PEIConstruction is now underway on a multimillion-dollar renovation of a 1930s-era gas station in Charlottetown’s downtown into what the city calls an energy innovation hub. The city is contributing $750,000 to the projectStephen Brun · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 5:01 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A rendering posted on the former Irving gas station building on Euston Street in Charlottetown shows the vision for the energy innovation hub. (Barry Acton/CBC)Construction is now underway on a multimillion-dollar renovation of a 1930s-era gas station in Charlottetown’s downtown into what the city calls an energy innovation hub. The long-closed Irving Oil station located at 85 Euston St. was donated by the company to the city earlier this year.The building features the turreted design that Irving stations across the region were known for at the time. The structure was never demolished due to its architectural and historical significance.In a news release Friday, the city said it’s contributing $750,000 to the project, with the federal and provincial governments kicking in $500,000 each. “When you talk about heritage, there’s a cost to it,” Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown said after a groundbreaking ceremony at the site Friday. “In the end, the finished product…will be a property that shows that we can restore historic properties and make it more usable, adaptable for today’s needs and our own communities.” The turreted, 1930s-era gas station has sat idle at the corner of Euston and Queen streets for many years. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)The site has sat idle since a car rental company at the location closed at some point after the gas pumps were taken out in 2008.The plan is to redevelop the building into an electric vehicle charging station that includes chargers for e-bikes, with a community centre and small park integrated into the design. Brown said Friday that an additional 650 square feet will also be added to the existing structure. A lot of people in this neighbourhood are happy to see the property getting cleaned up- Premier Rob LantzP.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, who also attended the groundbreaking, said he was particularly happy to see the project come to fruition. Lantz served as a Charlottetown councillor before entering provincial politics, and said the old Irving station was a topic of discussion in the community dating back to that time. “This is a project that’s been on my radar for close to two decades. As a city councillor for eight years, it was a point of discussion in the community,” he said. “A lot of heritage advocates are happy to see this happening, a lot of people in this neighbourhood are happy to see the property getting cleaned up. It’s going to be a great amenity to the whole community.” The city expects the new hub to open to the public by summer. With files from Delaney Kelly
Charlottetown hopes former Irving gas station will be refurbished as energy hub by summer
