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Courtenay and District Museum

207 Fourth Street, Courtenay, Colombie-Britannique, V9N, Canada

Reconnu formellement en: 2009/08/04

Courtenay and District Museum front facade; City of Courtenay, 2009
View from southeast, 2009
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Autre nom(s)

Courtenay and District Museum
Former Courtenay Post Office

Liens et documents

Date(s) de construction

1924/01/01 à 1926/01/01

Inscrit au répertoire canadien: 2009/11/17

Énoncé d'importance

Description du lieu patrimonial

The Courtenay and District Museum, originally the Courtenay Post Office, is a large two-storey masonry and brick building located at the corner of Fourth Street and Cliffe Avenue in downtown Courtenay.

Valeur patrimoniale

The Courtenay and District Museum is significant for its historical, aesthetic and social values, particularly for its design and materials and its ongoing use as the Courtenay and District Museum.

Begun in 1924 and opened in 1926, the Courtenay and District Museum, formerly the Courtenay Post Office, is valued as a symbol of the federal government’s presence in Courtenay, despite the fact that it took over ten years to become a reality due to disagreement over a potential site and the outbreak of World War I. The federal government presence was also reflected in the other federal functions in the building, initially a telegraph and customs office, and in the 1950s, a Veterans Land Act office, Fisheries office, and unemployment office in the second storey addition.

It was important to the growth and importance of Courtenay’s downtown when the Post Office moved from the McPhee Block on Fifth Street, below the bridge, to this imposing masonry structure.

The building has aesthetic values related to its massing, imposing structure and use of materials, a mix of brick and concrete masonry. The design has elements of both classical and art deco architecture, and the massing, like many government buildings, reflects the importance of its original function. Located on donated land, the building was built of brick from Alberta and Victoria, and used lumber from local sawmills. Despite earthquake damage in 1946 and additions in the 1950s, the building remains a significant landmark in downtown Courtenay.

The building is significant for its appropriate adaptive re-use as the Courtenay and District Museum, which celebrates the natural and cultural heritage of the Comox Valley. The building and its use is valued by the community as a heritage building used to its fullest, a scientific, social and historic gathering place and resource centre for residents and visitors alike.

Source: City of Courtenay Planning Department

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements which define the heritage character of the Courtenay and District Museum include its:

Siting
- location at the corner of Fourth Street and Cliffe Avenue in downtown Courtenay
- minimal setback from street
- first floor raised above grade

Architectural Features
- rectangular form and horizontal massing
- masonry construction
- scale of the building, expressing its use as a government building
- tripartite design, with raised base, body and parapet
- decorative entrances, including semi-circular arch and square columns
- symmetrical window openings, one-over-one
- decorative horizontal banding, stepped facades and red and yellow patterned brick detailing in the parapet

Reconnaissance

Juridiction

Colombie-Britannique

Autorité de reconnaissance

Administrations locales (C.-B.)

Loi habilitante

Local Government Act, art.954

Type de reconnaissance

Répertoire du patrimoine communautaire

Date de reconnaissance

2009/08/04

Données sur l'histoire

Date(s) importantes

s/o

Thème - catégorie et type

Gouverner le Canada
Les institutions gouvernementales
Établir une vie sociale et communautaire
L'éducation et le bien-être de la société

Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction

Actuelle

Loisirs
Musée

Historique

Gouvernement
Bureau de poste

Architecte / Concepteur

s/o

Constructeur

s/o

Informations supplémentaires

Emplacement de la documentation

City of Courtenay Planning Department

Réfère à une collection

Identificateur féd./prov./terr.

DkSf-50

Statut

Édité

Inscriptions associées

s/o

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