Heritage Register
North Park
1600-02 Quadra Street
First Congregational, First Baptist Church;
The Palladian
Built
1913; 2005-08
Heritage-Covenant
Architects: Emanuel Joseph Bresemann & Morien Eugene Durfee; Herbert Kwan (2003)
Contractor: Thomas H. Brown
ARCHITECTURE:
The Architect Builder & Engineer, 25 June 1913, page 10: “Archts. Breseman & Durfee have completed the erection of the First Congregational Church on Quadra St., the dedication and first service in the auditorium being held last Sunday. The contractor, T. H. Brown, enjoyed the unusual distinction of leading the musical part of the celebrations on this occasion.”
This symmetrical, three-storey, Classical Revival brick
and concrete block edifice is dominated by its portico. This
is comprised of a modillioned, denticulated pediment above
four cast concrete Ionic columns. The whole structure is raised
a full storey off the ground, and accessed by concrete block
side-facing staircases on either side of a balustraded terrace.
Three upper-floor, round-arched windows in the portico sit
over pedimented entrances
on the terrace. Slightly
recessed, heavy corner blocks
on either side of the portico
continue around both sides
of the building. There are
two shallow bays, each with
five windows, on either
side of the building beyond
the corner blocks. All the
windows on the upper floor
are matching round-arched
windows. On the main floor,
decorative brickwork panels
take the place of windows
on the corner blocks, but
the bays have rectangular
windows. The upper floors
are separated from the ground floor by a concrete water table. The ground floor windows
on the sides are segmentally arched. The roof is hipped over
the auditorium, flat over the rear. The original cornice and
parapet have been removed. Original plans show an ornate
lantern and cupola, but these were never built.
Under the front stairs, recessed doorways led into
meeting rooms
and a Sunday
School. A fourstorey
extension
at the rear
accommodated
parlours, offices
and the pastor’s
study. The
auditorium, 26
feet high, had
raked, semicircular
seating
and curved
pews facing the
pulpit, organ
and choir. There
was a rectangular
balcony.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
The consecration address for the church was given by the Rev. W.J. Hindley, mayor of Spokane, WA, indicating the American origins of the Congregationalist movement. The architects, Breseman & Durfee, were also from Washington state. The building was acquired by the Baptist Church, after the merger of the Congregationalist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches in 1925, and the Baptists used it until they moved to their new building on Balmoral Rd in 1973.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
The old building was owned by the province for a time and some rewiring and renovation was done for the London Boxing Club and the Victoria Athletic Association. It was acquired by Nelson’s Music in the late 1970s and they filled in the archways at street level for a book store. By 1990 Lloyd Cartwright, the book store owner, had bought the building. For many years he tried to sell it, but a number of deals fell through.
In 2005-07 a new owner began converting the building to an upscale condominium complex, named The Palladian. Architect Herbert Kwan planned to keep all the original design elements, and add a 45,000 square foot addition at the rear of the building, creating 29 condo units above 7,000 square feet of commercial space. In 2008, the owners received the Hallmark Heritage Society's President's Award for their rehabilitation of the building.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:
• Statement of Significance (Canadian Register of Historic Places)
• Map of Victoria Heritage Register Properties
• North Park History
• North Park Heritage Register
• This Old House, Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Three: Rockland, Burnside, Harris Green,
Hillside-Quadra,
North Park & Oaklands
