See the full story in Sensational Victoria: Bright lights, red lights, murders, ghosts and gardens
Laura West was in her garden one day about two years ago when a family of strangers drove slowly past her house. They rolled down the car window, excused themselves for staring, and told her that their great grandparents had built her house in 1904.
Laura has lived in the arts and crafts house in James Bay since 1975. The house is on Victoria’s heritage inventory, and thanks to the Victoria Heritage Foundation, much of its history is written up in This Old House.
Laura already knew for instance that the original owners were Fred Widdowson, a trimmer at the City Electric Light Station and his wife Christina nee Lorimer.
Jean McMillan was in the car that day. So was her daughter Sandra McMillan. Jean’s mother-in-law Marilyn McMillan is Fred Widdowson’s granddaughter and she lived in the house when she was small.
The Widdowsons lived in the house until the late 30s and it went through a series of owners.
Laura spends a lot of time in her garden and many of the former residents have stopped by.
“I’ve had people come by and say they remember playing on the floor in the kitchen,” she says. “A couple came by that live in California now and they said they’d started their marriage here in an upstairs suite. Another fellow dropped by a picture from when he lived here in the 40s.”
For a long time Laura had suspected that the house may have been designed by Samuel Maclure.
But it wasn’t until the McMillan’s brought the original plans signed by the architect, that she knew for sure. Marilyn thinks the Maclures and the Lorimers may have been friends.
In 1899, Maclure became known for the “Maclure Bungalow” and he lived at 641 Superior Street until 1905. The foundation of the house now sits somewhere under the Beacon Hill Villa. Its mate, the arts and crafts cottage that Maclure designed at 649 Superior, is still intact and operates as a bed and breakfast.
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all blog content copyright Eve Lazarus.
1 comment on “624 Avalon Street and Samuel Maclure”
[…] Rogers, Vancouver’s first millionaire industrialist and founder of BC Sugar, built the Samuel Maclure-designed Gabriola on Davie Street in 1900. A decade later, Rogers bought 10 acres in the country […]