Hillside-Quadra - Smith Hill Heritage Tour
Victoria's northern neighbourhood features fine City views, mature Garry Oak trees and a variety of interesting houses.
Neighbourhood History
The area east of Quadra Street and north of Hillside Avenue rises to the summit of Smith’s Hill, also known as The Rise, Work’s Rocks and Summit Hill. The landscape was once covered in Garry Oak meadows except for the swampy land near Hillside and Quadra. This is part of the homelands of the Lekwungen speaking (Songhees) First Nations. They cultivated and harvested the meadows’ indigenous camas lily bulbs for a staple food source. Hillside-Quadra is within Section IV of Joseph Pembertons’s original 1851 survey of Victoria. It was purchased by the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Chief Factor John Work (Wark) in 1852 who named it Hillside Farm. Many of the area’s streets are named after John and Josette Work’s 12 children. Until the end of the 19th century the area was largely agricultural and sparsely populated with market gardens and pastures remaining near Topaz and Quadra for some time. The first subdivision of Hillside Farm began in 1885 west of Quadra and was known as Hillside Extension. The dominant building in the area was the 3-storey brick Hillside Jail near the site of the current S.J. Willis School. The Victoria & Sidney Railway operated along Blanshard Street from 1894 to 1919. Most of the houses in Hillside Extension, along with North Ward School, were demolished in 1961 as part of an urban renewal project which included redeveloping Blanshard Street as the main access route between downtown and the new Swartz Bay ferry terminal. The land east of Quadra and north of Hillside was subdivided as Hillside Extension C in the late 1880s. Smith Hill is named after William J. Smith, partner in the building contractors Smith & Elford. They also operated Victoria Brick & Tile Co., one of several brickyards at the present-day site of Mayfair Mall. Smith built a substantial brick house and stables on Montrose Avenue in 1892. The house later became Sunhill (tuberculosis) Sanatorium, taking advantage of the fresh air away from the City. Most of Smith Hill was developed during Victoria’s largest building boom from 1907 to 1913. Some houses were built as rental income properties while the upper slopes of Smith Hill, with their fine views, developed into a fashionable middle-class neighbourhood. WWI and the economic depression brought a halt to most residential construction. WWII, the post-war demand for affordable accommodation and the economic difficulties of maintaining larger houses resulted in many of the larger homes being converted into suites. Quadra Village, the two-block commercial area at Quadra & Hillside, is the centre of this diverse community. The Village is home to unique shops and restaurants as well as a period 1949 theatre.
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3010 Quadra St
Gonnason House (Linnaea) 1900, Queen Anne Revival with a wealth of details; corbelled chimneys, angled bays, octagonal pepperpot turret, brackets & mouldings. Windows include round-topped (one Palladian set) & double-hung with coloured Queen Anne glass. Porch has been partially filled in. First owner, Benjamin Gonnason, co-owned a millwork & moulding mill. 1981 owners received Hallmark Award for rehabilitation.
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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3012 Quadra St
1919. A well-built British Arts & Crafts; Tudor half-timbering in upper, brick lower, granite & sandstone foundation. Front box bay, side angled bay, dentil beltcourse, sandwich brackets, chamfered porch posts. Double-hung sash windows with horns. 1st owner Robert Dinsdale was a contractor & civil engineer.
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3020 Quadra St
1902. Robert Dinsdale House. The Dinsdale family home until 3012 Quadra was built. Symmetrical Chalet-style with granite foundation, brick main & dogtooth shingled gable. Classic details include paired Tuscan columns on entry porch, balustrade on upper bracketed sleeping porch.
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3024 Quadra St
1931. By architects Spurgin & Johnson. Dutch Colonial Revival; side gambrel roof with full-width shed dormer, multi-paned double-hung windows, gabled portico with columns, front door has sidelights & transom.
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3031 Quadra St
Quadra Elementary 1914, architect C. Elwood Watkins. Hipped roof (originally slate), exposed rafter tails, massive chimneys, symmetrical façade in light & dark brick, sandstone panels & keystones in segmental-arched entrances, concrete water table. 2014 seismic upgrades and vinyl replacement windows.
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3103 Quadra St
Williams’ Automotive (previously Twin Oaks Service Station) 1925. One of Victoria’s last remaining neighbourhood garages originally had gas pumps under the hip-roofed extension with single bracketed post. Brick walls, wood windows, folding garage doors, outdoor hoist at back. It was likely built by the first owners of 3107 Quadra and is still owned by the same family.
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3107 Quadra St
1922. Edwardian Foursquare with high beltcourse & upper windows. Arts & Crafts details include exposed roof rafter tails, multi-paned leaded lights, art glass transoms. Unusual features are the porte cochère, semi-circular front bay with granite lower & matching garden wall.
Heritage Registered properties are not formally protected. However, heritage values are recognized and may warrant future protection.
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1015 Finlayson St
Quadra School Annex 1912. First classes were held in a tent. Two-room brick Annex served as classrooms until main school was built, then as Industrial Training Centre from 1916-50.
