941 Meares Street

941 Meares Street is a one-and-one-half storey Chalet style cottage located in the Meares Street cluster, adjacent to Pioneer Square Cemetery in the Fairfield neighbourhood of Victoria.

The historic place, built in 1906, is valued for its architecture, its original owner, and its position in a cluster of homes of similar mass.

941 Meares Street has value as an example of a Chalet style cottage, combining the low profile of the Colonial Bungalow, the half-timbering of the Tudor Revival, and the picturesque qualities of the Alpine Chalet. It was restored inside and out in 1995, and has been well maintained by subsequent owners.

There is value in the association with the original owner, a member of Victoria's middle class. William Christie worked for Peter McQuade, Ships Chandlers, an early Victoria business.

The place is further valued for its position as one of a series of four houses of similar massing built on the Christ Church Trust lands adjacent to Pioneer Square Cemetery. Individually, the houses have heritage merit, but their significance is enhanced by their position in a unified heritage streetscape.

Source: City of Victoria Planning Department

Key elements that define the heritage character of 941 Meares Street include its:

- characteristics of the Chalet style, including steeply pitched roof and finial

- characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, including half-timbering in the upper gable

- characteristics of the Colonial Bungalow style, including the low profile, horizontality, verandah with square chamfered columns, wood shingle cladding on ground floor walls

- form and pattern of fenestration, including square leaded glass window in gable

- location set back from the street

- relationship with neighbouring houses to the east, including uniformity of massing, setbacks and scale