III.

City Landscape

One of the most famous buildings in the city is Province House, site of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference and home to the provincial legislature of Prince Edward Island. Province House has been declared a national historic site. Near Charlottetown Harbour and next to Province House is the Confederation Centre of the Arts, which was built in 1963 to commemorate the Charlottetown Conference. The arts center was financed by gifts from all the provinces of Canada and a grant from the federal government. It houses a theater, museum, art gallery, and library. It is also the site of the Charlottetown Summer Festival, which each year produces a musical, Anne of Green Gables, based on the novel by local author Lucy Maud Montgomery. The festival, begun in 1965, also produces other Canadian plays.

Nearby is Confederation Landing Park, which opened in 1996. Located on the waterfront, it marks the landing place of the Fathers of Confederation in 1864. In 1984 a large, modern hotel and convention complex was opened on the waterfront. Its facilities, and the many hotels and motels in the area, allow the city to host large conventions and entertainment events.

The downtown area, which makes up much of the older part of Charlottetown, contains St. Dunstan’s Basilica, the largest church in the province. It is the seat of the local Roman Catholic diocese and was designated a national historic site in 1996. Close by stands St. Paul’s Anglican Church. The present building, completed in 1868, stands on the site of the original church, which opened in 1803 and was the first church building on the island. Buildings and storefronts on several blocks in the downtown area have been restored to their original appearance, and examples of architecture reflecting various British styles of the 19th century can be seen in this part of the city.

Charlottetown is the center of Prince Edward Island’s thriving harness-racing industry. One of the top racetracks in eastern Canada is here, and the city is host to the annual Gold Cup and Saucer Race and Parade. The race is held during Old Home Week, an event featuring a week of trade, handicrafts and livestock exhibits, midway and vaudeville attractions, and horse racing.

Charlottetown is home to the University of Prince Edward Island, created in 1969 by consolidating Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan’s University. The university has attracted several research facilities, including a regional agricultural laboratory and a food technology center. In 1986 the Atlantic Veterinary College was established at the university. Holland College (1969), the province’s only technical institute, is also within the city’s boundaries.