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3026 Fifth St
1912, Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts; shed dormer, knee brackets, exposed rafter tails, dentilated beltcourse, bracketed bay, diamond motifs in upper sashes of double-hung windows, inset corner porch, side-facing steps, stepped balustrade.
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3027 Fifth St
1913. By architect H.T. Whitehead. Craftsman Bungalow; renovated in 2008, retaining some of its original features, right side entry, stucco with half-timbered gables, bracketed box bays. New second entrance, siding, shingles & windows.
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1028 Summit Ave
1911. A Colonial Bungalow; bellcast hipped roof & front dormer, two side-gabled dormers, cutaway bay window with art glass transoms, shingle basement & dormer, double-bevel siding on main. Porch has been altered, right side enclosed.
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1037 Summit Ave
1913. A side-gabled Craftsman Bungalow with large shed dormers front & back, angled side bay, exposed rafter tails, knee brackets, notched bargeboards, period wire fencing.
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1042 Summit Ave
1921. This Craftsman remains largely in original condition. Shingled lower, stucco with half-timbered gables, knee brackets, notched bargeboard ends. Later garage addition.
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1136 Summit Ave
1938. English Cottage; steeply-pitched gables, leaded lattice windows, arched hood over entry, window boxes, downspout leaders, basement garage, rounded concrete steps.
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1144 Summit Ave
1933. British Arts & Crafts; stucco with half-timbering, two hipped roof & a shed dormer, box bay, no eaves, prominent exterior brick chimney, multi-paned casement windows.
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2987 Blackwood St
1938. By architect J. Graham Johnson for owner/builder Harold Parfitt. British Arts & Crafts; hipped roof & dormers, stucco with brick trim on balustrade, entry arch, corner quoins, window sills & chimney. Matching garage.
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1150 Summit Ave
1909. By architect F.M. Rattenbury (architect for Legislature, Empress) for Judge Richard Elliot. Edwardian Arts & Crafts; bellcast multi-hipped roof, 1 shed dormer, roughcast stucco & half-timbered upper, shingle lower, angled bay, replacement windows - some with bracketed hoods, brick chimneys, matching garages. Converted to suites in 1912.
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3018 Blackwood St
1914. British Arts & Crafts; cross-gabled with gable dormer, stucco & half-timbered upper, double-bevel siding on main, unequal-coursed shingles on basement, wraparound corner porch with square posts & knee brackets, two box bays.
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Summit Park
Summit Park protects one of the City’s largest remnants of the endangered native Garry Oak meadow ecosystem, which includes wildflowers in the spring such as fawn lilies, satin flowers and camas. The rocky outcrops at the summit afford views of Mt. Baker, the Saanich Peninsula & beyond.
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Smith’s Hill Reservoir
Completed in 1909, the reservoir was built to increase the water pressure of the City’s water supply from Elk Lake. It’s 5.8 m (19 ft) deep. The reservoir was no longer used after 1964 when the Sooke Lake Reservoir was completed. It now serves as an emergency water supply, while providing habitat for migratory and resident birds.
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1290 Topaz Ave
1922. Edwardian with a full-width inset verandah. Later stucco. Period garage, granite balustrade and garden wall.
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1310 Topaz Ave
1911. Oakleigh is a Craftsman Bungalow; low-pitched roof, deep sleeping porch with projecting balustrade, inset corner porch, front & two side box bays.
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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2906 Cook St
Spencer Castle (Fort Garry, The Rocks) 1911-14. By architect H.S. Griffith’s own miniature castle is the area’s best known landmark. British Arts & Crafts/Tudor Revival; square castellated turret, roughcast stucco with half-timbered upper, granite foundation, main floor, turret and chimneys. Economic difficulties forced Griffith to sell. In 1918, David Spencer, son of the founder of Spencer’s Dry Goods, purchased and occupied it for 50 years. In the 1970s it was incorporated into the surrounding condominium project & now serves as its social centre. Parts of its once spectacular grounds & garden remain.
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Corner of The Rise & Montrose
Two large sequoia trees are remnants of entrance to W.J. Smith’s 2½-storey brick house & stables, built 1892 for $8,000. In 1923 the property was purchased by Victoria mayor A.J. Morley (who lived at 1246 Montrose) & converted into Sunhill (tuberculosis) Sanatorium. Windows were replaced with purple tinted “Vitaglass” allowing the sun’s beneficial UV rays to filter inside. Building was demolished 1936.
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1269 Montrose Ave
1914. Concrete block main floor with interesting stucco in front gables, unusual bargeboards.
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1235 Montrose Ave
1922. Craftsman Bungalow; jerkinhead side gables, small dormer, unequal-coursed shingles, battered piers, corner porch.
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1231 Montrose Ave
1922. Craftsman Bungalow; unequal-coursed shingles, exposed rafters, knee brackets, half-timbered gable, rock chimney.
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2821 Blackwood St
1911. British Arts & Crafts; finial and stickwork in gable, side entry, box bays, banks of multi-paned casement windows, double-bevel siding, shingled basement & gable peaks. 1936 alterations by architect J. Graham Johnson.
