Description of Historic Place

The Weiler Building is a five-storey Romanesque brick commercial building on a corner lot on Government and Broughton Streets.

Heritage Value

The Weiler Building is valued as Victoria's first department store. The largest timber-framed building in British Columbia at the time of its construction in 1898, this is an excellent example of the architectural traditions which suited nineteenth century large-scale retail business. As the headquarters of Victoria's most esteemed contemporary furnishers and outfitters - Weiler Brothers Home Furnishings - the prominent position on a corner lot and the considerable mass and highly mannered Romanesque detailing of this building's two street front facades are significant reflections on the prestige and economic fortitude of one of Victoria's most successful early businesses.

The aesthetic value of this building lies in its extravagant design (the work of architect Thomas Sorby); the large arched windows in the upper storeys, and picture windows on the ground floor permitted the maximum amount of daylight to enter the expansive interior and highlight the merchandise within.

Soure: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Weiler Building include:
- the prominent five storey massing, and the situation on a corner lot;
- the faceted corner facade;
- the large arched wood windows on the upper storeys, and the picture windows at street level;
- the Romanesque detailing, including extensive use of arches, voussoirs, rusticated masonry, and dentils;
- the interior spatial configurations and detailing related to the original design of Thomas Sorby.