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Rogers' Chocolates

913 Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1975/11/27

Exterior view of Rogers' Chocolates, 2004.; City of Victoria, Berdine Jonker, 2004.
front elevation
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Other Name(s)

Rogers' Chocolates
Rogers' Block

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1903/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/08/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Rogers' Chocolates is a two-storey Queen Anne Style brick commercial building on Government Street.

Heritage Value

Rogers' Chocolates is valued as the home of one of Victoria's longest lived and still prominent businesses. Commissioned by chocolatier and businessman Charles W. Rogers, and completed in 1903, it is notable that Rogers' Chocolates (est. 1885) has conducted business from this shop since 1917. Designed by architects Thomas Hooper and John Teague, the value of this building lies in its careful combination of formal Queen Anne exterior elements with intimate Art Nouveau interior design, and its juxtaposition with other buildings of similar modest scale.

This building has a significant relationship with the two buildings immediately to the south, because together these three separate structures were designed to appear as a cohesive unit, with the outer two acting as almost identical bookends to a slightly larger central building. Rogers' Chocolates contributes to the continuity of the historic streetscape in this area, recalling the time when Government Street was the main retail artery of the city, active with the commerce of banks, restaurants, and numerous small shops such as this one.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Rogers' Chocolates include:
-the scale and two-storey massing of the building, which contribute to the turn-of-the-twentieth-century streetscape;
-the relationship of the building with the two buildings immediately to the south;
-the Queen Anne Style elements such as the cornice with dentil moulding and decorative pilasters;
-the Art Nouveau interior elements including cast iron, leaded glass, mosaic-tiled floor, wood panelling, light fixtures, wood and glass display cases, and marble detailing;
-intact store front display windows and door at street level;
-identification of the building with the Rogers name as seen in the inscription beneath the cornice.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.967

Recognition Type

Heritage Designation

Recognition Date

1975/11/27

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1917/01/01 to 1917/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Commerce / Commercial Services
Shop or Wholesale Establishment

Architect / Designer

Thomas Hooper

Builder

George Snider

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DcRu-240

Status

Published

Related Places

General view

Rogers Building National Historic Site of Canada

The Rogers Building is a small Victorian era commercial building with a fanciful Queen Anne Revival-style shopfront. It is located in the downtown area of the city of Victoria.…

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