Codner House at 43 Lower Street, Torbay, NL is a wooden, two storey, single-family dwelling built circa 1893. It has a symmetrical front facade, a concave mansard roof with dormers, a single storey porch extension at the right rear, and a shed behind. The buildings stand on a hill, oriented towards Lower Street, near Torbay Beach, at the traditional centre of the community. The designation includes the footprints of the house and the shed.
Formal Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land
Heritage Value
Codner House and Shed has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Torbay due to its aesthetic value.
Codner House is one of the oldest buildings in Torbay, where relatively few buildings of significant age remain. It is also a rare instance of Second Empire style architecture in Torbay, a style that became popular in Newfoundland in the 1890s. This architectural style is also known within the province as Southcott style, referring to the Southcott construction firm once based in St. John’s. After the Great Fire of 1892 destroyed much of St. John’s, a number of new buildings in the city were erected in this style, which then also spread to other areas of the colony. Codner House retains the mansard roof, dormers, and symmetrical front facade characteristic of Second Empire style. It also retains traditional wooden sheathing, corner boards and trims. The house also has a visible foundation consisting of a mixture of stone and cement.
The shed behind the house is believed to be less old than the house, though historic photos suggest that it is also of relatively considerable age. It contributes to the overall heritage value of the property as an example of a vernacular, domestic outbuilding.
Codner House has further aesthetic value because of its location within a traditional centre of the community amongst the coastal hills quintessential to Torbay’s landscape. This was historically one of the most densely settled areas of the community, and one of its busiest oceanfront areas during the heyday of the local fishery. Consequently, the Codner House property is also sited along one of the oldest streets in the community. The front of the property overlooks the old St. Nicholas Anglican Church cemetery and the south side hills of Torbay.
Source: Motion 2005-300, Town of Torbay Council Meeting 2005/11/07.
Character Defining Elements
All those exterior elements that are indicative of the age, domestic function and architectural style of the dwelling:
-size, height, number of storeys;
-mansard style concave roof with dormers, roof lines;
-projection of dormers and eaves;
-size and symmetrical placement of door and windows, including dormer windows, in the front facade;
-wooden, narrow, painted horizontal siding and vertical corner boards;
-painted, wooden eaves, window trims and doors trims, and;
-location and material of brick chimney.
The exterior elements of the only outbuilding on the property, including:
-the general dimensions of shed;
-small, single-storey, and;
-the painted, wooden sheathing.
Cultural landscape elements, including:
-location and orientation of the house and shed, and;
-visibility of the house from Lower Street.
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