Description of Historic Place

Easily distinguishable along busy Central Street in Summerside, PEI, this remarkably tall and dignified house was formerly home to some of the city’s prominent citizens, including three generations of MacLeod lawyers. The designation includes the house and the property.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Neil and Ada MacLeod house lies in its association with many prominent Summerside residents. Albert L. Anderson, clerk at the J.D. Reid Bros. store and later co-owner of Messrs. Anderson and Burrows, merchants, built this tall and finely-detailed house in 1877. Twenty-one years later, in 1895, he sold it to his mortgage holder, Neil MacLeod, for the satisfaction of his debt. MacLeod, who emigrated from the Isle of Skye at the age of 21, later became the first principal and superintendent of the Davies School. MacLeod’s decision to pursue a career change at the age of 46 resulted in three generations of MacLeods pursuing the legal profession, all of whom lived in the house at 228 Central Street.

The community of Summerside also values this designated heritage property because of its association with Mrs. Ada MacLeod. Mrs. MacLeod is credited as Summerside’s first historian and was a pioneer of radio, using the new medium to broadcast lectures on the history of Prince Edward Island. Designation of her home is a fitting tribute to the woman who dedicated her life to preserving Summerside’s history.

Further heritage value resides in the house’s association with landscape painter George Ackermann, who emigrated from Britain to British North America in 1862 and to Summerside, PEI in 1876. Ackermann featured the home in two of his paintings, one of which may have been commissioned by Neil MacLeod. This painting remains in the MacLeod family.

Heritage value also resides in the MacLeod House’s distinctive architecture. Although the shape of the building is typical of gable-fronted Georgian architecture, the main section of the L-shaped house is unusually and remarkably tall. The house is a tasteful conglomeration of the architectural styles that were popular in the 1870’s, showing late Georgian, Gothic Revival and Italianate influences.

Source: City of Summerside Heritage Property Profile

Character-Defining Elements

The following elements contribute to the character and uniqueness of the Neil and Ada MacLeod house:
- Its shape, a gable-fronted main section with an ell wing to the north, which is typical of Georgian architecture, and its unusual height
- Other typically Georgian features, including its symmetrically-arranged window openings with Georgian fenestration and mouldings
- Gothic Revival features such as the dormers on the south side and the ell wing, and the wrap-around veranda and its remaining ornate bargeboard (part of the original veranda has been enclosed to make a sunporch)
- The wide eaves and decorative brackets that show Italianate influence
- The paired stacked bay windows topped with third floor Gothic Revival dormers on the south elevation
- The circular attic window in the east gable