Description of Historic Place

The historic place is the two-storey red brick Old Glenn Avenue School (Glenn Avenue was the original name for Lawrence Avenue), built in an Edwardian institutional style in 1910 at 1633 Richter Street in Kelowna's North Central neighbourhood.

Heritage Value

The Old Glenn Avenue School is valued in the community as Kelowna's first brick school, for its architectural character, and for representing a progressive addition to a growing community during Kelowna's period of early development. Over the years it has accommodated all grades of the school system, and still has an important role for the youth of the community.

The rapid growth of Kelowna in the second half of the first decade of the twentieth century meant that the public school built in 1904 (now the Brigadier Angle Armoury at 720 Lawrence Avenue) quickly became overcrowded. This new two-storey, six-classroom building, constructed in 1910 by H.W. Raymer, was the first brick school in Kelowna. The City's single high school class (started in 1907), with 21 pupils, moved into the building immediately, along with the overflow from elementary classes. Teacher Elizabeth McNaughton initially taught all subjects in the three-year high school program; she was aided by a second teacher in 1912.

The impressively substantial building represents a simplified version of the 'Jacobethan' Revival style (the name combines 'Jacobean' and 'Elizabethan' - both Tudor-era styles) that was seen in many schools across Canada, the main historical features being the steep gables and crenellated parapets. The simplification of form would seem to indicate the scarce financial resources that have often plagued school construction.

The design has not received universal applause for its appearance. A.R. Lord, school principal from 1910 to 1914, recalled it as 'externally, an architectural monstrosity,' and local historian Ursula Surtees commented that 'for sheer unattractiveness this new seat of learning would be hard to beat.'

The lower grades moved from here to Central School (1825 Richter Street) when that building opened in 1914. The Old Glenn Avenue School was left to the upper grades, becoming Kelowna High School. In 1925 the High School was staffed by three academic teachers and one agriculture teacher. It lost grades seven through nine in 1929, when the Junior High School was built (at the Kelowna Secondary School site, 575-599 Harvey Avenue). In 1939 the Senior High School was built as an addition to the Junior High School, and grades ten to thirteen shifted there.

From 1939 this building was again used by elementary classes, and was called the Junior Elementary School. When other elementary schools were built, its name was changed to Glenn Avenue Elementary, preserving the name of Glenn Avenue, which until about 1960 was the name of that portion of Lawrence Avenue on which it fronts. A gymnasium was added in 1977. It ceased to be a public school in the following decade.

The building continues to have value to the community for serving youth. In the 1980s it became the Downtown Youth Centre of the Kelowna and District Boys and Girls Club, a use that continues to this day.

Source: City of Kelowna, Planning Department, File No. 6800-02

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Old Glenn Avenue School include:
- Two storey Edwardian institutional style ('Jacobethan Revival'), features of the style including the steep gables and the crenellations on portions of the parapet
- Steeply pitched gable roof
- Vents in gables, with keystones in their lintels
- Tall brick chimneys
- Original six-classroom block can still be discerned
- Entrances and large three-part windows have heavy lintels with pronounced keystones
- Typical windows, which have double-hung, 12-pane wood sash, and straight lintels and sills
- Local red-brown brick and grey trim
- Large playground
- Well-maintained lawns, large shrubs, and newly planted trees