritage character. Located near the corner of Prince Street and Grafton Street, it supports the streetscape of both streets.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- The overall massing of the building
- The size and shape of the brick construction
- The placement and style of the grouped, round headed windows, trimmed with well defined corbel and keystones, as well as the contrasting stone sills
- The placement and size of the entrance doors with their brick arch and keystone
-The decorative detail at the roofline
- The flat roof
Other character-defining elements of 124 Prince Street:
- 124 Prince’s placement and overall similarity to the 120 Prince Street section of the building
From Historic Places Canada