ARCHITECTURE:
This 1½-storey British Arts & Crafts Bungalow has a steeply-pitched, hipped roof with chunky, hip-roofed dormers on either side of the front-facing projection. The tall side-wall chimney on the left side rises through a small gable which sits on a hip-roofed projection. The eaves are all closed. There is a side-facing front entry porch. The house is stuccoed, and the two chimneys are brick. The nine-room house cost $15,000 to build. This is an example of Ralph Berrill’s versatility, from Tudor mansions (1337 Rockland Av, 1521 Montgomery St) to bungalows.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
1929-31: Harold Benjamin “Barney” Olson (b. Milltown, WI, USA 1895-1966) married Mary (née Newlin. b. La Grande, OR, USA 1898-1975) in 1921. He came here in 1912 and did a variety of jobs ranging from railway labourer to chauffeur to contractor. In 1914 he and two friends bought a taxicab; he eventually bought out his partners and acquired more cabs as well as sightseeing buses. He bought Gray Line’s sightseeing bus franchise in 1920 that became Vancouver Island Coach Lines in 1929 when he sold it. In 1935 he and brother R.S. “Speed” Olson bought the Winnipeg-Vancouver bus service franchise, later Western Canada Greyhound. He first retired in 1940, returned here and bought the horse show pavilion at old Willows fairgrounds where he built an ice arena. The fairgrounds and arena burned down in 1944. He bought the Strathcona Hotel (919 Douglas St, Downtown) in 1947 and ran it until officially retiring in 1954, after opening Victoria’s first cocktail lounge there on July 1st.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1931: Hon Rolf Wallgren Bruhn (b. Sweden 1878-1942), BC Minister of PW, and Sarah Anna (née Treat, b. Darlington, MO, USA 1884-1958) married in Revelstoke in 1902. He came to Malakwa, BC in 1896 and worked in road construction in BC’s interior 1906-17, then entered the lumber business as owner and president of R.W. Bruhn Co logging in Sicamous. In 1924 he was elected MLA for Salmon Arm. They lived at 1630 Rockland Av in 1932.
1933-34, 1947-50: Frederick Bailey Fisher (b. London, ENG 1867-1950) and Louisa Kate (née Rich,b. Worthing, Norfolk, ENG 1893-1996). He was a metal merchant with Rudolph Wolfe Co for 20 years, retiring in 1930. 1935: Widow Lillian Arbuthnot (Robleda, 1337 Rockland Av).
1936-46: Capt Robert William McMurray (b. Ardrossan, SCT 1885-1969) and May (née Steedman, b. Kobe, Japan 1893-1964) arrived as landed immigrants in Quebec in 1925, passage paid by CPR who had hired him to manage BCSSC in Victoria. In 1947 he returned to Montréal as chief of Canadian Pacific Steamships on the Atlantic, then retired here.1951-60s: Dr. John Thomas Cruise (b. Dauphin, MB 1906-1990) and Claudia Constance Barbara (née Quinn, b. Birtle, MB 1919-1982). An ophthalmologist, Dr. Cruise had a private practice in Victoria for 31 years 1947-78, and was head of Royal Jubilee Hospital eye department.