Home / Accueil

223 Robert Street National Historic Site of Canada

223 Robert Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V9A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1990/11/16

General view of 223 Robert Street, showing its projecting gable-roofed bay, brick chimneys, decorative bracketing and eaves detailing, 2011.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, Andrew Waldron, 2011.
General view
General view of 223 Robert Street, showing its elaborate corner tower, 2011.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, Andrew Waldron, 2011.
General view
General view of 223 Robert Street, showing its materials and forms, all of which are consistent with domestic architecture in the Queen Anne Style, 2011.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, Andrew Waldron, 2011.
General view

Other Name(s)

223 Robert Street National Historic Site of Canada
223 Robert Street
223, rue Robert

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1905/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/04/24

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

223 Robert Street is an ornate one and one-half storey wooden residence designed in the Queen Anne style. Built in 1905, its picturesque quality is enhanced by its location in a residential cluster containing several houses of similar style, scale and age. The house occupies a lot located near the waterfront in the Victoria West area of Victoria, British Columbia. The formal recognition refers to the building on its lot.

Heritage Value

223 Robert Street was designated a National Historic Site of Canada because it is a particularly good example of the Queen Anne Revival Style, as expressed in domestic architecture.

On the West Coast, hallmarks of this architectural style, including cornertowers and rich decorative detailing, were occasionally applied to wooden picturesque cottage designs with striking results. The house built for James McLearen Muirhead in 1905 is an outstanding example, replete with an octagonal corner tower affording ocean views and a rich array of exterior and interior wood detailing supplied by the Muirhead family’s local planing mill.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, November 1990.

Character-Defining Elements

The key elements relating to the heritage value of this site include:
-its siting on its original city lot and its location near the waterfront;
-the relationship between the house and the waterfront;
-its materials and forms, all of which are consistent with domestic architecture in the
Queen Anne Style, including its rectangular massing under a hipped roof, elaborated by a corner tower, projecting gable-roofed bay, brick chimneys, decorative bracketing and eaves detailing, varied fenestration, and exterior wall surfaces;
- surviving elements of the original interior plan and detailing, notably panelling and joinery in the main hall and parlour, four fireplaces, carved columns, ceiling plasterwork, stained glass and mouldings.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1990/11/16

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Residence
Multiple Dwelling

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

88

Status

Published

Related Places

West elevation

223 Robert Street

223 Robert Street is a one-and-one-half storey wood frame house on a large residential lot surrounded by mature trees and hedge, located in the Victoria West neighbourhood. It is…

SEARCH THE CANADIAN REGISTER

Advanced SearchAdvanced Search
Find Nearby PlacesFIND NEARBY PLACES PrintPRINT
Nearby Places