Charlottetown, PEI, Downtown

In its early days, Charlottetown benefited from a clear town planning framework.

This (unfortunately sketchy) plan shows the essence of the approach – a street grid running perpendicular and parallel to the harbor, anchored by five parks, four green residential squares ( Rochford, Connaught, Kings, and Hillsborough ) and one central, civic super-block (Queen Square – the open green rectangle). Our B and B (red dot) looked out over Hillsborough Square and was within easy walking distance of all the downtown sights. The residential squares all have a modest, easy-to-live-with character.

I personally think they would benefit from some more formal elements and circulation, but I also realized from spending time in the city that this wouldn’t fit with how most everything else is handled.

The transition from residential to more public and commercial space began right around the corner from Hillsborough Square – a glance down the street made that clear.

We were only three blocks from the cruise ship terminal; and when the ships were docked the architecture of the neighborhood shifted gears. The other obvious pattern involved the renovation of residential buildings into commercial uses. The Water Prince restaurant (surprisingly at the corner of Water and Prince streets) is a good example.

Water Prince Corner Shop

We had dinner there one night. They handle the tourist flow well.

In the picture above you’ll notice one or two wires draped across the intersection. I really try to avoid them when taking the pictures; but I have to say that they like their overhead wires in Canada, and it was hard to work around them.

Farther in towards the center of town we passed an old warehouse that had been renovated into a variety of office and commercial spaces.

It was apparently the center of liquor distribution at one point in time, as well as part of the various controversies related to prohibition. Here’s the story.

While not every structure in these couple of blocks was remarkable, once we turned the corner on to Queen Street, it became obvious that people were paying attention to their historic buildings as well as adding attractive contemporary enhancements – well maybe not the Electronic Arts sign at the top of the building.

We tried Kettle Black for coffee one morning – felt like Seattle

Another, more decorative, brick and stone building caught my eye as well. There were some periods, like this one, in which architects and stone masons used the natural colors of available stone to create and enhance the normal patterns of windows and doors.

We didn’t try the Churchill Arms but we did have lunch out on the sidewalk nearby. Charlottetown has invented an intriguing new way of building and using its sidewalks. As you can see above, both the normal sidewalk near the building and the angled parking spaces are paved with brick, raised above the street, and joined to it with a beveled stone curb. This means that with very little effort the parking zone can also be used as an attractive people zone, complete with tables and chairs and even a sofa.

Because the dining space uses the full depth of the parking zone, the table (and sofa) arrangements have a lot more flexibility than in the typical sidewalk cafe.

We tried the Bistro Marche. It made use of just two parking zones.

I liked the way in which the sidewalk remained open as a through path. Apparently, having an area, where liquor is being served, detached from the restaurant, is not an anxiety-producing situation in Charlottetown as it is in Seattle.

The added couple of steps for the server were not a big deal,

though they did charge slightly more for sitting outside because of the overall distance.

A block or so up the street we turned the corner into another attractive feature, a pedestrian street. Once again this feature has been set up flexibly so that it can be turned over to people in tourist season and used by automobiles otherwise.

The businesses are mostly restaurants; and they have taken over the normal sidewalk area with tables and chairs.

The relative continuity of this arrangement creates enough definition of the walking area as to establish the character of nearly the entire block.

There is some variety in the layouts which keeps things interesting.

And the relative narrowness of the walking space creates a kind of public but intimate outdoor experience that is fun for walkers and diners alike. It was clearly a popular and congenial place to have a meal on a nice day.

Next time – we range a little farther.

Charlottetown, PEI

PEI, or Prince Edward Island, was known by the Mi’kmaq as Epekwitk, roughly translated as “land cradled in the waves”. Prince Edward Island is one of the three Maritime Provinces and is the smallest province in both land area and population. It is part of the traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq, became a British colony in the 1700s and was federated into Canada as a province in 1873. Its capital is Charlottetown.

The backbone of the economy is farming; it produces 25% of Canada’s potatoes. The island has several informal names: “Garden of the Gulf,” referring to the pastoral scenery

and lush agricultural lands throughout the province; and “Birthplace of Confederation” or “Cradle of Confederation” referring to the Charlottetown Conference in 1864, although PEI did not join Confederation until 1873, when it became the seventh Canadian province. Historically, PEI is one of Canada’s older settlements and demographically still reflects older immigration to the country, with Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and French surnames being dominant to this day.

