Heritage Register
Gonzales

304 Robertson Street

Built 1914
Heritage-Designated 1996

For: James Atkins

Builder: James Atkins

ARCHITECTURE:

This is a typical example of a side gabled Arts & Crafts style house with a heavy second-storey shed dormer facing the street. It features knee braces in the side gable and rafter ends. The ground floor is finished with false-bevel horizontal wood siding and wood shingles on the upper level. The front elevation has an inset porch with a corner post on a fieldstone pier. Two box bays include one on the side with a shed roof. The shouldered external chimney is flanked by piano windows. The garage is also Heritage-Designated .

The house was unusual in having an inbuilt vacuum system. It also had a dumb waiter for bringing fuel from the basement to the kitchen.

ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:

Contractor James Atkins (1864-1921) built this house during the summer of 1914, and sold it to Margaret and Frank Paterson in September of that year. Born in Cornwall, England, James came to BC in 1885, and in 1915 married Mary Jane King (1880-1961). He built many residences in Victoria. He died in 1921 six months after sustaining severe injuries from a fall.

OTHER OCCUPANTS:

Margaret Frances (Cameron, 1860-1936) and Francis Charles Paterson owned this house for a number of years, but only lived in it for a year or two before they moved to 1010 Craigdarroch in 1916-17, and then rented this house out. The Patersons came to Victoria from Winnipeg, MB in 1913. Frank was a financing agent, later a superintendent with BC Tel Co. After Margaret died in 1937, Frank married Catherine McDonald in 1939. Ownership of the house was passed on to son Robert Alexander Paterson and his wife Marguerite.

There were many tenants in the house between 1917-37, including Smith H Brown, a salesman with Drake Hardware, and contractor Abraham Wharton Watson (1866-1933) of McDonald Watson & Wither. He lived here with his wife Helen and their children c.1920-25. The Watsons moved to Vancouver, and Abraham became a bridge building contractor. In 1926 he took out a patent for an improved saw handle that conveniently accommodated blades of varying widths.

Engineer Adam S. Gray lived here in 1926, followed by carpenter William Orr in 1929. Hugo E. Wille, a baker at the Golden West Bakery lived here in 1931. Metro Life Insurance agent Claude T.H. Twelves, and his wife Rosemary lived here in 1933/34.

Robert Alexander (1892-1954) and Marguerite (Taylor) Paterson lived here for nearly 20 years. Robert was born in Brandon, MB, and came to BC with his parents in 1913. He was a salesman, and by 1944 he was an electrician with Yarrows Ltd. Marguerite sold the house in 1956, after 42 years of family ownership.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & IMAGES:

• Gonzales History

• Gonzales Heritage Register


• This Old House, Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods,
Volume Four: Fairfield, Gonzales & Jubilee