Description of Historic Place

The Munson/Cleland property is comprised of three buildings: the main house, which is a one-and-one-half storey, side-gabled Classical Revival bungalow with a broad verandah and three shed dormers; a smaller residence or cottage; and a barn. This historic place is located on a fruit lot on the east bench of Penticton.

Heritage Value

The house, the cottage and barn which comprise the Munson/Cleland Property were built in 1907-1908. This property is significant to the heritage of Penticton because it represents the early twentieth century investment in Okanagan fruit lots by British and Canadian investors, particularly those associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).

Built as a summer house by J.H. Munson, a prominent Winnipeg businessman and a lawyer for the CPR, this historic place is reflective of the CPR's policy to encourage its senior staff to purchase land in the Okanagan as a way of supporting local investment in agriculture and economic development. Its value lies in its association with early fruit ranching and the European settlement of the benches.

The property is also value for its association with the Cleland family, leaders in the Penticton arts community, who have been resident on the property since 1919, and have now owned it for over 70 years.

The Classical Revival elements of the house, including the gently curving arches and classical porch rails, along with the landscaped grounds with terraced gardens, cottage, and barn, evoke the genteel life of wealthy local land owners in the early years of the twentieth century.

Source: City of Penticton Civic File for: 10 Upper Bench Road

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Munson/Cleland property include:
- the prominent location on a hill on the east bench of Penticton
- the surviving terraces and rock walls from the original picturesque terraced gardens
- the massing of the house with a symmetrical design
- architectural details that emphasize the Classical Revival design, including the three shed dormers, curved arches, and classical porch rails
- the deep verandah which emphasizes the bungalow style
- the sympathetically designed cottage
- the barn
- historical association with investment in Okanagan fruit ranching by businessmen associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway
- association with the Cleland family, leaders in the Penticton arts community