In 1912, when it was tough for a woman to make a decent living, Christina Haas arrived in Victoria and bought herself a brothel.
Thomas Hooper once had the largest architectural practice in Western Canada. He designed hundreds of buildings including the Victoria Public Library, the Rogers Chocolates and the Munro’s Books Building in Victoria. And in 1912, the same year he designed Hycroft in Shaughnessy, Vancouver’s Winch Building and submitted plans for UBC, he designed Christina Haas’s, Cook Street brothel.
This is an excerpt from my chapter on the Red Light District in Sensational Victoria.
Cook Street Brothel:
It’s a gorgeous four-square house built in the Classic Revival style. According to the real estate blurb it was remodeled into a five-suite apartment complex in 1945 and it’s the first time the house has been on the market in 55 years. The going price is just under $2 million.
Christina is a shadowy figure. She arrived from California in 1912 at the age of 50 and took over an established brothel on Broughton Street with a steady clientele from the Union Club and Driard Hotel. Business was booming and she decided to move into a more upscale facility in Fairfield. She paid cash for the two lots and took out a building permit in her name and commissioned Hooper to design her brothel.
Thomas Hooper:
Although there is no mention of the Cook Street house in his portfolio, the blueprints are signed by the architect and bear his address. They show a house with three bedrooms, each with a separate entrance and its own bathroom. There are rumours that a secret door once led to a concealed wine cellar.
Neighbours tell stories passed down over the years. The women who worked at the Cook Street brothel wore business attire, and several married, raised families, and went about the rest of their respectable lives ignoring the occasional raised eyebrow and whisper.
Brothel changes hands:
Christina is listed as the owner of the property in the city directories until 1920. The brothel then sold to John Day, a wealthy businessman, and his wife, Eliza Amelia. Day owned the Esquimalt Hotel until it burned down in 1914. He also managed the Silver Springs Brewery and later the Phoenix Brewery. Eliza sold the house after his death in 1944.
Even after Day bought the Cook Street house, his tax notices were sent to Christina’s other brothel on Broughton Street, suggesting that he may have had an ownership stake in both.
Christina’s nephew Earl tells me his aunt sold all her brothel holdings in Victoria in 1919 and moved to Mendocino County to be near her brother John Henry and his wife Eva in Westport. She died in 1938 at the age of 76, and is buried in the Fort Bragg Rose Memorial Cemetery.
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17 comments on “Christina Haas’s Cook Street Brothel”
Christina was a lady ahead of her time.
She passed away in 1938 in Westport, Ca. when I was five.
I do not remember Tina but heard many stories of her life.
She was not very well liked by the family except her Brother John Henry.
Tina never married. She led a good life during the depression years between 1925 and the 1930’s
when everyone else in the little Hamlet of Westport was struggling.
Her Dad accidently shot himself in 1875 in Mendocino County.
Matthew Haas, her Dad, had an estate valued at 800,000 dollars in todays dollars.
Her share of the estate is what she used to purchase the Victoria properties.
When she sold the brothels and returned to Mendocino County she lived with John Henry for awhile
then bought the house that my Dad and his then wife Pearl put up for sale during their divorce.
My Dad hated Tina for doing this and raved to me and others as I can recall subsequently.
Tina died in 1938 and for some odd reason the house burned to the ground shortly after her deathv
I am 83 years old now and live in the Pacific Northwest
Earl thank you so much for filling in a bit more about Christina’s life. There was so little about her available when I was writing Sensational Victoria and it’s fascinating to hear about her start (and end).
Is there any pictures of her
I’ve only seen one very blurred picture that a relative sent me and believes to be her.
she was my great, great aunt…
A woman who knew how to be a success.
If anyone finds that offensive.
Tough.
She lived a great life, and built and empire.
All the while men struggled to make a dime. She made a fortune.
Bless her. and her memory and I hope her legacy.
One that empowers smart women to rule over unruly men.
Mark Gowan, Haas
I finally found and have in my possession her probate from 1938.
She left a handwritten note that said the following:
Should anything happen to me I leave all my jewelry and possessions to my Niece Reba Haas.
