175 Richmond Street / Hon. George Coles Building

The heritage value of the Honourable George Coles Building lies in its association with the Province’s courts, its beautiful Italianate architecture and its importance in maintaining the historic ambiance of Queen Square.

The Law Courts Building, as the Honourable George Coles Building was formerly known, was constructed between 1874 and 1876 to house the Supreme Court. Prominent local architect, Thomas Alley designed the beautiful building and a large number of carpenters, masons and other tradesmen worked on various parts of the project. Before the building was constructed, the Supreme Court met in many different locations throughout Charlottetown including: a court house designed by John Plaw in 1813-1814, private homes, a combination courthouse and post office building and Province House.

The first meeting of the Supreme Court was held in the new Law Courts Building on 11 January 1876. Mr. Justice Peters presided. The new building was described as spacious, with excellent acoustics. A unique exterior feature of the building was the elaborate gas powered clock located on the west side of the building. It would remain home to the Supreme Court until 1976 when the building was gutted by fire, destroying the roof and the clock tower. The courts were then moved to the more spacious and newly constructed, Sir Louis Henry Davies Law Courts Building near the waterfront and the Law Courts Building was renovated to house offices and the Public Archives of Prince Edward Island. The Law Courts Building was renamed the Honourable George Coles Building after the popular Premier of Prince Edward Island and Father of Confederation.

The Honourable George Coles Building is Italianate in its design, which was popular with architects in the 19th century. The Italianate style was as fashionable in Charlottetown as it was throughout North America, with many public and commercial buildings showing its influence. The brick and stone buildings were modeled on the arcaded facades of the Italian Renaissance style found in Northern Italy.

Despite various renovations, including in the 1930s when the windows were changed on the south side of the building, and after the 1976 fire, when a less elaborate electric clock was installed on the roof on the south side of the building, the Honourable George Coles Building is a well preserved example of the Italianate style public building in Charlottetown. Located next to Province House, on historic Queen Square, it is important in maintaining the historic character of Queen Square.

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

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