North Gonzales Heritage Tour

This tour briefly describes some of Victoria's buildings along streets beginning and ending at the commercial strip east of Oak Bay Avenue.

Victoria Heritage Foundation

Neighbourhood History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Victoria was home to the indigenous Coast Salish people of the Lekwungen nation, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt People. The Gonzales neighbourhood is named for Spanish explorer Gonzalo Lopez de Haro, first mate of the Spanish ship Princesa Real, who helped chart the waters around Vancouver Island in 1790. In 1885 Joseph Despard Pemberton, the first colonial land surveyor, named his large farm and home Gonzales. The introduction of the electric streetcar line along Oak Bay Avenue in 1891 was instrumental in encouraging early subdivisions. However, it was not until after the turn of the century that the improved infrastructure and 1907-1913 real estate boom, turned this area into a popular residential neighbourhood. Many houses were built and financed on the installment plan by local builders and developers who often purchased several lots in a row. The residential building boom ended in 1913-14, and the neighbourhood took many more years to infill with more modest homes. The 2nd World War demand for inexpensive accommodation and the difficulties in sustaining large houses in the post-war period resulted in many homes being converted into suites. Following the 2nd World War, another housing boom saw the remaining vacant land developed. Well-known Victorians are remembered in local street names. Charles E. Redfern was a jeweller and watchmaker who served as mayor. Dr. John Chapman Davie was a medical doctor and a Member of Parliament. Amphion St is named for HMS Amphion. Somenos, Quamichan and Cowichan Streets honour some of Vancouver Island’s First Nations. Today Gonzales is a desirable neighbourhood characterized by its tree-lined residential streets, historic homes, and landscaped gardens. While it appears to be mainly a single family neighbourhood in character, there are many secondary suites, strata and heritage conversions. The Gonzales neighbourhood has evolved from Garry Oak meadows and farmland to one of Victoria’s most popular neighbourhoods in less than 150 years.

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1

1046 Clare St

1912. Built by contractor Henry M. Parker. Two-storey Craftsman with knee brackets, dentils on string-course, art glass transom windows. Clad in narrow beveled siding and shingled second storey and gables.

2

1042 Clare St

1912. Built by contractor Henry M. Parker. Front-gabled with steep roof, upper balcony inset over pent roof, diamond-paned closet windows, full-width front porch with heavy chamfered columns. Box bay on left side.

3

1043 Clare St

1912. Glengarry. Large front-gabled Edwardian Arts & Crafts has two gabled dormers-all with finials, dentils on stringcourses, angled bay & offset recessed front verandah with chamfered columns. Clad in lapped bevelled siding, shingles at foundation level & gables. Converted to a duplex in 1953, but the exterior remained largely unaltered.

4

1034 Clare St

1912. Yelland & Riley Architects. Craftsman clad in shingles with unequal courses, exterior brick chimney, multipaned-over-one windows, knee brackets, notched bargeboard ends, partially recessed corner porch.

5

1025 Clare St

1912. Edwardian Arts & Crafts with a contemporary update. Half-width front porch with heavy square columns, balanced by multipane-over-one triple window assembly.

6

1022 Clare St

1914. Attributed to architect J. Lennox Wilson. California Bungalow features low-pitched, front-gabled roof and porch with heavy timber beams and trusses. Porch roof is supported by panelled tapered columns on square, stuccoed pedestals. Casement windows have geometric muntin designs, angled ends on extended upper window casings. Later upper storey addition.

7

1019 Clare St

1912. Craftsman Bungalow by architect E.E. Green for the Bungalow Construction Co. features full-width arched verandah with heavy piers, shingles with unequal coursing, exposed rafter tails.

8

1018 Clare St

1912. Colonial Bungalow with bellcast hip roof and dormer. Inset half-width front porch on right with angled bay on left, and box bay on left side.

