McBeath House

The McBeath House, built in 1911, is valued architecturally as a fine example of the Colonial Bungalow style in Victoria, and for its architect, Hoult Horton. It is also valued for its owners, who were early pioneers in Victoria West and whose family lived on this property for almost 90 years. Constructed by its owner, Duncan McBeath, who was prominent in the building trades, it is important as an example of suburban housing built during Victoria's boom years before the First World War.

The McBeath House is a handsome version of the Colonial Bungalow style with both Classical and Arts and Crafts detailing. The strong horizontal lines of the residence are emphasized by details including its verandahs, frieze, wide eaves, and bell-cast roof. The sleeping porches in the front and back dormers reflect health standards of the time. As was common on Edwardian houses in Victoria, the house has several different sidings.

Hoult Horton practised in Victoria from 1911-15, and is important as the first president of the BC Society of Architects in 1912-13, and as the designer, with partner Paul Phipps, of one of Victoria's most outstanding Edwardian commercial buildings, the Belmont Building.

Duncan and Ursula McBeath are important as very early settlers in the Victoria West area. This is the third house they built on the land, and their choice in house styles from their original plain two-storey rural vernacular house to this urban style shows the corresponding transition in life-styles in the neighbourhood. Duncan's trade as foreman for Muirhead and Mann and their company, Victoria Planing Mills, is representative of one of Victoria's major industries in the Inner Harbour.