77 Pleasant Street, c. 1878

The house at 77 Pleasant Street was built in c. 1878 by John MacEachern, a carpenter, on a 1/4 acre lot he purchased from Francis S. Cunningham. The MacEachern family, seven in all, lived here until 1897.

77 Pleasant Street has many of the distinctive hallmarks of Greek Revival, most notably its gable front, return eaves, two-bay facade, off-centre doorway, and side-hall plan. The principal area of elaboration in Greek Revival houses is the doorway. The central entrance at 77 Pleasant Street features both a multi-paned transom and sidelights. This touch of elegance sets it apart from its unadorned counterpart at 73 Pleasant Street with whom shares the same architectural antecedents. The house also draws on more recent late 19th-century architectural traditions. The decorative brackets on the full-width front porch and the scalloped shingling reveal folk Victorian influences. It also demonstrates the increasing impact of ornamental millwork by the late 19th century.

Michele Murray