MacQuarrie House

The MacQuarrie House is a one-and-one-half storey wood frame home located on the Cabot Trail in the community of Upper Middle River, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. In 1990 both the house and the property were designated a municipal heritage property.

The MacQuarrie House is valued for its simple vernacular architecture and as a good example of the typical homes constructed by local builders.

The MacQuarrie House was built in 1874 by local farmers Donald MacDonald and his son-in-law William MacRae. It is a simple one-and-one-half storey wood frame house with a steeply pitched gable roof with return eaves and corner boards. An elaborately hand-carved entablature decorates the main entrance.

The home is located in a gently sloping field in a rural setting.

Source: Municipality of the County of Victoria, Municipal Archives, municipal heritage files

Character-defining elements of the MacQuarrie House include:

- location in a rural setting;

- simple vernacular style;

- symmetrical front façade;

- all decorative elements including corner boards, cornices and hand carved entablature over front door and two front windows;

- steeply pitched gable roof;

- one-and-one-half storey massing;

- wood frame construction.