Description of Historic Place

The White House is a tall, two-and-one-half storey wood-frame Foursquare residence with Classical Revival influences. Situated at the crest of a hill on a large rural property in North Saanich, the house faces east, with expansive views to the west over Patricia Bay.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the White House lies in its association with the development and settlement of North Saanich and as an example of the establishment of permanent farms in the area as a result of the inauguration of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) Saanich Interurban Line in 1913. Improved transportation of people and goods throughout the district led to a population increase in rural areas and a corresponding increase in the number of country residences on farm properties like this one. In 1910, Alfred Hudson built a small summer cottage on the property. In 1912, the site was acquired by Andrew Cox, a Scottish immigrant who settled there permanently with his five children in 1917 and incorporated the cottage into a nine-room home which he named 'Lomond Ferry'.

The property was acquired by the Johnston family in 1938; Gilbert Cotton Johnson was involved in the mass production of chickens. With its surrounding fields, farmyard, small orchard and perimeter plantings, the White House is a landmark along West Saanich Road.

The White House is also significant for its early twentieth century Classically-inspired architecture. It is designed as a Foursquare, typical of large farmhouses, and the symmetrical massing and detailing indicate the influence of the popular Classical Revival style. The house is locally known as 'The White House' because of its colour, which has been maintained for many decades.

Source: District of North Saanich Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the White House include the:
- location on West Saanich Road, in an area of large rural properties
- residential Foursquare form, scale and massing, as expressed by its symmetrical two-and-one-half storey height, high-hipped roof with front-hipped dormer, projecting entry with square chamfered columns, and second-floor front balcony
- Classical Revival features, including symmetrical massing, a central front entry, and boxed eaves with regular paired brackets
- wood-frame construction, including narrow lapped wooden siding with cornerboards
- masonry construction, including rubble foundations and internal red-brick chimney
- fenestration, such as fixed windows with transoms at the front, one-over-one double-hung wooden sash windows in single and double-assembly, panelled front door and glazed door to second-floor balcony
- associated landscape features, such as open grassed fields, farmyard, small orchard, perimeter plantings and a central driveway on axis with the house