Heritage Resources

Building History Map

The Oak Bay Building History Map illustrates the history of residential development in Oak Bay. Development proceeded from south to north, with the last major phase being the subdivision of the remaining Hudson's Bay Company lands north of Lansdowne Road in the 1950s and 1960s.

At one time, Oak Bay was home to many important commercial and institutional buildings that were significant in the Greater Victoria region.   Examples include the spectacular and ornate exhibition buildings that were part of the fairgrounds property in what is now the Carnarvon Park neighbourhood, the Lester Patrick Arena at the corner of Epworth Street and Cadboro Bay Road that was the site of the Victoria Cougars' Stanley Cup victory in 1925, and the Mount Baker Hotel on Beach Drive across from Turkey Head.

Now, most of the historically significant Oak Bay buildings are residential homes, although the reverse trend is illustrated by the Glenlyon-Norfolk School property on Beach Drive, where the home designed by and lived in by renowned architect Francis Rattenbury is now used by this private educational institution. The best-known residential building in the Municipality is undoubtedly the original home of John Tod on Heron Street, believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited dwelling in Canada west of Winnipeg, but Oak Bay has a great number of residences of considerable architectural and historical significance.

Resource Websites

Local Goverment Heritage Websites:

Saanich Heritage Foundation
Victoria Heritage Foundation
City of Victoria Heritage 
Vancouver Heritage Foundation
Heritage Vancouver
New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society
North Shore Heritage Society (Greater Vancouver)

Provincial & Federal Heritage Websites:

Heritage BC
Department of Canadian Heritage
National Trust for Canada (formerly Heritage Canada Foundation)
Canadian Heritage Information Network
Canadian Conservation Institute

International & Other Heritage Websites:

National Trust for Historic Preservation (USA) 
Smart Growth USA Online
UK National Trust
World of Old Houses