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South Park School

508 Douglas Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1978/10/26

Exterior view of the South Park School, 2004.; City of Victoria, Steve Barber, 2004
east elevation
Exterior view of the South Park School, 2004.; City of Victoria, Steve Barber, 2004.
south elevation
No Image

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1894/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/08/30

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

South Park School is a two-storey Queen Anne Style brick building with a two storey annex in James Bay.

Heritage Value

South Park School is significant as the first school in Victoria to be built following the Public School Act of 1891, which transferred control of the construction and maintenance of public schools to local school boards and their respective municipalities. It is notable that the design for this school (by architect W. Ridgeway Wilson) was chosen by the 1894 School Board from twelve entries submitted by local architects; it is a reflection of standards for public school architecture in Victoria in the late nineteenth century. The Queen Anne Style of this building manifests the ideal elements of a school from that time period: practicality, economy, and beauty. The South Park School Annex, originally constructed as a manual training centre, is indicative of the introduction of manual training to elementary public education for boys in the early 1900s. It represents the ideal that the teaching of industrial disciplines would promote a positive perception of manual employment and encourage a healthy work ethic.

Built in response to the rapid population growth which occurred in the city in the 1880s and 1890s, it is significant that this largely unaltered school continues to function as a centre of education for children in this area today. Located near Beacon Hill Park, South Park School is a significant landmark whose architectural presence contributes to the historic atmosphere of the James Bay neighbourhood.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of South Park School include:
- the prominent presence of this free-standing school on a large corner lot in the James Bay neighbourhood, and the distinctive Douglas Street facade;
- the contribution of the school building to the neighbourhood, in particular its relationship with nearby parks;
- the gable-roof form of the school;
- the Queen Anne Style elements which contribute to its nineteenth century design principles, such as long banks of windows suitable for lighting classrooms, brick construction elements, the slate gable roof, terra cotta ridge cresting, and spatial configurations which relate to W. Ridgeway Wilson's design;
- the Annex, with its gable-roofed form and decorative elements reflective of the design of the main part of the school.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.967

Recognition Type

Heritage Designation

Recognition Date

1978/10/26

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Education and Social Well-Being

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Education
Primary or Secondary School

Architect / Designer

W. Ridgeway Wilson

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DcRu-209

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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