Rolling hills, woods, reddish white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red soil have given Prince Edward Island a reputation as a province of outstanding natural beauty. We focused on Charlottetown but did see some of the north shore.

The arrival of the Europeans created a tumultuous cultural stew. In 1534, Jacques Cartier was the first European to see the island. In 1604, France claimed the lands of the Maritimes, including Prince Edward Island, establishing the French colony of Acadia. The island was named Île Saint-Jean by the French. The Mi’kmaq never recognized the claim but welcomed the French as trading partners and allies.

Roughly one thousand Acadians lived on the island, many of whom had fled to the island from mainland Nova Scotia during the first wave of the British-ordered expulsion in 1755, reaching a population of 5,000. However, many more were forcibly deported during the second wave of the expulsion after the Siege of Louisbourg (1758).  Many Acadians died in the expulsion en route to France when ships sank at sea. Great Britain claimed the island as part of Nova Scotia in 1763, when France gave up its claim to the island. This was under the terms of the Treaty of Paris which settled the Seven Years’ War. The island was split into a separate colony in 1769.

In September 1864, Prince Edward Island hosted the Charlottetown Conference, which was the first meeting in the process leading to the Quebec Resolutions and the creation of Canada in 1867. Ironically, Prince Edward Island did not find the terms of union favorable and balked at joining in 1867, choosing to remain a colony of the United Kingdom until a few years later. As a result of having hosted the inaugural meeting of Confederation, the Charlottetown Conference, Prince Edward Island presents itself as the “Birthplace of Confederation” and this is commemorated through the Confederation Centre of the Arts Building in Charlottetown.

“The Fathers of Confederation Memorial Building is a tribute to those famous men who founded our Confederation. But it is also dedicated to the fostering of those things that enrich the mind and delight the heart, those intangible but precious things that give meaning to a society and help create from it a civilization and a culture.” — Prime Minister L. B. Pearson, Opening Ceremonies for the Confederation Centre of the Arts, October 6, 1964

The centre has played host to the Charlottetown Festival every summer since 1965, playing Canada’s most popular and longest-running mainstage musical Anne of Green Gables — The Musical. The Confederation Centre theatre is the largest theatre mainstage in Canada east of Montreal.

The centre is one contiguous structure, however at street level it appears as three separate buildings (hosting a theater, art gallery and public library) clustered around “Memorial Hall” which faces east toward Province House, which is being renovated for the 150th anniversary of the confederation.

Architecturally the building presents an anonymous box-like face to the community, suffering, among other things, from a lack of a clear sense of entrance. We had to work at finding our way into the art museum through this very small door;

and the circulation inside the building mystified us, at least initially.  This pleasant courtyard wasn’t easily discoverable.

The spaces themselves were generally large and open.

This works well for large pieces where viewing from a distance can be useful; although it’s impossible to back up gradually without going over the railing. Smaller pieces can often be overwhelmed by all the real estate. The building’s structure had integrated lighting which had similar challenges.  For long distance, broad wash lighting the system worked reasonably well; but focusing on individual works was awkward. The open corner windows, introducing daylight and providing architectural “articulation” from the exterior, were another troublesome element. A number of them had been curtained off in order to keep glare from interfering with the display lighting.

The collection ranged widely and the current show displayed that. In no particular order, here’s a sampling of what we saw.

Portraits by Lionel Stephenson

Arrival of the Sun, 1962 – Kenojuak Ashevak

Pipe Dreams 5, 1975 – Marcel Barbeau

Self-Portrait, c. 1936 – Bobs Cogill Haworth

Woman in a Black Hat, c. 1939 – Franklin Carmichel

Granite, Peggy’s Cove, 1931 – George Pepper

We visited Peggy’s Cove (near Halifax) later in the trip. The granite was impressive.

but, back to the museum –

Standing Nude (Study), undated – Robert Harris

Parade/Float V (Cowgirl), 2002 – Alison Norlen

and, just in case you didn’t pick out the cowgirl,

Parade/Float V (Cowgirl), 2002 – Alison Norlen

I’ll let Clarissa Inglis mop things up

Floor Mops, 1979 – Clarissa Inglis

In a nearby part of the building there was a display of the Charlottetown Conference that would lead to Canadian Confederation. This display will eventually be moved to the Province House building that is currently under renovation. The basic idea is that the table shows how things looked to the delegates during their meetings;

and the participants were “present” as well – Here’s John MacDonald

Outside once again, we passed a war memorial, located in front of the renovation site,

along with some banners explaining the overall effort.

