Burnside-Gorge Heritage Tour
Explore some of the historic houses along the Gorge Waterway west of the Cecelia Ravine in Victoria's Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood.
Neighbourhood History
Burnside Gorge is a residential area located in the north-west portion of the City of Victoria. In the late 19th century properties along the Gorge waterway were fashionable. In 1894 architect W. Ridgway-Wilson designed a Queen Anne style residence for industrialist Charles Spratt. Premier Richard McBride acquired it in 1908 and called it “Glenelg.” Unfortunately only one residence from this period –“The Dingle” (1885) – still stands. But Edwardian-era houses are still prevalent. Many were built after the Lohbrunner Estate was subdivided in 1908. New streets – Irma, Balfour, Albany, and Carroll – were laid out at this time. Wesley Mitchell, an entrepreneur from Manitoba, developed several nearby properties. In 1910 he was advertising “choice lots on Washington Avenue, close to the Gorge Road” for $700. Half-acre lots, “all cleared and fenced,” sold for $1,500. Some of these large residential lots still remain on Washington Avenue. Residential development was facilitated by new infrastructure. In 1912, Gorge Rd East was paved and a new bridge over Cecelia Ravine was built. A new streetcar line, route № 10, opened that year: It traversed Burnside Rd East to Carroll Street. In 1912-13, an elementary school was built on Cecelia Rd. A striking number of “motorneers” [street car operators] lived in this neighbourhood. It also attracted middle-class school teachers, store managers, and professionals. In 1916 the Canadian Northern Railway (an antecedent of the CNR) completed its line through the ravine, which is now parkland and part of the Galloping Goose Regional Trail. It crossed the trestle bridge over the Selkirk Water to rail yards in Victoria West. In the other direction, the railway went to Patricia Bay. Until the 1920s, there was a passenger service to Pat Bay on the Saanich Peninsula. Despite the Depression in the 1930s, several new homes were built. Residential construction accelerated towards the end of the 2nd World War. In the 1950s, motels sprouted along the Gorge Rd, which extended past Harriet Rd and connected to the “old” Island Highway at Craigflower Bridge. This was the main route to the Western Communities and the Malahat until the Trans-Canada Highway was completed in the late 1960s. Most of the motels have now been converted into apartments or social housing. But out-of-town visitors can still find accommodation at a few places, including a motel (279 Gorge Rd E) that occupies the site of Sir Richard McBride’s residence, “Glenelg.”
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Gorge Waterway
The Gorge waterway is a narrow tidal inlet that connects to Victoria's Harbour. The Gorge has a rich history as an important spiritual place and food-gathering area for First Nations, and later as a recreation area for early Victoria residents and visitors. It was the area's first highway where fine homes and mansions with docks and boathouses were built in the late 1800s.
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Burnside-Gorge Neighbourhood
The Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood in Victoria, British Columbia has undergone many changes over the years. The Bridging mural on the underside of the Gorge Bridge (1912) along the Galloping Goose Trail through Cecelia Ravine Park was created by local artist Frank Lewis (1932-2013) in 1997.
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Cecelia Ravine
Cecelia Creek is a daylighted fish-bearing stream that was once highly polluted and encased in cement. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the community, Cecelia Ravine Park is now a rehabilitated urban waterway enjoyed by many.
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Galloping Goose Regional Trail
By the early 1900s streetcars and three railroad lines traversed the adjoining working-class neighbourhoods. Construction on the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway started in 1911. It ran west to Sooke and serviced sawmills at Shawnigan and Cowichan Lakes. The abandoned rail bed is now the popular Galloping Goose Regional Trail, named after the noisy gas-powered passenger car that ran from Victoria to Sooke from 1922-31.
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Burnside School
1912. The population of Victoria almost doubled between 1891 and 1911. Architect C. Elwood Watkins designed three similar brick schools in Victoria during the building boom: Burnside, Oaklands and Vic High. This one was built by Luney Bros. Due to declining enrolment the elementary school closed in 2006. It is now the SJ Burnside Education Centre.
Heritage-Registered properties are not formally protected, but may warrant future preservation.
