Description of Historic Place

Located at the corner of Oak Bay Avenue and Prospect Place, the F. Hamilton and E. Harrison House prominently marks the entrance to the historical Prospect Place subdivision in Victoria, B.C.'s, Oak Bay neighbourhood. The property is a one and one half storey residence clad in stucco with wood accents. A well maintained garden surrounds the home, with the Prospect Place entrance to the property marked with a granite wall.

Heritage Value

Built in 1923, the F. Hamilton and E. Harrison House has historic and aesthetic value for its associated with its architect, Samuel Maclure, a notable B.C. architect of the era known for designing many Arts and Crafts style homes in the Victoria area. The stucco cottage at 2390 Oak Bay Avenue is representative of Maclure's more restrained post World War I work featuring asymmetrical massing and a cross gable roof with a single hipped roof portion above a prominent corner sunroom. The home has a close relationship to the garden, a common feature of the Arts and Crafts style, with granite fence posts also designed by Maclure.

The site also has historic value because the property itself was part of the Francis Rattenbury and John Tiarks owned subdivision, Prospect Place, established in 1898. Rattenbury was another prominent architect of an era responsible for the design of the B.C. parliament buildings, the Empress Hotel, his Oak Bay lechinihl residence and many other buildings with heritage significance. Tiarks developed a name as a residential architect and designed homes such as the Sir Charles Tupper House, Annandale, also in Oak Bay. Prospect Place originally consisted of a 15 acre tract of land subdivided into lots of varying sizes and is the only example of Rattenbury's urban design in Oak Bay. It has retained a rural feel with gardens, stone walls and mature trees. Homes in the Prospect Place subdivision were designed by several leading Victoria architects of the period.

Originally built for Charles Dickins, the house is named for Elizabeth R. Harrison, one of the early owners, and F. Harrison, chief accountant for the government of British Columbia in 1929.

SOURCE: The Corporation of the District of Oak Bay Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The elements that define the character of the F. Hamilton and E. Harrison House include its:
-Stucco clad exterior with wood accent pieces framing windows and doors
-Prominent corner sunroom
-Double hung windows
-Multi-paned glass windows
-Cross gable roof with hipped roof section over sunroom
-Exposed wooden rafter ends
-Prospect Place granite fence posts
-Prominent position at the corner of Oak Bay Avenue and Prospect Place, part of the 1898 Prospect Place subdivision
-Original crown mouldings, door casings and wooden mantelpiece