National Historic Site of Canada

Truro Post Office National Historic Site of Canada

Truro, Nova Scotia

Also known as Truro Post Office, Bureau de poste de Truro

General view of Truro Post Office, showing the main entrance, 1982.

General view of Truro Post Office, showing the main entrance, 1982.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency/Agence Parcs Canada, 1982.

Built
1883–1886
Recognized
1983
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Truro Post Office National Historic Site of Canada is a two-and-a-half-storey, brick building constructed during the late 19th century. The post office is located on a prominent corner lot in downtown Truro. The formal recognition consists of the building on its property at the time of designation

Heritage value

The Truro Post Office was designated a national historic site in 1983 because: it is representative of the small urban post offices by Thomas Fuller; it possesses architectural merit, this is to say it has not undergone major exterior alteration; and it is in harmony with its environment.

The Truro Post Office, built in 1883-1886, is a good example of the post offices erected by the Department of Public Works in smaller urban centres during Thomas Fuller’s term as Chief Architect (1881-1886). It is representative of Fuller post offices in its two-and-a-half-storey height, its use of high-quality materials, its blend of Gothic and Romanesque elements, and its prominent siting on a corner lot.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1983.

Character‑defining elements

Key elements which define the heritage character of the Truro Post Office are:

  • its picturesque silhouette, created by the interplay between the elevations, frontispiece, gables and roof lines,
  • its eclectic blend of Victorian Gothic, Flemish and Romanesque revival motifs, evident in: the three towering gabled façades; the steep and varied roofline; the use of contrasting colours and textures through a playful combination of materials,
  • features typical of Fuller-designed buildings, including its: two-and-a-half-storey height; steep roofs; five-bay façades; symmetrical massing masked by the distinctive treatments of the central and side façades, as well as by the use of a pair of corner entrances,
  • the angled and symmetrical placement of the double entrances,
  • the strong vertical emphasis created by the steeply pitched roof and the three towering, gabled façades,
  • its varied roof line, consisting of intersecting gable and chateau-style roofs at differing heights,
  • eclectic detailing, evident in the combination of a Flemish tympanum with a Romanesque voussoir on the main façade,
  • its high-quality exterior materials, consisting of red brick, stone trim and slate roof,
  • the patterning of red-brick cladding and pale Hopewell-stone trim,
  • its prominent siting on a corner lot in downtown Truro.

End of the register’s text

Location

695 Prince Street, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N, Canada

45.36514° N, 63.28054° W

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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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Nearby

All 57 places in Truro

Similar places

Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.

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