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Burnside-Gorge Community Centre
2007. Garyali Architects' award-winning design integrates the building with the adjacent Cecelia Ravine. It incorporates evergy-saving features, including a large publicly-accessible green roof with native landscaping that minimizes stormwater runoff. Will this be considered a future heritage building?
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414 Cecelia Ave
1922. A tiny shed-roofed cottage with original drop siding and added decorative elements is rumoured to have been a railway conductor's bunkhouse.
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3106 Washington Ave
1915. This Arts & Crafts house was built for Walter Carter, streetcar motorman. The front porch is now enclosed. The lower features beaded double-bevel siding lower & the gables are shingled.
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3107 Washington Ave
1910. An Edwardian house with a front-gabled gambrel roof - uncommon in Victoria. The façade has been altered and re-clad. First owner was Ernest Clare was a streetcar motorman.
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3111 Washington Ave
1911. Built as a front-gabled house with a hip-roofed porch. It has undergone many alterations but the original bargeboards & corbelled chimney remain. First owner was Donald Gallie, a streetcar motorman.
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3113 Washington Ave
1913. A small cottage built for $700 overlooking Cecelia Ravine. It has two box bays, original siding, windows and a corbelled chimney.
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361 Burnside Rd
1912. A commercial block originally known as the "Burnside Grocery & Post Office". This corner was the terminus of the Number 10 streetcar that ran on Burnside Rd from 1924-46. Streetcar motorneers were well-paid. Many motorneers lived in this neighbourhood.
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3172 Balfour Ave
1912. A Craftsman Bungalow with angled side bay, original multipane-over-one windows. The Victorian scroll-sawn brackets were added later. Built by Robert Wilkie for James Murray, owner and manager of several grocery stores.
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3164 Balfour Ave
1913. This side-gabled Craftsman Bungalow has a wide shed dormer, chunky porch brackets & original front door assembly. Alterations include the Victorian brackets and stucco. The original owner was Thomas Palmer, Victoria's deputy police chief.
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3162 Balfour Ave
1912. Builder Robert Wilkie's Craftsman house has double front-facing gables, three heavy porch piers, knee brackets and a box bay on right side. The vinyl siding is a more recent alteration.
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3165 Balfour Ave
1913. A Colonial Bungalow with hipped, bellcast roof and gabled dormer, paired Classical porch columns and unusual colonettes on dormer. Builder/owner was carpenter William Taylor.
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3140 Balfour Ave
1914. This California Craftsman Bungalow features clinker brickwork, a bellcast roof over verandah, central gabled dormer and knee brackets. Builder/owner was Charles Cousins, sash & door manufacturer on Garbally Rd.
Heritage-Designated properties are protected by municipal bylaw. Exterior cannot be altered or building demolished without City approval. Designated houses are eligible for rehabilitation grants from the Victoria Heritage Foundation.
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3130 Balfour Ave
1913. Designed by Seattle architect E.E. Green, this symmetrical California Craftsman Bungalow is now stuccoed. It has three gables, knee brackets with pyramid ends on bargeboards, tripartite windows and tapered posts on river rock piers. Built for Alex Smith, manager of the Hollywood Meat Market in Victoria's Fairfield neighbourhood.
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3135 Balfour Ave
1913. An Edwardian bungalow with hipped roof and dormer, gabled porch, tapered wall chimney and narrow bevelled siding.
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3126 Balfour Ave
1912. This Arts & Crafts Colonial Bungalow was designed by D.H. Bale, one of Victoria's most prolific designer/builders. It has a low bellcast roof & dormer with wide eaves & exposed rafter ends, inset side entry, angled and box bays and leaded diamond-paned upper windows. Built for George Hughes, salesman and window dresser for W & J Wilson.
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3127 Balfour Ave
1913. This Edwardian Craftsman is now stuccoed but it retains many original elements including a recessed porch, angled and box cantilevered bays and wood windows with tapered casings. Home of George H. Evans, jeweller for Charles Redfern & Son.
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3107 Balfour Ave
1913. A California Craftsman Bungalow built for Albert Waring, teacher & carpenter. It features a low-pitched roof, wide, open eaves, gabled entry porch with chunky posts on battered piers, tapered window casings with extended headers. The garage was added later.
