Description of Historic Place

Robinson's Sporting Goods is a two storey commercial building located on the east side of Broad Street. It has three central arched windows, and large letters spelling out "Robinson's" on the upper storey.

Heritage Value

Robinson's Sporting Goods is of value to Victoria's downtown because it is an excellent example of the adaptation of a commercial building to suit the modernizing needs of the City in the twentieth century, and of enduring local entrepreneurship.

The change in use of this 1909 building from store and creamery for Victoria Creamery & Milk Supply Company to Robinson's Sporting Goods in 1948 is an integral part of its heritage value. At that time the street front façade was modernized to suit its new use and the preferred aesthetic of the day. This alteration is important to the history of the building because it reflects how Victoria was changing both commercially and physically in the middle of the last century; buildings and businesses whose appearances and functions no longer suited the needs of the community were adapted to reflect a new era of technology and modernity. The fact that Robinson's has conducted business on Broad Street since 1929 is also a valued aspect of its heritage, as it adds a sense of historical continuity to the commercial use of the Old Town District.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Dept.

Character-Defining Elements

The character defining elements of Robinson's Sporting Goods include:
- Its location on Broad Street, set amongst other buildings of a similar scale and date of construction.
- Surviving design elements which relate to its 1909 construction as the "Northwestern Creamery", including its two storey form, brick construction materials, surviving interior spatial configurations, and the upper storey fenestration pattern.
- Circa 1948 alterations made by Robinson's Sporting Goods to accommodate its new commercial function.
- Upper storey, double-hung wooden sash and divided arched windows.