ARCHITECTURE:
This four-roomed school was designed like a large Colonial Bungalow but without a verandah. The front façade is symmetrical, with two double-doored entries at street level and a raised entry on each side, to separate the boys and girls. All entries are sheltered by small roofs supported by curved brackets. In Arts & Crafts fashion, the windows are 6 or 2-over-1 double-hung sash, and the siding double-coursed shingles on the upper floor and bevelled siding on the lower, now painted in 1960s Op Art fashion.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
It was built to replace Kings Rd School and to help accommodate an increasing school population in the north end of the city. Architect Karl Branwhite Spurgin (b. Maryport, ENG 1877-1936) had a considerable career in England before coming to Canada, designing churches, schools, factories, and residences. Major Spurgin was a veteran of both the Boer War and WWI. As well as many residences in the Victoria area and up-island, including his own at 1908 Waterloo Rd (Saanich Registered Heritage), K.B. Spurgin designed Margaret Jenkins School (1914, 1824 Fairfield Rd) and Saanich War Memorial Health Centre at 4353 West Saanich Rd (Saanich Designated Heritage).
The school cost $46,500 and opened in September 1921. 137 students transferred from Kings Rd School, along with Miss Mary Lucas (b. ON c.1861-1942) who was principal of the new school until her retirement. From 1924 until the late 1950s Miss Victoria Eleuthera Lemmax (b. Victoria 1898-1991) was principal; she was descended from a long line of school teachers.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
Quadra Primary School became an annex of George Jay School in the early 1970s and later an annex of Blanshard School. Sundance Elementary School was established at the school as an alternative program in 1973, and served over 100 students from the Greater Victoria area until 1978. From 1979-90 it was a school for the BC Ministry of Human Resources. Quadra Primary School was left empty for a number of years then became the Vancouver Island School of Art from 2004-2018.
Along with Quadra Elementary (3031 Quadra St), George Jay (1118 Princess Av), Victoria High (1260 Grant St), Burnside (3130 Jutland Rd), Oaklands (2827 Belmont Av), and Margaret Jenkins (1824 Fairfield Rd), Quadra Primary was added to Victoria’s Heritage Register in 2002.