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3103 Balfour Ave
1930. This front gabled house has roughcast stucco, split bargeboards, a porch with arched entry and side-facing steps.
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3025 Balfour Ave
1939. A charming English Cottage with a small attic window below the catslide roof. The porch has a brick trimmed arched entry with a side window.
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3015 Balfour Ave
1939. A well-maintained bungalow with bottle-glass stucco, window boxes & rolled roof edges imitating thatch. Angled steps lead to the porch with a witch's cap. The basement garage has original-style doors.
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3014 Balfour Ave
1939. Both bungalows at 3010 and 3014 Balfour were built for salesman/realtor Charles Farrant as rental properties. Details include brick around the entry and half-timbered gables. The shake siding covers the original siding.
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3010 Balfour Ave
1939. A similar bungalow to 3014 Balfour. This one is clad in stucco, has diamond-paned leaded windows and features a prominent battered (tapered) chimney.
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70 Gorge Rd East
1932. A Depression-era English Cottage with pebble-dash stucco, a brick-arched entry and side basement garage. It was built to a pattern-book design for the Dalziels, owners of the Dalziel Box Co. located at Bridge & Ellice Streets.
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2906 Irma Pl
1931. Built along with house opposite at 2909 Irma Place, both originally had Gorge Rd addresses. Brick clad front, stucco side, half-timbered gable.
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2909 Irma Pl
1931. This house originally faced Gorge Rd. It is clad in brick on the main floor, stucco and half-timbered in the gables. Features front jerkinhead gable, leaded casement windows and arched entry.
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30 Gorge Rd East
1949. A Moderne style flat-roofed split level built for Ray Maitland, City detective, for $8,000. Features a wide fascia and mullioned windows, curved concrete steps & iron railings, front door with sidelights. Recent garage addition.
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4 Gorge Rd East
1944. An unusual design with angled corners, hipped roof, Scottish (angled) dormer and cornice, corner concrete steps with recessed entry porch and many original windows. The wartime-era stucco cladding imitates wide lapped boards.
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4 Lotus St
1931. Owner/builder W. Gaskill designed his house with Spanish references including a dramatic front arched window, recessed front porch with double arches and stucco cladding with inset diamond tile feature. Note the tapered side chimney and original basement garage.
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15 Lotus St
1922. The house backs onto Gorge waterway. Built for $2,500 for R.H. Tate as a rental property. A late version of the Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts style. House has had several additions and decorative features applied. Two gabled dormers & corbelled brick chimneys are original.
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36 Lotus St
1922. The house backs onto Gorge waterway. Built for $2,500 for R.H. Tate as a rental property. A late version of the Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts style. House has had several additions and decorative features applied. Two gabled dormers & corbelled brick chimneys are original.
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31 Lotus St
1940. Designed by architect Hubert Savage. Stucco with waney-edge boards in gable, arched entry. 1993 separate garage by Victoria architect Pamela Charlesworth.
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2807 Irma St
1941. This modest cross-gabled bungalow with composite siding has no roof overhang. Original stone steps and terrace lead to porch with heavy post and brackets.
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2808 Irma St
1949. 2808 and 2812 are twin bungalows with corner steps, recessed entries, shouldered front chimneys. Built by contractors Paine & Townsend for $3,500.
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2812 Irma St
1949. 2812 and 2808 are twin bungalows with corner steps, recessed entries, shouldered front chimneys. Built by contractors Paine & Townsend for $3,500.
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137 Gorge Rd East
1885. Designed by architect John Teague for Charles & Matilda Thompson. Charles was secretary of the Victoria Gas Co. ThisItalianate villa with full-width verandah and elaborate bracketed cornice, originally sat on 12 acres facing the water. It was one of many mansions along the Gorge. In the 1980s the house was turned to face Gorge Rd and moved closer to the road; it now contains three condo units.
Heritage Covenant properties are protected by legal agreement. Houses are eligible for VHF funding.
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3038 Albany St
1913. Contractor Ernest Nordin's handsome Edwardian Art & Crafts house has unequal-coursed shingle cladding, offset half-width verandah on heavy granite piers, bracketed box bay, knee brackets, 3-over-1 windows, roughcast stucco and stickwork in upper gables.