9

1000 Chamberlain St

1910. Recently rehabilitated Edwardian Arts & Crafts with bellcast hip roof & front dormer. Inset front porch with heavy columns and brackets, side box bays.

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1006 Chamberlain St

1910. Designed by George V. Bishop. Unusual house has a concrete block foundation, hip roof with cross-hip dormers, inset second floor porch above the entry. An octagonal turret, now enclosed, covers the verandah extension.

11

1009 Chamberlain St

1910. Architect H. Bunting. Front-gabled Edwardian Arts & Crafts has full-width shed roof verandah with gable over entry, heavy porch columns and a solid balustrade, flared front steps; panelled front door flanked by cross-leaded sidelights. Upper storey features paired casement windows with cross-leaded uppers, capped by bracketed hood; birdsmouth bargeboards ends.

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1012 Chamberlain St

1909. Designed by George V. Bishop. Edwardian Vernacular with hip roof, exposed rafter tails, full-width inset verandah with solid balustrade.

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1015-17 Chamberlain St

1910. English Arts & Crafts designed by architect H. Bunting. Side-gabled with timbered & stuccoed gabled entry; front box bay, decorative knee brackets, cross-leaded transoms. Gabled front dormers have engaged bargeboards and rafter ends, crossing in the middle. Converted to duplex in 1943.

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1020 & 1022 Chamberlain St

1912. Pair of mirror-image Arts & Crafts bungalows on narrow lots designed by architect Jesse Warren. Front-gabled with gabled extension over inset corner entry porch, decorative knee brackets, box bays on front and both sides.

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1027 Chamberlain St

1909. Well-maintained front-gabled, shingled Edwardian Arts & Crafts with side entry, gabled dormers, inset upper floor balcony. Twinned ground floor projecting square bays have triple window assemblies with crossed mullions in upper sash. Built on a speculative basis by Dunford & Matthews. First known resident was Albert A. Belbeck, secretary-treasurer of the BC Saddlery Co.

16

1028 Chamberlain St

1911. Designed by George V. Bishop. Built by Dunford & Son for $2,800. Edwardian Arts & Crafts with bellcast, hipped roof & front dormer, paired eave brackets. Inset corner entry has tapered stone piers supporting paired square columns. Shingled foundation & upper floor, bevelled siding at main level. First resident was Burton Van Horne, a CPR conductor.

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1031 Chamberlain St

1910. Designed by George V. Bishop. Built by Dunford & Son for $2,400. Arts & Crafts Bungalow has bellcast hip roof with front gable. Angled bays on front & side, offset recessed porch with square columns, dentils on stringcourse, half-timber detail in gable.

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1034 Chamberlain St

1908. Arts & Crafts Colonial Bungalow with bellcast hip roof and front dormer, angled bay at right, paired brackets in eaves above dentil moulding. Recessed verandah has been enclosed on left side. Corbelled exterior wall chimney.

19

1038 Chamberlain St

1912. Spec-built bungalow by Beaumont & Drummond. Hip roof and three hipped wall dormers. Double-bevel siding on the main floor and shingles above and below. An angled bay counterbalances the inset corner porch, with chamfered columns. Multipaned upper sash in double-hung windows. Exposed rafter ends have been cut in a decorative scroll pattern. Converted to duplex in 1942.

 Heritage-Registered  properties are not formally protected, however their heritage values are recognized and may warrant future protection.

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1041 Chamberlain St

1909. Designed by George V. Bishop, built by Dunford & Son. Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts. Recessed front porch, angled bay, upper balcony, square columns in balcony and porch. Shingled upper gable & basement, double-bevelled siding main floor & upper of gable, corbelled brick chimney, drop finial.

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1057 Chamberlain St

1908. Colonial Bungalow with symmetrical bellcast hip roof and high dormers. Front angled bay, recessed half width porch with paired chamfered columns. Paired scroll-cut eave brackets, dentils on stringcourse. Spec-built by Doane & Cady. Converted to triplex in 1949.

