Description of Historic Place

The Music Hall is a small one-storey Boomtown-style building located between two major thoroughfares in the commercial district of Ladysmith, British Columbia. The historic place is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Built around 1905, the Music Hall is an excellent example of a simple, vernacular Boomtown or false-front style structure. Until the erection of more substantial and sophisticated buildings in the area over the next few decades, Ladysmith's first commercial buildings were typically wood framed and clad, and false fronted. Boomtown fronts made buildings appear more substantial and provided a convenient area for signage, while large front windows provided space for the display of goods. The building is substantially intact.

The Music Hall is significant for its association with prominent early resident John Stewart. In addition to being a notary public, real estate agent and insurance broker, Stewart was very active in civic affairs, serving as the first City Clerk, a Justice of the Peace, City Magistrate and Secretary to the Board of Trade. Stewart, and other professional and entrepreneurial men like him, was instrumental in directing Ladysmith's early growth and development.

The Music Hall is part of a group of heritage buildings in this section of the commercial district. Symbolizing Ladysmith's very earliest commercial development, the Music Hall has been in use for over a century and adds significantly to the heritage character of the street.

Source: Town of Ladysmith, Development Services

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Music Hall include:

- all of the elements of its vernacular architecture as expressed in the wood siding, Boomtown false-front façade, simple cornice, inset double front entry door with transom and large mullioned window
- the building's small scale and simple form and massing
- the building's location within a group of heritage buildings on a commercial street in the downtown core
- the building's continuous commercial use for over a century