Apothecaries Hall National Historic Site

General view of a building
General view
© Parks Canada / J. Butterill, 1995

Apothecaries Hall was designated a national historic site in May 1969.

Commemorative plaque: on the Hughes Drug Company Building 150 Queen Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward IslandFootnote 1

Apothecaries Hall

In December 1810, Thomas DesBrisay Jr. opened an apothecary shop on this site to supply drugs and medicine to the people of Prince Edward Island. Until then, many Islanders relied more on home remedies or obtained medicines directly from their doctor. In 1874, George E. Hughes took over the business, operating it under the name of Apothecaries Hall–Hughes Drug Co. Ltd. The present brick building replaced the original wooden structure in 1901. When the drug store closed in 1986, it was one of the longest continuously operated pharmacies in Canada.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
English plaque inscription

Heritage value

Apothecaries Hall was designated a national historic site of Canada because from 1810 to 1986 an apothecary shop was operated on this site, making it one of the oldest continually operated pharmacies in Canada.

The heritage value of this site resides in its historical association with one of Canada’s longest operating pharmacies and the building’s physical elements that accommodated that function.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minute, May 1969


Character defining elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage value of this site include: its corner site its rectangular, three-storey massing under a flat roof, its large retail windows at ground level its corner entry, its banded brick facing with decorative brick cornice, original interior elements including wood detailing and tin ceiling.

 

Far view of a building
General view
© Parks Canada / J. Butterill, 1995
Architectural details of a building's roof
Architectural details
© Parks Canada / J. Butterill, 1995

The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Get information on how to participate in this process

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