Exterior of the Rowe Residence
Photo: City of Nanaimo, Christine Meutzner, 2005
- Built
- 1906
- Recognized
- 2002
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The Rowe Residence is a two-storey, Edwardian building located in one of Nanaimo's oldest neighbourhoods, just south of the downtown core. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.
Heritage value
Built around 1906, the Rowe Residence is a very good example of an Edwardian era residence. This elegant, symmetrical building demonstrates the stylistic shift from the picturesque asymmetry of the Late Victorian era to the rigid formality that was favoured in the Edwardian era.
The Rowe Residence is significant for its association with the Malpass family. This house was built for Mary Ann Malpass Blundell Rowe, the daughter of John and Lavinia Malpass. The Malpass family arrived in Nanaimo in 1854 after a lengthy voyage from England aboard the barque Princess Royal. Although there were settlers here before the arrival of the Princess Royal families, the latter are typically celebrated as Nanaimo's founding families. These families continue to be commemorated in an annual public ceremony that marks their historic arrival.
The Rowe Residence is located on the main thoroughfare of one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Nanaimo within a grouping a heritage buildings.
SourceCity of Nanaimo, Development Services Department
Character‑defining elements
The character-defining elements of the Rowe Residence include:
-all of the elements of the Edwardian style as expressed in the symmetrical massing, central entry, twin projecting front bays on the ground floor, horizontal twin beveled wooden siding, double hung wooden sash windows, bellcast hip roof, full open front verandah with a lattice balustrade and turned columns, and a central second floor bay.
-the location on the main thoroughfare within a grouping of historic buildings.
End of the register’s text
Location
545 Haliburton Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R, Canada
49.15370° N, 123.93190° W
Get directions (opens in a new tab)Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.
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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.