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1063 Chamberlain St

1909. English Arts & Crafts by owner/builder Thomas Cox. Front-gabled with gabled dormers and whalebone bargeboard ends. Full-width front verandah with square columns and solid balustrade. Original windows with wood storm windows.

23

1863 Oak Bay Ave

Nit-i-Nat was built circa 1903 as a simple one-storey bungalow with full-width front verandah. The current form dates from 1908 when architects Hooper & Watkins designed second floor additions for Edward Hardwick, timber cruiser, broker. Four bellcast hipped dormers were added - two with inset curved balconies facing adjacent streetfronts. Angled bays on front and both sides, dentils on stingcourse. Full-width front porch with chamfered columns and spindled balustrades. Original windows. Converted to duplex 1951; now offices.

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1867-69-71 Oak Bay Ave

1913. Three-unit, one-storey brick commercial building with stepped parapet. Stores have been home to grocers, bakeries, upholsterers, fish & chips shops, to name just a few.

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1077 Davie St

1908. Architect Wm. D'Oyly Rochfort. One of a number of speculative Tudor Revival style residences built on Davie St by the Bevan Brothers. The house sits on a large lot and is mostly unaltered with a bellcast hip roof and several bracketed box bays. Offset front verandah features art glass front door assembly with paired sidelights. Shingled main floor, stucco and half timbered upper. Leaded & multipane upper windows.

 Heritage Registered  properties are not formally protected, however their heritage values are recognized and may warrant future protection.

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1082 Davie St

1907. Designed by D.H. Bale. Colonial Bungalow has bellcast hip roof and dormer. Wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails, corbelled brick chimneys. Inset front porch has been partially enclosed to create four strata units in 1981.

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1076 Davie St

1911. Spec-built by Andrew H. Mitchell, manager of the Bell Development Co. Unique symmetrical house has projecting central arched entry porch and central hip dormer. Stair have a flared stone balustrade. Front door assembly with art glass. Windows have cross-leaded glass in upper sash.

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1071 Davie St

1908. Architect H.S. Griffiths, built by Parke & Bevan. Handsome English Arts & Crafts in mostly original condition. Inset porch features turned columns with scroll-cut capitals, lattice-work balustrade. Slightly projecting front triple window assembly has cross-leaded upper sash. Clad in shingles with half-timbered gable ends.

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1070 Davie St

1912. Front-gabled with two gabled dormers, recessed porch, clad in bevel siding with shingled foundation & upper gable. Art glass, multi-pane upper windows.

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1063 Davie St

1909. Architect Wm. D'Oyly Rochfort, built by Bevan Bros. for $4,000. Large Tudor Revival style with high bellcast hip roof, corbelled brick chimneys. Offset front porch, second side entry. Bevel siding at foundation level, shingle on main floor, half-timbered & stucco on upper.

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1058 Davie St

1908. Edwardian Vernacular Art & Crafts. Steeply-pitched front-gabled roofline with matching side dormers. Recessed porch balanced by angled bay. Ionic porch column capital and matching decoration on whale-bone bargeboards. Shallow bracketed box bay in gable. Matching garage.

 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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1023 Davie St

1908. Designed by architect William D'Oyly Rochfort, who had previously worked for Samuel Maclure. One of a number of speculative Tudor Revival style houses built by Bevan Bros. This style was popular during the pre-First World War building boom. Bellcast, multi-hip roof, offset half-width front verandah. Shingled lower, stucco and half-timbered upper, bracketed box bays. Panelled, & leaded entry door. The landscape features several mature Garry Oak trees.

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1003 Davie St

1910. Two-storey shingled Edwardian has high basement and faces Brighton St. Side-gabled with front and back gabled dormers. Pair of box bays with triple window assemblies below pent roof on Davie St side.

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1932 Brighton Ave

1910. Edwardian Vernacular with recessed entry, box bay with art glass upper windows, shallow box bay in gable, side dormers, later basement garage. Stuccoed in 1961. Note boulevard landscaping.

