Home / Accueil

1316-18 Wharf Street

1316-18 Wharf Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1975/03/13

East Facade, 2004; BC Heritage Branch
Front Elevation
West Facade, 2004; BC Heritage Branch
Rear Elevation
Site Context; BC Heritage Branch
View looking East

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1860/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/12/10

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

1316-18 Wharf Street is a nineteenth-century vernacular stone commercial warehouse located within Victoria's Inner Harbour Precinct. It sits on a sloping bank between Wharf Street and the Inner Harbour waterway; it has one storey at street level and two storeys facing the water.

Heritage Value

1316-18 Wharf Street is valued as an important part of Victoria's early commercial waterfront. It provides insight into the continuum of commercial use of the Inner Harbour, and contributes significantly to the historic commercial streetscape comprised of other early warehouses and commercial buildings nearby. As one of the first buildings constructed on the waterfront side of Wharf Street, this nineteenth-century warehouse illustrates the early harbour-based commerce which dictated the development of the land along the shore, and fueled the growth of the city.
Architecturally, 1316-18 Wharf Street is a very good example of a utilitarian, vernacular style stone commercial warehouse dating to circa 1860. As one of the few commercial buildings of this type in Victoria, its heritage value lies in its stone construction, its waterfront situation, and in particular its waterfront facade, which contributes to the diversity of the city's historic shoreline as viewed from the Inner Harbour waterway.

Source: City of Victoria Planning & Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of 1316-1318 Wharf Street include:
- the character of the nineteenth century vernacular architecture of the building, as seen in such elements as the western roofline and building materials.
- the unobstructed views between the building and the water.
- the relationship between the building and the waterfront.
- the appearance of the building as a free-standing structure, as seen from the water and the street.
- the modest scale of the building, with one storey at street level, and two storeys facing the water.
- the historic fenestration pattern on the waterfront facade.
- the commercial use of the building.
- the character of the nineteenth-century stonework, as seen in such elements as the random rubble bearing walls, carefully dressed quoins, and granite lintels.
- the contiguous relationship between this building and the building at 1314 Wharf Street.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.967

Recognition Type

Heritage Designation

Recognition Date

1975/03/13

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Commerce / Commercial Services
Warehouse

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Victoria Planning & Development Department

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DcRu-326

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places