Buildings Associated With Freemasons – Victoria
631-645 Yates Street is a legal consolidation of two separate heritage buildings. The building on the west, at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street, was designed and built in 1885 by architect Thomas Trounce – a Past Grand Master and member of Victoria Columbia Lodge No. 1 – for British investor Thomas Galpin and was originally occupied by a hardware dealer, Nicholles & Renouf.
Clement Edwin Renouf, one of the principals of Nicholles & Renouf, was a member of Victoria Columbia Lodge No. 1.
The building to the east, fronting onto Yates Street, was built in 1891 by architect John Teague – a Past Master and member of Victoria Columbia Lodge No. 1 – for the B.C. Land & Investment Agency, and was originally used as a hotel called the New York House.
By 1901 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency had acquired the western building, built in 1885 by Thomas Trounce, and had legally consolidated both buildings into a single building, which was occupied by the King Edward Hotel.
These two buildings are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places under the name King Edward Hotel.
Here are two advertisements, from 1886 and 1898, showing the original appearance of this building as designed by architect Thomas Trounce, a member of Victoria-Columbia Lodge No. 1.
A Brief History of 631-645 Yates Street
631-645 Yates Street is a legal consolidation of two separate heritage buildings. The building on the west, at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street, was designed and built in 1885 by architect Thomas Trounce as a two storey commercial building for British investor Thomas Galpin. It was originally occupied by a hardware dealer, Nicholles & Renouf, and is still referred to by architectural historians as the Nicholles & Renouf building. Clement Edwin Renouf, one of the principals of Nicholles & Renouf, was a member of Victoria Columbia Lodge No. 1.
The building to the east, fronting onto Yates Street, was built in 1891 by architect John Teague for the B.C. Land & Investment Agency, and was originally used as a hotel called the New York House.
By 1901 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency had also acquired the western building, built in 1885 by Thomas Trounce, and had legally consolidated both buildings into a single building, which was occupied by the King Edward Hotel.
In 1906 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency retained architect Francis Rattenbury to design what is now the third storey of the Nicholles & Renouf building at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street.
These two buildings are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places under the name King Edward Hotel.
Here are links to some historic photographs of 621-645 Yates Street:
- BC Archives photo B-04320 – Nicholles & Renouf circa 1891-1900. Note that this photo shows the original 2 storey building before the third storey was added in 1906
- BC Archives photo B-09144 – A room in the King Edward Hotel, circa 1912
- City of Victoria Archives photo M01396 – 1961
- City of Victoria Archives photo M01472 – 1961
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