134 Main Street, c. 1875

The house at 134 Main Street was originally the residence of James J. Wilkie, a telegraph operator, who obtained the property in 1857 for 200 pounds sterling. A native of Banff, Scotland, Wilkie was married to Annie, the daughter of Dr. Alexander MacDonald, the first medical practitioner in the Antigonish area. They had eleven children together, including Charles Wilkie, co-owner of Wilkie and Cunningham.

This 1 1/2 storey shingle-clad house, built c. 1875, represents a blending of architectural styles. The Gothic Revival influences are pronounced. The steeply pitched roof, the centered dormer gable, the gable trim and decorative multi-paned Gothic window are basic and recognizable elements of Gothic Revival. Classical influences are also apparent, most notably the pleasing symmetry, the corner boards, return eaves, the sheltered entrance capped with a triangular pediment, as well as the central doorway enriched with pillar-like supports, sidelights and rectangular transom. The two design formulas blend harmoniously and demonstrate the pleasing balance inherent in Maritime Vernacular between architectural dignity and sensible economy. 134 Main Street also demonstrates a classical-type symmetry internally as well as externally with its central-axis-with-stair-hall plan; this central interior design created a formal and functional composition of space. This house has retained the traditional 6/6 sash windows and has escaped the ravages of modernization.

Jessica Bradley

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