Heritage Designation
Hamilton-Smith House
Oak Bay, British Columbia
Also known as Edward Hamilton-Smith House, Hamilton-Smith Residence
Exterior view of 2753 Cavendish, 2005
Photo: Corporation of the District of Oak Bay 2005
- Built
- 1912
- Recognized
- 1995
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
Hamilton-Smith House is a 1 1/2 storey, wood frame, Craftsman-style residence situated in the Willows Beach area of Oak Bay. Originally a beach-front house, the lot has been subdivided, with a new house now located between the Hamilton-Smith House and the beach, in the former garden. It has a side-gabled roof with smaller gabled extensions and a front dormer with balcony above a large front porch that wraps around the ocean side.
Heritage value
Hamilton-Smith House was built in 1912 for Edward Hamilton-Smith, a teacher. This house is representative of the type of house popular during the pre war building boom and illustrates that a beach front home was within the means of a middle class family of that period. A daughter, Patricia Hamilton-Smith, a well known teacher, remained living in this home until her death in the early 1990s. It is valued as being a contractor-built home in original condition, on part of its original property near Willows Beach. It is also notable as being only one of a pair of houses on the street retaining their original finishes and exterior detailing.
SourceCorporation of the District of Oak Bay
Character‑defining elements
Key elements that define the character of the Hamilton-Smith House include:
- craftsman-style exterior, including the side-gabled roof with smaller gabled extensions and a front dormer
- original cladding of narrow siding on main floor and shingle cladding on the second floor and basement levels; wide trim boards and heavy brackets supporting bargeboards
- upper balcony above front door with beams, brackets and porch railings
- large brick chimney
- double hung windows with multi-panes in top sash on upper floor
- wrap around porch on north and east facades with Classical columns and four shingle clad columns
- interior original finishes including door and sash trim (some painted) throughout
- three original fireplaces
- intact original floor plan (except kitchen)
End of the register’s text
Location
2753 Cavendish Avenue, Oak Bay, British Columbia, V8R, Canada
48.43231° N, 123.30538° W
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Nearby
All 76 places in Oak Bay
Similar places
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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.