Description of Historic Place

The historic place is comprised of the two-storey Leckie Block and the attached two-storey Crowley Block, located at 267-271 Bernard Avenue, a brick-and-concrete commercial structure begun in stages between 1904 and 1912 in Kelowna's original townsite area, near the western edge of downtown. Both buildings are now referred to simply as the Leckie Block.

Heritage Value

The Leckie Block and the attached Crowley Block (collectively known as the Leckie Block), occupy a significant role in the evolution of Kelowna's downtown area, not only for the form and characteristics of the building itself, but also because of the two high-profile individuals (David Leckie and W.A.C. Bennett) who were associated closely with it.

The association with David Leckie has considerable value because of his many contributions to early Kelowna. Leckie came to Canada in 1882 and arrived in Kelowna in 1903. With considerable capital, he developed this substantial concrete building - originally one storey with a stone front, comprising the first storey of the left-hand (eastern) portion of the building. It was completed in the summer of 1904, at the onset of Kelowna's second building boom. This was one of the townsite's earliest masonry buildings, which had begun to replace the original wooden structures. It would have been one of the earliest concrete buildings in British Columbia.

Leckie opened Kelowna's first hardware store, Leckie's Hardware, in the western half of the building, probably after 1904. The Bank of Montreal, Kelowna's first bank, opened with a manager and two assistants in the eastern half of the building in November 1904 - an indication of the beginning of the development boom in the area. The bank moved to its own new building at the northwest corner of Bernard Avenue and Water Street in 1908, and Leckie's business expanded to fill the space vacated. In 1911, a second storey was added to the building and occupied by offices.

Leckie contributed to his community through his involvement in civic projects, such as the building of the first aquatic facility in City Park and helping finance the first Kelowna General Hospital. He lived nearby at 781 Bernard Avenue.

In August 1930, Leckie sold his hardware store to W.A.C. Bennett, who moved to Kelowna after having sold his interest in two hardware stores in Alberta; a timely move, considering conditions in Alberta as the Great Depression deepened. Bennett's hardware business prospered as he opened branches in other cities. More space was needed for the Kelowna store, and eventually Bennett's took over the adjoining Crowley Block to the west, which had been built in a similar style in 1912.

Bennett, like Leckie, became involved in civic affairs, particularly in efforts to reorganize fruit marketing, which was in considerable difficulty in the 1930s. He then moved into politics, and was first elected to the provincial legislature in 1941 and served as Premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972. Bennett lived at 1979 Ethel Street.

Reflecting the family's long-standing influence in the affairs of the community, Bennett's three children all worked in the hardware business, his sons managing stores until R.J. Bennett became president of the firm and Bill Bennett followed his father into politics in the 1970s. Anita Tozer, W.A.C. Bennett's eldest child and only daughter, took over management of the store in 1985.

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

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Leckie Block include its:
- Original proportions and composition, indicating its being an early commercial building
- Repetitive window pattern on second floor
- Ground-floor columns that support the masonry above, allowing full commercial glazed storefronts
- Flat lintels over windows on the second floor, with brick soldier courses on the left-hand side, and segmentally arched with brick soldier courses on the right-hand side
- Double-hung windows on the left-hand side of the second floor
- Projecting parapet with building name and date