85 Euston Street

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

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