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1936 Brighton Ave

1909. One of nine identical spec-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Contractor George Mesher is listed as agent for the owner. Toms was a civil engineer and Oak Bay Councillor. Despite many alterations, most houses have retained their angled, cutaway bays, two-over-one windows, pair of upper, bracketed, shallow box bay windows, unique bargeboard ends. Some still have the original decorative half-timbering in the upper gables. Many original inset entries have had porches added.

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1940 Brighton Ave

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Renewed cladding, replacement windows, gabled front porch added.

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1003 Redfern St

1913. California Bungalow with Oriental-style flared roofline, notched bargeboard ends, full-width recessed porch supported by square posts on stone piers. Two box bays on right side of house. Built for Sidney C. Trerise of contracting firm Williams & Trerise.

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1007 Redfern St

1913. Craftsman built for Sidney C. Trerise. Shallow-pitched, front-gabled roof with shed roof over part-width inset porch, square wood columns on tapered, stuccoed piers, rounded rafter ends. Triple window assemblies have centre mono-light with art glass transoms, and multipane-over-one on either side. Small box bay partway down left side.

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1012 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Stucco over original siding.

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1016 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical spec-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Most original features remain, including stucco and half-timbering in upper gable.

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1020 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Enclosed porch with shed roof added.

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1024 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Brick over original siding on lower, gabled porch added.

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1023-25 & 1049-51 Redfern St

1911. Originally identical, with reversed plans, Colonial Bungalows built for E. LeBus. One-storey with hip roof and dormer, paneled and glazed front doors. Both have been altered, converted to front/back duplexes in 1950s.

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1028 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Stucco over original lower siding, scalloped shingles in upper gable.

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1032 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Shed-roof porch added.

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1036 Redfern St

1909. One of nine identical speculatively-built houses on Redfern and Brighton built for Lewis W. Toms. Hip-roofed porch added.

47

1053 Redfern St

1911. One-storey Colonial Bungalow with hip roof and dormer, inset front porch with square columns. Converted to duplex in 1950.

48

1057 Redfern St

1908. Gable on hip roof, double-bevel siding, symmetrical façade has angled cutaway bracketed bays on both sides of recessed entry, eave brackets below pent roof.

49

1040 Redfern St

1912. Architects Fleet & Beale. Edwardian with jerkin-head gables, shed dormers on both sides, closet windows in lower gable. Recessed verandah has been enclosed.

50

1069 Redfern St

1895. One of the earliest remaining houses in the area, owner/carpenter John D. McDonald. Vernacular example of a one-storey Italianate cottage with simple detailing. Hip-roof with angled bay on north side. Shed-roofed verandah has been partially enclosed.

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1071 Redfern St

1912. Builder James Fairall. Hip-roofed with pair of front gabled extensions. L-shaped entry stairs lead to inset porch, box bays at right front, and on left side. Clad in shingles with stucco and half-timbering in gables. Corbelled brick chimney.

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1044 Redfern St

1908. Front-gabled Edwardian Vernacular with whalebone bargeboard ends, shed-roofed dormers, box bay on left side. Recessed corner verandah with round column. Stucco over original siding. Both 1044 and 1050 next door were built for J.P. Burgess for $1,900 each.

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1050 Redfern St

1908. Edwardian Vernacular built for J.P Burgess. Front-gabled with whalebone bargeboard ends, gabled dormers, corbelled chimneys. Shallow upper bracketed bay with double window below horizontal beam with peaked top edge. Recessed corner verandah with round column. Shingled upper & foundation levels, double-bevel siding on main.

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1083 Redfern St

Built 1911, this house was originally located around the corner at 1937 Oak Bay Ave. It was the home of the Gravlin family until the 1950s. They had a paperhanging/decorating business with a storefront attached to front the house. In 1962 the storefront was demolished and the house was moved to Redfern St, converted to duplex, stuccoed in 1965.