Rennies Mill is an east end

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural are ...

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

and the "area runs along Rennie’s Mill Road from Military Road ... north one block to its termination at Circular oadand includes ... buildings on the west side numbers 21 to 79 and on the east side numbers 12 to 54 and the open spaces around them, extending to their rear property lines". The road is named after "the Rennie brothers from Scotland hoopened a flour mill n what is now called the Rennies Riverand bakery in 1835".Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador

History

In the aftermath of the city's Great Fire of 1846, Rennie's Mill Road was developed as a residential area where the prosperous residents sought tranquil and safe accommodations away from the crowded downtown core. It contains a remarkably harmonious and homogeneous grouping of large, wooden homes that are closely associated with individuals prominent in the political, financial and social life of Newfoundland. Given its proximity to government buildings, many prime ministers of the colony have resided along Rennie’s Mill Road (i.e., Alderdice, Goodridge, Lloyd, Morris, Squires, Whiteway). Because the area was developed by many of St. John’s influential and wealthy merchants to house their families, it was also home to those working as their coachmen, gardeners and 'domestics'. This district is a rare intact 19th century example of the planning phenomenon: the residential suburb. Built in the latter part of the 19th century, a substantial number of these houses were designed in the Second Empire style, which, with its steep mansard roofs, is one of the most characteristic residential forms in St. John's. Another popular style represented is the

Queen Anne Revival The Queen Anne style of British architecture refers to either the English Baroque architecture of the time of Queen Anne (who reigned from 1702 to 1714) or the British Queen Anne Revival form that became popular during the last quarter of the ...

, which is similar in scale but more varied in form. Many of the original homes remain intact although for some, additions have been built and the property boundaries and the orientation of the house on the property have shifted. It was common at the time for owners to name their property and for the name to vary in written records and over time, e.g., Calvin House or Kelvin House (49 Rennie’s Mill Road). Property names were often used in place of the actual street address. In 1987, the

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

designated the area as "Rennie's Mill Road Historic District" due to the area being a fine example of 19th-century residential streetscape.

References

{{coord missing, Newfoundland and Labrador Streets in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador History of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

History

See also

References