1017 Catherine Street

This house, built in 1913-14, is valued as a definitive example of a local vernacular version of an Edwardian Arts and Crafts style home, with British precedents, that was built in the Victoria area between 1903 and 1914. The house is important as a prime example of the work of designer-builder David Herbert Bale, a prolific Victoria contractor who built many variations of this style before the First World War.

The cultural value of this historic property also lies in the occupations of the family who built it, Richard Jellicoe Hamilton and Louise Sophia Hamilton, and Louise's family, the Madges, who retained ownership of the house until 1967. Richard Hamilton and his son Eric were connected with the canoe and boat rental business on the Gorge and Inner Harbour waterways. These waterways performed an important role both as a means of transportation inland, and as a recreational element in the city's social development. This house is also important because it contributes to the continuity, including the short setback, of historic streetscapes in the neighbourhood, and is part of the Catherine Street Heritage Conservation Area.