Formal Recognition Type

City of St. John's Heritage Building, Structure, Land or Area

Heritage Value

18 Gower Street has been designated a municipal heritage building by the City of St. John’s for its aesthetic and historic values.

18 Gower Street is aesthetically valuable as it is a fine example of a Second Empire row house style in downtown St. John’s. This architectural style, made popular in St. John’s by John T. Southcott after the devastating Great Fire of 1892, employs many features found on this house. Gower Street was in the direct path of this fire which destroyed much of the city, and the house signifies the renewal and rebirth of St. John’s after 1892, particularly as it relates to the merchant class style homes. Second Empire attributes include the Mansard roof which is pierced by peaked dormers, one with a double window, and one with a single window. The two-storey bay windows add dimension and depth through the use of stained glass, fascia boards and wooden shingles. The main door has two side lights and a transom while the open, covered porch has a steeply pitched pedimented roof. This house is sheathed in narrow wooden clapboard with wide corner boards and wide window mouldings and a moulded string course runs under the eaves. 18 Gower Street is one part of a three part grouping of row houses similarly painted. This continuity of exterior colors, shapes and sizes add to the row house “look” of the properties. 18 Gower Street is neighbor to the attached houses, numbers 20 and 22 Gower Street, but not attached to them. It doesn’t resemble it’s own semi-attached house, 16 Gower Street in exterior paint colors, but the style of architecture is very similar.

18 Gower Street is valuable for its historic associations with William H. Whiteley (1834-1903). Whiteley was a fisherman, merchant, inventor and politician. Whiteley established an extensive fishing business at Bonne-Esperance, a small island of Quebec, and employed around 50 people in the cod, salmon, herring and seal business. He was also responsible for having invented the cod trap, a large box-like apparatus with netting and an opening into which the cod are directed by a long net extending to the shore. Whiteley’s invention became immensely successful and improved overall productivity of the cod fishery. Whiteley was a long term leasee of 18 Gower Street, and several members of his large family lived in this and the surrounding duplexes for many years. George Whiteley was the occupier of 18 Gower Street from circa 1906 to circa 1918 and it remained part of the estate of J. Whiteley until circa 1955.

Source: Designated at a regular meeting of the St. John’s Municipal council held April 25, 2006, minutes SJMC2006-04-25/252R.

Character Defining Elements

All those elements that define the 19th century Second Empire style of row housing, including:

-Mansard roof;

-peaked dormers;

-two storey bay windows with fascia boards;

-stained glass windows;

-moulded string course below eaves line;

-narrow wooden clapboard and wooden shingles on bay windows;

-pedimented porticoes supported by narrow columns;

-side lights and transoms;

-wide window trim and cornerboards;

-1/1 windows;

-all window and door openings; and

-location, orientation, massing and dimensions.

Community

St. John's

Municipality

City of St. John's

Civic Address

018 Gower Street

Construction (circa)

1893 - 1893

Style

Irregular