Description of Historic Place

The historic place is the one-and-one-half storey T. Treadgold House, built in 1907 with subsequent additions, and located at 1931 Abbott Street in Kelowna's Abbott Street Heritage Conservation Area in the South Central neighbourhood.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the T. Treadgold House is found in its long association with the Treadgold family, which has been active in community affairs in Kelowna since the early 1900s. Heritage value is also found in its architecture, which is representative of early cottages that were enlarged as Kelowna developed and the neighbourhood grew in importance. Its mature landscaping is also of heritage value for it contributes to the Abbott Street Heritage Conservation Area.

This historic place was continuously occupied by three generations of a single family, several members of which contributed to community development. Thomas and Donalda Treadgold arrived in Kelowna in 1906, just as the city was emerging as a regional centre. The house was built for them a year later. Thomas was a painter and decorator, and Treadgold's Paint Store was for many years a Kelowna fixture, its wares supplying many buildings as the city grew. Thomas and Donalda's son, Arthur T. Treadgold, and his wife, Sarah D. Treadwell, followed them as prominent residents. Sarah served on the School Board for 21 years, while Arthur continued the paint business. Their daughter, Frances M. Treadgold, was a teacher, continuing the family's service in the community's education system. Frances was the owner of the house by 1967, and was still living there in 1984.

The T.Treadgold House also has value for its representative architecture and landscape. The steep gabled roof is evidence of the original, relatively small, house built in 1907. Subsequent alterations and additions to the ground and second floors in 1954, 1973, and 2001 show how the residence grew with the city, and with the increasing importance and affluence of its occupants. The mature trees and landscaping indicate the importance placed on the setting of houses along Abbott Street.

The T. Treadgold House is a valued heritage resource in the Abbott Street Heritage Conservation Area, which was established by the City of Kelowna in 1998. The conservation area includes some 350 residential properties, many of which are included in the City's Heritage Register. This important area is valued for its cohesive heritage image, which reflects an early growth period in the new Kelowna townsite.

Source: City of Kelowna Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the T. Treadgold House include its:
- mature landscaping on right side yard and front yard, with continuous evergreen hedge, lawn, and flower garden
- residential form, scale, and massing, expressed by its one-and-one-half-storey height and rectangular plan
- medium-pitch gabled roof, which defines the form and massing of the original house
- entry porch
- wood shingle walls, which appear to define the original house
- wooden-sash windows and plain wood trim