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3042 Albany St
1941. 3042 & 3046 are similar stucco bungalows; hipped roofs, recessed front entry with archway, mulitpane-over one windows & shouldered wall chimneys.
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3046 Albany St
1941. 3042 and 3046 are similar stucco bungalows; hipped roofs, recessed front entry with archway, mulitpane-over one windows & shouldered wall chimneys.
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3065 Albany St
1907. Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts house clad in beaded, double-bevelled siding and shingles. There is a two-storey bay on the right, dentils on the bargeboards and stringcourse. Built for Clarence Bradshaw, solicitor. This is the oldest house on the block.
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3099 Albany St
1916. Arts & Crafts design with a gable-on-hip roof, double-bevel & shingle siding, side entry porch, angled & box bays on right side.
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3098 Albany St
1913. A spec-built Arts & Crafts Colonial Bungalow clad in unequal-coursed shingles with a bellcast hipped roof & dormer, front & side cantilevered box bays. The front porch is a later addition.
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3153 Carroll St
1946. The northeast corner reveals a Moderne-style house with attached garage, stucco with rounded corners and bands of horizontal fluting below a flat roof and tripartite horizontal mullioned windows.
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3084 Carroll St
1912. A prominently sited side-gabled house with finials in the peaks is now covered in aluminum siding. The front-gabled porch is supported by clusters of chamfered posts. Note the art glass piano windows. Original owner J.W. Herman, was a lineman for the BC Electric Railway.
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3054 Carroll St
1911. The symmetrical façade retains many original features such as the hip-roofed dormer, inset porch with chamfered posts, box bays and basement garage. The side dormers are later additions. House was built for Frederick Jones, grocery salesman.
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3069 Carroll St
1911. Architect Arthur Murrell designed this Edwardian Bungalow with a bellcast hipped roof and a gabled porch. The symmetrical façade includes box bays and an original front door assembly with sidelights. House was built for Ellsworth Punderson, a building contractor.
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3050 Carroll St
1913. A charming Arts & Crafts Colonial Bungalow by designer/builder D.H. Bale with hipped roof & front dormer, exposed rafter tails, inset corner porch, wide front angled bay, pair of side box bays and many original leaded windows. Side dormers are later additions.
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3040 Carroll St
1912. This side-gabled shingled Craftsman Bungalow was built for school teacher Margurite Ozard.The 2013 owners won a Hallmark Heritage Award for the rehabilitation that included removal of the later stucco cladding.
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3026 Carroll St
1908. Minnedosa is a cross-gable Edwardian Arts & Crafts style with a recessed sleeping porch, finials, cutaway bay and a moulded concrete block foundation. It was built for widow Mary Davidson.
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3059 Washington Ave
1911. A spec-built house by Wesley Mitchell who was advertising building lots for $700 and half acre lots for $1,500. This side-gabled house with a large gabled front dormer is now covered in composite siding.
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3070 Washington Ave
1912. Builder Wesley Mitchell's handsome Edwardian Foursquare has a hip-roofed dormer, square corner bays, inset porch, large overhangs, exposed eaves & rafter ends and a variety of original wood windows.
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3065 Washington Ave
1911. Built by prolific Washington Ave developer Wesley Mitchell for Frederick Mitchell, car dealer. This well-maintained Edwardian Arts & Crafts house has a hipped roof and three heavy dormers, enclosed eaves and a porch with slender Tuscan (round) columns, stained glass.
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3069 Washington Ave
1914. This was the last house built by builder William Holt. His first house was built in 1893 at 408 Alpha Terrace. This Craftsman Bungalow has open eaves and decorative bargeboard ends. The front porch has tapered square posts on shingled piers. The original siding is covered by composite shingles.
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3071 Washington Ave
1912. This side-gabled Edwardian Arts & Crafts has a large front dormer, inset porch with square chamfered posts that is balanced by a box bay with a triple window.
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3093 Washington Ave
1913. A well-maintained Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts has a shallow upper oriel box bay, lower angled front bay balanced by the inset porch with Tuscan columns. It is finished in a period colour scheme. The original owner Edward Parsons was an accountant.