Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Lockyer/Swyers House Municipal Heritage Building

Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador

Side facade of Lockyer/Swyers House, Bonavista, NL, circa 2003

Side facade of Lockyer/Swyers House, Bonavista, NL, circa 2003

Photo: HFNL 2006

Built
1911
Recognized
2006
By
NL Municipality

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Lockyer/Swyers House is a wooden, two-storey dwelling in Second Empire style with a mansard roof and bay windows located at 117 Coster Street, Bonavista. The municipal heritage designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage value

Lockyer/Swyers House is designated for its aesthetic and historic values.

Lockyer/Swyers House has aesthetic value as it is a good example of Second Empire style housing, complete with unique exterior design details. It was constructed circa 1911 and is a valuable example of a house constructed by local master craftsman Ronald Strathie, who is noted as a builder of institutional structures. Lockyer/Swyers House serves as a testament to the creativity and architectural proficiency of the Strathie family.

Lockyer/Swyers House has historical importance because of its association with the merchant class in outport Newfoundland, and in Bonavista in particular. The house was built by John Lockyer, who was employed as a manager by the merchant firm of James Ryan. It speaks to the wealth of this class during the early twentieth century and is evidence of the prosperity of the fishery in Bonavista during this time.

SourceTown of Bonavista Town Council meeting minutes of 2006/08/14

Character‑defining elements

All those elements that define the Second Empire/ Strathie style of architecture, including:

-mansard roof (including the placement of felt on the flat roof and wooden shingles on the vertical roofs);

-two-storey bay windows (including pediments, bargeboard, eave brackets, dentils, clapboard on the bias);

-number of storeys;

-narrow clapboard;

-corner boards;

-window style, size, trim and placement;

-size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;

-placement and profile of chimneys;

-location of porch on left gable end; and -dimension, location and orientation of building.

End of the register’s text

Location

Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0C, Canada

48.65222° N, 53.11072° W

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Nearby

All 56 places in Bonavista

Similar places

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.