Description of Historic Place

The Atkinson Residence is a one-and-a-half storey colonial bungalow with a low pitched roof and cobblestone cladding located on the east bench of Penticton, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

The Atkinson House has aesthetic value as an expression of arts and crafts architectural ideals in a rural agricultural setting. The house is a colonial bungalow, with a low pitched side-gabled roof curving to bell-cast ends. The main floor is built of courses of cobblestones with large concrete lintels. The eaves were finished with roughcast and featured decorative exposed timbers. Decorative rafter ends were extended along the overhanging gables.

The Atkinson Residence is located in a prominent position on the east bench of Penticton. Early fruit ranchers throughout the Okanagan chose such locations for their houses and similar colonial bungalow ranch houses can be found in Coldstream, Kelowna, and Summerland. The stone for the house was hauled from Penticton Creek with a horse and wagon. The house may have been started as early as 1911, but reached its final form in 1924, and contains a cobblestone fireplace, coffered ceilings and a built-in sideboard carved from a walnut tree on the property. It is likely that the dormer is part of a rear addition.

This historic site is also valued for its association with the Atkinson family. Edward Atkinson moved to Penticton in 1907. An employee of the CPR mail service, Atkinson was one of the first purchasers of land on the Penticton bench. Edward was one of the early postmasters in Penticton and was Chairman of the School Board during the construction of Ellis School in 1912 and 1913. He planted one of the first orchards and lived on the property until his death in 1955. He operated a private fruit packing house for many years from his property and his wife made dried fruits and jellies which she marketed to Woodward's stores, and family members have continued this tradition in today's Summerland Sweets, a cottage industry known for its fruit jams, jellies and syrups.

SOURCE: City of Penticton Civic File

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Atkinson Residence include its:
-prominent location on the bench above Penticton
-low bungalow massing of the house with low-pitched bell-cast eaves
-cobblestone from the Penticton Creek used for cladding on the main floor
-decorative arts and crafts elements, including the stucco and exposed timbers in the gable ends, exposed decorative rafters, large concrete lintels
-agricultural outbuildings
-stone retaining walls, built from Penticton Creek cobbles
-open porch with stone piers