Formal Recognition Type

Registered Heritage Structure

Heritage Value

The O’Dwyer Block was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1988 due to its aesthetic and historic value.

Built between 1846 and 1857, the O’Dwyer Block is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1892. It is constructed of timber and mixed masonry, with a stone block facade. The use of brick and stone reflects new building regulations after the Great Fire of 1846. Merchants were discouraged from constructing new buildings in wood, in an effort to avoid the devastation of another rapid-spreading fire. This would prove effective in the case of the O’Dwyer Block, which was left untouched by the Great Fire of 1892. It now makes up part of the Water Street National Historic District, a collection of downtown merchant buildings that reflect the city’s mid-nineteenth-century commercial district.

The O’Dwyer Block was built to house the offices and shops of Irish-born merchant and politician, Richard O’Dwyer, with additional space rented to other merchants. The recessed doorways and large, shop windows featuring wooden base panels are typical of a mid-nineteenth-century shopfront. The O’Dwyer Block is also a good example of the Classical Revival style in a merchant building, with its symmetrical granite façade, evenly spaced windows and Doric pilasters. The large pediment was once centred on the facade, before the eastern wing of the O’Dwyer Block was demolished in 1916 to make room for a Bank of Nova Scotia building. The dormers were also added at a later date, possibly post-1900. Otherwise, the exterior of the O’Dwyer Block has remained largely unchanged since its construction. The building is still used for retail and office space today. As part of the Water Street National Historic District, it stands as a reminder of the role of local merchants in shaping the streetscapes of downtown St. John’s.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “St. John’s – O’Dwyer Block – FPT 1633”

Character Defining Elements

All those elements that are representative of a mid-nineteenth-century Classical Revival influenced commercial property, including:

-three-and-a-half storey construction;
-roof with single front peak;
-mixed stone and mortar masonry construction;
-size, style, trim and placement of shed roof dormers;
-stone façade with Doric pilasters;
-symmetrical façade;
-size, style, number and symmetrical placement of windows;
-recessed doorways with large, wood-trimmed shop windows with panels;
-building massing, dimensions and orientation, and;
-location of building in relation to the other mid-nineteenth-century merchant buildings that form the Water Street National Historic District.

Community

St. John's

Municipality

City of St. John's

Civic Address

295-301 Water Street

Construction (circa)

1846 - 1857

Style

Rectangular Long Façade