The older of these two large structures, the one on the right if facing the buildings from Water Street, dates from about the 1870s.  The second building, the one destroyed this past Sunday, replaced an earlier store destroyed by fire, and was constructed in 1917. Constructed entirely of wood, these are buildings of a sort now rarely seen in Newfoundland, but which once formed an important, indeed integral part in the trade and economy of the island.  The older storage building was known as "The Molasses Store", and besides carrying molasses, supplied cement and various building materials.  The 1917 store house supplied flour, beef and pork.

Across the street from the Rorke merchant store houses stands Rorke's Stone Jug, the oldest existing building on Water Street in Carbonear, and the only building of its kind in the community, as it is of stone construction.  In 1859, John Rorke's house and business premises were destroyed by fire.  Undaunted, the family built what was known as the Stone Jug, now known as the Stone House, sometime around 1863.

This large and impressive building is unusual in that it is constructed of stone with a slate  roof.  The house was constructed in the Georgian style by stone slabs that were cut on Kelly's Island in Conception Bay.  It is the only stone building in Carbonear and is, in fact, one of the few surviving examples of stone construction on the entire island.  The upper floors would have served as a residence for the family, while the ground level would have accommodated their business.

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized the significance of the Rorke stores and designated the property as a Registered Heritage Structure in 1988. Both stores and the Stone Jug were awarded commemorative plaques by the Heritage Foundation in 1998.

Historically significant in themselves, these store houses on the waterfront are much enhanced by their adjacent counterpart, the Stone House.  Together, these buildings comprised the entire Rorke property.  Up until this January, they were among the best preserved business premises in the province. Carbonear was one of a handful of places in Newfoundland and Labrador where a complex of buildings such as this had been preserved.  Communities such as Fogo and Herring Neck, which once boasted fishing premises like Carbonear's, have lost them forever.