Here’s a look at the work underway.  I’m sorry not to have seen it finished.

In the meantime, the provincial government activities occupy the George Coles building.

It’s an attractive brick structure but definitely less imposing, more of a college campus structure than a provincial headquarters.

On its far side, another war memorial, at a friendlier scale.

The Prince Edward Island Memorial Fountain

A short walk took us back to Hillsborough Square and our Bed and Breakfast.

A collection of styles fronts the square, which is essentially a large lawn with trees, including our B and B, the building at the bottom. As you can see, the fronts of the buildings have been maintained essentially in their historic characters; but, based on the rear of our B and B (lower right), the backs have become more casual and contemporary.

Next time we’ll see some local urban design and another historic neighborhood.

Cape Jourimain

A Crossing Place

From Shediac we drove an hour to Cape Jourimain, the point from which the Confederation Bridge leaves New Brunswick for Prince Edwards Island (PEI).

By calling this headland Wuk’taa’mook, the Mi’kmaq meant a crossing place – a place to pause, stock up on food, rest, make repairs, or wait out dangerous weather. The Acadians and early British settlers also canoed across from this place, as did the iceboats which used to deliver mail through long, bitter winters, and thereafter ferries of ever-increasing size, until they were replaced by the Confederation Bridge in the late 1990’s.

Before the bridge, in winter, the Northumberland Strait between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island became a dangerous expanse of board ice, pressure ridges, and open water dotted with fast-moving ice floes. To cross, special boats were designed with runners to ease dragging across patches of ice, and prows designed to ride up on the ice, allowing “safe” disembarking. I’m not sure how the horses felt about it.

Before driving up on to the bridge, we made a birding and wildlife stop

Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area.

The National Wildlife Area was designated for conservation in 1980 because of the diversity of waterfowl and shorebirds that use the area’s marshes and shores during migration. There are also excellent breeding areas for waterfowl, willet and many species of songbirds.

The area hosts a number of uncommon habitats and a number of rare plant species.

10 unique ecosystems that make up Cape Jourimain NWA

The area looks out over the Northumberland Strait, a shallow, warm, and rich marine ecosystem. To tell the story of Cape Jourimain’s diverse habitats and inhabitants, 10 signature habitats are described in the Exhibit Hall.

• Mixed forests, including a variety of stand types and ages;
• Coniferous forests, including black spruce bogs, white spruce, cedar swamp;
• Coastal hardwood forest, with a diverse assemblage of tree and shrub species;
• Shrubby field communities, that occupy old agricultural sites;
• Freshwater marshes, created by dams made by people and beavers;
• Brackish marshes, isolated from the reach of the tides by the causeway;Dunes
• Salt marshes, that were once diked but have regained their natural character;
• A sand dune, stretching along the northwestern shore;
• Rocky shorelines, colonized by mussels and oysters and by gulls and seaducks;
• Tidal flats, where clams and periwinkles abound.

The hall combines the many features we’ve gotten used to finding at these sites: museum display, small auditorium, information desk, cafe, and gift shop. The map in the lobby gave us a sense of the scope of the area. As is obvious, there is a lot of water on the site.

The road crosses the point on causeway and then on bridge structure. We chose to walk to the lighthouse at the upper right corner of the point on the map, passing by a building used primarily for research.

Because much of the ground is boggy, part of the trail is on boardwalk.

There’s a wide variety of plant types; and at this time of year they were showing off some of their colors and fruits of their labors.

The lighthouse was being renovated so we didn’t go in. I believe it’s no longer working.

Around the corner we came upon a different type of tall structure.

I’ve had paper wasps nests in my shrubbery before but nothing of this scale. Back towards the Hall we came upon a viewing platform that the birder tried out.

And we got a good first look at the next leg of our trip, the Confederation Bridge.

At the far end, safely onto PEI, we got to see a cross section of the bridge structure.

If I’m correct, the bridge is constructed by fitting a number of these pieces together from column structure to column structure and then ‘post-tensioning’ them with cables, through the holes you can see, to tightly hold everything together. Quite the process.

Next Stop:  Charlottetown, PEI