Description du lieu patrimonial

The Graham Residence is a south-facing one and one-half storey plus basement, wood-frame Arts and Crafts bungalow, situated on a corner lot in a mixed commercial and residential area of Saanich.

Valeur patrimoniale

Built in 1913, the Graham Residence is of heritage value for its vernacular architecture. Though modest in scale, the house is notable as an elaborate combination of decorative features. The form and scale of the home's plan is typical of a one-storey Arts and Crafts bungalow residence with prominent central dormer, but applied to this plan are more elaborate decorative Neoclassical details. It is a typical pattern book plan that was individualized with decorative elements chosen by the owner/builder. This type of construction shows how standard pattern book architecture was adapted in Saanich to reflect local building customs, climatic conditions and stylistic preferences.

Additionally, this house is valued for its historical associations with the original owner/builder William Herbert Graham (1886-1960), a locally well-known painter and decorator. Graham was a second generation Saanich resident; his father, William Graham, was one of the earliest settlers in the area.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, District of Saanich

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Graham Residence include its:
- south facing orientation on a corner lot at the intersection of Boleskine Road and Whittier Avenue
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey plus basement height, rectangular plan, half-width front verandah, projecting front bay and small enclosed rear porch
- hipped roof with bellcast eaves and front central dormer, with closed soffits and projecting paired eave brackets
- wood-frame construction with cedar shingle cladding
- Arts and Crafts details such as square, chamfered verandah supports and decorative and exposed eave brackets
- additional Neoclassical details such as dentil mouldings, panelled and glazed front door, and cornice on front entrance surround
- irregular fenestration, including: single and triple-assembly double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows, some with transoms; leaded stained glass windows with flower motif in the transoms and entrance sidelights; stained glass panel in entrance foyer; and 4-pane basement windows
- two tall corbelled internal red brick chimneys
- original interior features such as wooden trim, wooden floors and plaster walls