Description of Historic Place

The Kendall-Gahan Block is a two-storey, brick-faced, flat-iron commercial building with a cutaway corner entrance, whose angles fit the diagonal intersection of Front Street and a laneway in Penticton, British Columbia.

Heritage Value

The Kendall-Gahan Block symbolizes the optimism of the 1911 building boom and provides an important visual anchor to Front Street. It is valued for its flat-iron shape, warmly coloured brick façade, and prominent location near the westerly end of Front Street as it approaches Main Street.

Its unusual shape and modest scale invite attention from pedestrians. The corner block form with cutaway corner entrance has historic value as a physical reminder of the original town plan and of the influence of the railway line planned where Front Street now lies at an angle to other streets. This is reflected in the sharp angle of the building.

The Kendall-Gahan Block was one of five masonry 'fire-proof' buildings erected on Front and Main Streets in 1911, a pivotal year in Penticton during the Canada-wide pre-World War I building boom. As one of the first non-wooden buildings, it is indicitive of the confidence shown by the developers in the town's economy and future in era leading up to the opening of the KVR as Penticton developed its identity as a transportation hub for the South Okanagan.

Aesthetically, the building was well suited to its role as the office of Kendall and Mason, early Penticton realtors. It was built by E. Ritchie of Kelowna for W.H.T. Gahan, a lawyer, who occupied the upper floor. Restored around 1980, the building retains its original brick veneer and concrete cornice line. The concrete walls and galvanized iron ceilings were intended to prevent fire, indicative of the capital investment reflecting the longevity that the building was intended to have.

The historic value of the Kendall-Gahan Block also derives from its association with W.H.T. Gahan, one of Penticton's early solicitors and notaries, and M. C. Kendall, one of Penticton's earliest realtors, respectively, both of whom were involved in the early development of Penticton town-site and with the establishment of commercial orchards in the area.

SOURCE: City of Penticton

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Kendall-Gahan Block include its:
-late Victorian commercial design
-original brick exterior with corbelled string courses and a concrete cornice line
-unusual corner block form with cutaway corner entrance
-brickwork
-original double-hung windows
-awnings