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123 Cambridge Street

123 Cambridge Street, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1995/01/19

Exterior view of 123 Cambridge Street; City of Victoria, 2007
Front elevation
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1912/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2008/03/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

123 Cambridge Street is a wood frame two-and-a-half-storey example of an Edwardian Tudor Revival style residence located in Victoria's Fairfield neighourhood.

Heritage Value

The historic place, built in 1912, is valued for its architecture, its first owner, and how its conversion reflects social change.

123 Cambridge Street has heritage value as an example in Victoria of an Edwardian Tudor Revival building. It is further valued as one of the earliest homes built on Cambridge Street, reminding us of the incremental growth of the neighbourhood during Victoria's second great building boom. Its style, the same as the Samuel Maclure-designed Tudor Revival mansions of Rockland, is valued because it reflects the growth of the middle class, whose homes were often builders' interpretations of the homes of the wealthy. Homes in the Edwardian Tudor Revival style were generally set on massive foundations, rooting them to the ground and establishing them as landmarks.

There is also heritage value in the association with the first listed owners, William Milne Fields and his family. This retired banker from Regina, Saskatchewan, lived in the house with his wife Violetta and two sons, John Cass Fields and Charles Arthur Fields, who were active in resource industries, first as partners in Pacific Coast Timber and Real Estate, and later in mining and timber sales.

There is also social value in the changes made to the house to render it economically feasible. In 1946, it was converted to a three-family dwelling; in 1955, to a three suite apartment; and in 1982, it was lifted and converted to six suites. Through the evolution of the building, it has retained its landmark status in the streetscape and continues to reflect its solid beginnings.

Source: City of Victoria Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage character of 123 Cambridge Street is defined by the following elements:
- characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, including half-timbering on the upper level, balustrade above front porch with French doors, battered stone piers that support the full-length stone verandah, siding on the main level, extended rafter tails, hipped roof with front hipped dormer, and cedar shingles on the lower level
- form and pattern of fenestration, including paired sash windows with leaded lights and box and octagonal bays
- set back from the street

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.954

Recognition Type

Community Heritage Register

Recognition Date

1995/01/19

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Peopling the Land
Settlement

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

City of Victoria Planning Department

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DcRu-977

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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