Address: 2531 Government Street
Semi-demolished in February 2024. In late 2023, there was a fire in this building and in early 2024 the roof and top floor were demolished. The entire building will likely be demolished. Here is a description of the building as it was in 2012, for the record:
Built: 1910
1912 householder: Robert McKinney, building supplies dealerThis house combines design elements of the colonial bungalow and Arts & Crafts vernacular architectural styles. It has a bellcast hipped roof with three gabled dormers. The front dormer, with its distinctive arch and decorative columns, covers a recessed balcony that was often called a sleeping porch. There are spindles in the upper level balustrade. The main level has front facing steps and a full width verandah. Supporting columns in a style known as Tuscan Classical Revival support the verandah. The transom windows above the door and front bay windows have decorative, stained glass panes. Originally, there were beamed ceilings in the dining room, parlour and entrance hallway in this sumptuous residence.
Robert McKinney was manager of Woodworkers Ltd., a firm that supplied lumber, lath and shingles and that manufactured doors, windows, frames, and mouldings. Custom mill work was a speciality. “Quality and service are guaranteed,” advertisements proclaimed. “Our factory is fully-equipped with modern machinery, including dry kilns and sanders.”
When he was enumerated here in June 1911, the Ontario-born manager was 45 years old. Katherine, his Ontario-born wife, was 40 years old. They had come to Victoria from Manitoba, where their sons, Alexander (13) and Louis (8) were born. The McKinney family was of Scottish descent and adhered to the Methodist faith.
The McKinney residence was conveniently situated for work, school and worship. The offices and yards of Woodworkers Ltd. were located at the corner of Douglas Street and Market Street. North Ward School was located close by at Douglas Street and Kings Road, while the Centennial Methodist Church was a few hundred metres away on Gorge Road and David Street.
This residence at 2531 Government Street must have been a showplace for the kind of building products that McKinney manufactured and sold. His foreman's house, which stood nearby at 632 Hillside Avenue, would also have been a showplace for the company's products. Both residences reflect the exuberance of the Edwardian real estate boom in Victoria.