Historic Irving Oil "Tower" Stations

While a designated heritage resource stands unused for many years now, the gas station known as Euston Street Irving served Charlottetown residents for many years as a local station at a time when there were often gas stations on many corners. It had been a survivor when many others closed but it was finally shuttered and remains in an unused state at the corner of Queen and Euston.

85 Euston Street -
photo City of Charlottetown, Natalie Munn, 2009

The design is one that was familiar to Maritimes as the architecture of Acadian architect, Samuel Roy
and the description on Canada's Historic Places indicates:

The heritage value of 85 Euston Street lies in its role as the only remaining gas station of its type on Prince Edward Island and its association with Acadian architect, Samuel Roy. 85 Euston Street is an example of a small turreted gas station designed by Samuel Roy. He designed a limited number of these particular little gas stations for founder of Irving Oil and fellow Bouctouche, New Brunswick resident, Kenneth Colin Irving, in the 1930s. A number of Maritime cities and communities had them including Halifax, Bridgewater, and Truro in Nova Scotia and Sackville, New Brunswick but few examples remain. It is likely that this gas station was constructed in the early 1930s. It remained a popular filling station until 2008 when it closed. A rental car business now operates from the building. 85 Euston Street is the only gas station building of its type left standing on Prince Edward Island.

Traditionally, these stations were white with red trim, featured the Irving logo and contained two service bays, a gable roof and a distinctive corner tower. Influenced by the Queen Anne Revival or Chateauesque style, they were seen as a new type of station for a new kind of business. 85 Euston Street's structure has remained intact but the trim has been changed to green and the Irving logo is no longer visible. The pumps were removed in 2008.

Acadian architect, Samuel Roy began designing filling stations for KC Irving in 1931 and continued to do so until 1974. Roy was born in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick on 8 May 1895. He completed his primary education in Bouctouche, New Brunswick and then went on to Boston, Massachusetts where he began to study architecture. Roy joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1918, but returned to his studies, eventually going on to work with the Irving Oil Company designing stations as well as the Irving manor. He died in 1978.

Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of 85 Euston Street is shown in the following character-defining elements:
- the overall single storey massing of the building
- the size shape and placement of the distinctive corner tower
- the gable roof with gable dormer
- the two service bays with flat roof
- the three lights illuminating the sign above the two bays
- the size and placement of the windows
- the style and placement of the doors
- the decorative weathervane with the letter "N" atop the tower
- the decorative band running across the tower and the dormer painted to match the trim of the gable
- the brick chimney 

Examples of similar stations include the Sackville NB station which was acquired by the Village Historique Acadien in 2005 and restored to it's initial condition.

The station in Grand Pre, NS has had some sympathetic restoration and remains in operation.

Grand Pre, NS  - Google Street View Aug 2018