Any money left it is to be divided with Brother John Henry and Brother Charlie Haas after funeral expenses are paid. Some keepsake is to be given to Raymond Haas.
I leave one dollar to any relative putting in any claim.
Signed by
Christina L. Haas, note (found among her possessions after her death) in her home just up the road from the old abalone Pub. Formally called the cobweb palace.
I might note that Christina left Victoria prior to 1920 and lived another 18 years in Westport, Mendocino County, California.
After buying her brother a home in Fort Bragg, 15 miles to the south and living expenses for 18 years her estate value was about 3,000.00 when she died. This included her home in Westport.
The probate also mentioned money invested in mortgage loans in Vancouver, BC in the principal sum of 725.00 at 8% per annum bringing in an estimated annual income of 58.00 dollars.
Thanks for sharing this Earl. I love that we’re still getting more information on Christina. If you have the time to scan the note I’ll add it to the blog post!
My Daughter, Diana Haas, who lives in North Carolina and her Partner are planning to spend Christmas week in Victoria and on her agenda is her first visit to see what was Christina’s Brothel.
Earl Haas
Lake Stevens, WA>
Definitely worth the visit!
A very Merry Christmas to you and your family Eve and a prosperous New Year.
I lived in one of the upstairs. Suites from 2000 until 2004, when the house was sold. I believe I had one of the original three bedrooms and bathrooms. The man who owned it at that time told me that he had original blueprints, but he didn’t know where they were. I’d still love to see them, all these years later. Do you happen to know if there’s a set somewhere in Victoria that could be seen by the public?
Did you know it was a former brothel when you lived there? I’m curious if there were any clues left. I didn’t see any blueprints, but if you are in Victoria you might check with the Archives. Let me know how you get on!
Yes, I think everyone who ever lived there knew it had been a brothel. When I moved there in 2000, I went to the city archives, but they had no blueprints or anything else. I wonder if, when it was designated a heritage property (after it was sold in 2004), if any blueprints ever showed up. While the archive office itself had no information, it was suggested that I look in the Henderson Directories (housed in the archive office). There, I did find Christina’s name as the owner when it was built in 1913. Normally the profession of the owner was listed, but there was just a blank for her, which I found amusing. When I lived there, there were a lot of original features: my bedroom and living room each had a beautiful original fireplace mantel and the ceiling of my bedroom had the original very fancy crown moulding. The bathroom had the original stained glass window. The apartment downstairs from me would have been the bar/lounge during its brothel days: the liquor cabinets were still there, with the leaded glass, and fortunately, none of the wood had been painted in that suite, the original dark wood beams and sideboard were still there. I did hear that the suite I lived in underwent a lot of renos by the new owner after i moved out, who apparently lived there for awhile. No idea if other suites were reno’d. Would be a shame if the many original features were removed. The owner when I lived there (Doug Barron) preserved it well, there was even a very old birdbath in the yard, likely installed when it was a brothel. There was an arch still intact through which a secret door had been installed when it was built, so that a horse and carriage could discretely park while the clients visited. That door became the entrance to one of the downstairs suites. The original wavy glass in their ancient windowsills were still in the house when I lived there– that was the one feature that was not charming, just extremely cold in the winter, as the wind would blow through all the cracks. I have no idea if Doug Barron is still alive: someone told me that he had died, but I couldn’t find an obit or any kind of death notice online. I hope, if he did pass away, that someone found the original blueprints which he had. I always wanted to go up into the attic, and even asked Doug once, when he was over at the house repairing something, if I could go up there, but he said there was nothing up there. I really wondered if that was true. Anyway, it was very nice to find your blog and the info on 59 Cook Street– certainly the most unique place I ever lived.
https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/douglas-barron-obituary?pid=191767515
The Doug Barron?
This was a wonderful read! I pass this house most days while I walk my dog up to Dallas. Today I finally googled the address to satisfy my curiosity – it sure gave me a chuckle. Wonderful, I would love to take a tour of the inside. Thank you et al
My pleasure! Thanks so much for stopping by
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