Sunny Cottage is a two-and-one-half storey, square, Queen Anne Style house located at 37-43 Harbour Drive on the north side of Harbour Breton, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Formal Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land
Heritage Value
Sunny Cottage has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Harbour Breton because of its aesthetic and historic values.
Sunny Cottage has aesthetic value due to its age and design. A rarity to the area, this Queen Anne style house is well-known throughout the community and the region for being an extravagant merchant’s property. Built in 1909, this large, square, two-and-one-half storey house has many features reflective of the Queen Anne style including the numerous peaked dormers, bargeboard decoration and double-bay windows. Heavy window mouldings and decorative shingle work add to the charm of the building while the distinctive “widow’s walk” provides a spectacular view of the surrounding area. A popular design among the merchant class in many areas such as Grand Bank, Sunny Cottage was intended to be both a residence for the Rose family and a signifier of their wealth and status in the community.
Sunny Cottage also has aesthetic value as a longtime landmark in Harbour Breton, capable of evoking the period when John Joe Rose was an important local merchant, given its striking Queen Anne architecture and size.
Sunny Cottage has historic value because of its association with the Roses, a prominent Harbour Breton family. It first belonged to John Joseph Rose (also known as John Joe Rose), who was an important fish merchant in the community. Rose also engaged in the export business and was a major employer in the community for decades.
Source: Motion 08-082, Town of Harbour Breton Council Meeting Minutes of 2008/09/26
Character Defining Elements
All original features which relate to the age and style of the property including:
– symmetry of building;
– size and height of building;
– mansard roof;
– original 1/1 windows and window placement;
– covered and open style porch;
– multiple peaked dormers;
– label-type trim on dormers;
– all ornamentation relating to the Queen Anne style, including peaked dormers, bargeboard decoration, double bay windows with base panels, balustrade, heavy window mouldings and decorative shingle work, and decorative spindles along the porch, and pilasters along all openings on front façade;
– widow’s walk;
– and location within the community.
Notes
In later years the John B. Stewart family inherited Sunny Cottage. In 1996, Sunny Cottage received the Manning Award for the preservation and presentation of historic places from the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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