613 Avalon Road
613 Avalon Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8V, Canada
Formally Recognized:
1977/01/27
Other Name(s)
613 Avalon Road
Rose Thorp
William Lang House
Links and documents
n/a
Construction Date(s)
1890/01/01
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2005/11/02
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
613 Avalon Road is a single-storey wood-frame Queen Anne cottage built in 1890. The cottage plays a key role in the Avalon Heritage Conservation Area, anchored by Avalon Street itself, most of which was built at the end of the nineteenth century. This short quiet street connects historic Beacon Hill Park with the community of James Bay, a peninsula on the southern edge of downtown Victoria.
Heritage Value
613 Avalon Road is important as a charming, intact, Queen Anne-style cottage, clearly visible from the intersection of Avalon with busy Government Street. The addition in 1909 of two rooms speaks to the owners' growing family and growing prosperity.
By building this house in 1890 for his own family shortly after his arrival in the city, William Lang, a building contractor from Ontario, demonstrates the Victoria building boom. Using a host of design and carpentry skills, he exuberantly celebrates the most colourful and ornate possibilities of the Queen Anne style. Although a modest bungalow, its complex footprint and dynamic rooflines, unusual angles, surprising shapes and colours dramatically advertise Lang's prowess.
Sources: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department; Victoria Heritage Foundation
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of 613 Avalon Road include:
- widow's walk on the roof
- coloured glass lights surrounding windows
- five types of brackets
- stepped and corbelled chimneys
- tiny front-facing dormer window with cutout panel in gable
- front verandah with Eastlake-style balustrade, arched brackets, and turned supports
- Moorish 22-light window in front-facing gable
- bracketed octagonal bay with cutaway corners
- drop-siding, and fish-scale and dogtooth shingles
- transom lights over door & windows
- placement within the heritage streetscape of Avalon Heritage Conservation District
Recognition
Jurisdiction
British Columbia
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (BC)
Recognition Statute
Local Government Act, s.967
Recognition Type
Heritage Designation
Recognition Date
1977/01/27
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
- Architecture and Design
- Developing Economies
- Labour
Function - Category and Type
Current
Historic
- Residence
- Single Dwelling
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
William Lang
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
Sources: City of Victoria Planning & Development Department; Victoria Heritage Foundation
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
DcRu-176
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a