Address: 3070 Washington Avenue
Built: 1912
1912 householder: William Mitchell, building contractor
Photo credit: Vickie Jackson, July 2012This handsome, 2½ storey Foursquare-style house was built in 1912. A plumbing permit was issued for the residence on 22 May 1912, so it was probably occupied soon after that date. This kind of dwelling is derived from the Prairie-style of house design. According to some authorities, it was called a Foursquare because the building often had four rooms on each floor. Other authorities suggest the name indicates a structure with four equal sides. Typically, Foursquare houses have a hipped roof, prominent upper bay windows, a dormer window, and a wide, open porch. This Washington Avenue house is an exemplar of that architectural style, which was popular in Victoria just before the First World War.
The owner was William N. Mitchell, a building contractor and property developer. He may have been related to Wesley Mitchell, a realtor who lived at 242 Gorge Road, on the southeast corner of Washington Avenue. Building permit records indicate that William and Wesley Mitchell built and sold at least half a dozen other properties on Washington Avenue in 1911-1912. They must have prospered during this Edwardian real estate boom. Certainly this residence at 3070 Washington Avenue suggests a degree of wealth and material comfort for the home owner.
To date, we know little about William Mitchell. In the 1912 directory, he is listed as a “labourer” with building contractors Dinsdale and Malcom. But 3070 Washington Avenue is no ordinary labourer's abode. In the 1913 directory, William N. Mitchell, no occupation given, is listed at 3070 Washington. In the 1915 directory, William M. Mitchell is living at 3070 Washington. (The directory publishers could easily have made a typographical error in the middle initial.
Wesley Newton Mitchell is better documented. On the 1911 census, he is head of household at 242 Gorge Road. He was 44 years old, born in Ontario of Irish descent. His wife, 43 year old Rebecca, and eldest daughter, 16 year old Mary E. Mitchell, were also born in Ontario. However, most of the younger children were born in Saskatchewan. The children were: Edna L., age 15; Bessie (12) ; Ralph (8); and Eva (6). But the baby of the family, two-year old Laura, was born in British Columbia, so we can infer that the Mitchell clan moved here from Saskatchewan sometime before she was born in January 1908. The Mitchell family were Methodists (not Presbyterians as indicated on the viHistory 1911 Victoria City census database). Their household included Lee Saw, a 45 year old Chinese gardener, who had immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1907.
In 1912, Wesley N. Mitchell was a partner in the real estate firm of Mitchell & Hembroff. His partner, Walter Hembroff, owned a residence at 3055 Washington Avenue. [That dwelling, erected in 1912, is also on the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood heritage list.] Mitchell was later in business with Frederick J. Mitchell, who lived at 3065 Washington Avenue.
In 1917, 3070 Washington Avenue was the home of Clarence and Mabel Deaville and their young daughter, Phyllis. The Deavilles were a well-known family in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood. Remarkably, Clarence and Mabel Deaville had lived across the street at 3071 Washington Avenue before moving here. At the time, Clarence Deaville was manager of the Melrose Company, which dealt in house paints and varnishes, decorative wall papers, ornamental glass and leaded art glass windows. This house would have been a marvellous show case of his wares! Deaville lived here for nearly forty years.