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2733 Blackwood St
1913-17. Built with eight patterns of moulded concrete block (Hydrostone) on basement, main floors, balusters & Ionic columns. Stucco & half-timbered upper, angled dentils.
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2715 Blackwood St
1911. By builder/architect James Fairall. Colonial Bungalow; bellcast hipped roof and dormer, small sleeping porch with wraparound balustrade. Sleeping porches and verandahs were popular in the early 1900s when fresh air & sleeping outdoors were thought to be healthy & beneficial for those with tuberculosis & other respiratory illnesses. Many have since been enclosed.
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2714, 2726, 2728, 2732 Blackwood St
1924. A group of pattern book houses by the Star Bungalow Construction Co. When the economy began to recover after WWI in the 1920s, pattern book house plans were revived from the pre-war years, resulting in slightly old-fashioned “Bungalow lifestyle” houses.
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2841 Blackwood Ave
1915. Builder by A.H. Mitchell. Granite piers & main with heavy beltcourse - unusual in a modest Victoria house. Stucco & half-timbered upper, two full-width verandahs.
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1210 Topaz Ave
Gurdwara (Khalsa Diwan Society) 1912, 1969. This Gurdwara (Sikh temple) dates from 1969. The original concrete block & brick building was designed by architect H.S. Griffith in 1912. There are several Gurdwaras in this area. Sikhs have been part of the community since the first immigrants from India came to Victoria in 1904. Many found work in the forest industry or nearby lumber mills along the Gorge.
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1132 Topaz Ave
1913. By architect E.E. Green. Colonial Bungalow; low-pitched hipped roof & dormer, battered granite piers, shingled lower, bevel siding upper, corbelled brick wall chimney.
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1128 Topaz Ave
1939 bungalow with retro Craftsman details; hipped roof, wide cedar shingle siding, concrete steps, plate glass window, dog-tooth shingles in double gables, leaded lattice transom windows, tapered casings, battered porch post on clinker brick pier, trellis, original garage doors.
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2915 Prior St
1912. By architect E.J. Parker. Craftsman Bungalow; exposed rafter tails, notched bargeboards, dentils, stucco & half-timbered gables, cutaway angled bay, corner box bay, granite porch, matching garden wall.
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2927 Prior St
1893. Possibly one of the oldest houses in the area. Italianate; gable-on-hip roof with sandwich brackets, wide drop siding, double-hung windows with horns, angled & panelled box bays, concrete block foundation & matching garden wall.
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2940 Prior St
1911. Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts; finials with drops, whale-bone bargeboards, bracketed box bay, three chamfered posts on inset corner porch.
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2930 Prior St
Oak Cottage 1914, by architect D.C. Frame. Craftsman Bungalow, low-pitched roof, exposed rafter tails, knee brackets, box bay, balcony with long English brackets.
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2829 Prior St
1912. By architect E.J. Parker. Craftsman Bungalow; front gable stucco with half-timbering, dentils, notched bargeboards decorative beams, corner porch with recessed entry, shingles, fieldstone porch & foundation, leaded lattice windows.
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2809, 2811, 2815 Prior St
1911-12. Similar Edwardian houses built by F. Eiler. Hipped roof, front & side gables with 2-storey projecting angled bays. Upper balconies may be later additions. Very similar designs by same builder in 1912 at 2712 & 2726 Prior.
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1130-1170 Vista Heights
1937-38. Five spec-built bungalows by R.H. Harrison; stucco, arched entries, basement garages. 1130 has retained most of its original features.
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2826 Prior St
1914. By architect E. Butterfield. Craftsman Bungalow; gabled porch, shed and gabled dormers, exposed rafter tails, knee brackets, unequal-coursed shingles on main, stucco with half-timbering on gables and between upper windows, front and side box bays.
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Corner of Topaz & Graham
Unusual rock walls built in layers (courses) of different sizes and textures of stone.
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1052 Topaz Ave
1906. Owner/builder was Walter Cronk. Colonial Bungalow; bellcast hipped roof with four dormers, box and cutaway bays, arches between chamfered posts in recessed porch, art glass windows.
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1051 Topaz Ave
1912. By architect E. Butterfield. Craftsman Bungalow; double-bevel siding main, shingle basement, stucco & half-timbered upper, exposed rafter tails, knee brackets, drop finials, posts on concrete battered piers, box bay, triple windows, art glass.
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1046 Topaz Ave
1912. Edwardian Vernacular Arts & Crafts; stone foundation & battered piers, brick main floor and porch posts, stucco box bay & gables.
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2928 Fifth Ave
1911. Colonial Bungalow; bellcast hipped roof & dormer, recessed corner porch, beaded double-bevel siding.
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2943 Quadra St
1912 Architect W.L. Lanning’s own house. Edwardian Foursquare; hipped roof with gabled dormers, corner entry off wrap-around verandah with square posts, pedimented gables over entry & dormers, bevel siding, art glass.
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3001 Quadra St
1937. English Cottage; stucco with half timbering & waney-edged boards in steep gables, arched entryway, casement windows, prominent front brick chimney.