Church of Our Lord

"This picturesque building is one of the finest expressions in wood of the Gothic Revival style in Canada. It was constructed in 1875 for the Reformed Episcopal church by the Reverend Edward Cridge. Architect John Teague enhanced the building's Gothic character by exploiting the advantages of board-and-batten siding to reinforce the vertical thrust of its pointed roof, pinnacles and spire. Inside, a Gothic hammer beam ceiling spans the broad open space to provide an unbroken view of the apse and pulpit."

(From the Historic Sites and Monuments plaque in front of this church)

This fine old church is right downtown at the corner of Blanshard and Humboldt Streets. We'll have a look inside it a little later this week.

Save On Foods Arena

On the opposite side of Blanshard Street from the Jack Davis Building is the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, the arena where large sporting and entertainment events take place here. It seats about 7,000 people and was named after a local supermarket because they contributed a lot to its construction.

Jack Davis Building - Blanshard Street

This is another downtown office building that I like. I realize when I look at the buildings I like I tend to prefer those that have some decorations or round corners or at least something a little more interesting than the all too common box shape. Anyway, this is the Jack Davis Building on Blanshard Street in downtown Victoria. Though it was built in 1992, as recently as 2005 it was still considered outstanding in energy-efficient design. This is a fitting legacy for the Canadian politician who was, "...the first Minister of the Environment in the English-speaking world..." in the government of Pierre Trudeau during the early 1970s. Click here to read the Wikipedia article about Jack Davis.

Congregation Emanu-El

Most of the historical artifacts on the western Coast of Canada are younger than those in the east since this area was settled by Europeans much later. Victoria, for instance was only founded in 1843, almost 350 years after Columbus first arrived on the shores of eastern North America. The building pictured above, Congregation Emanu-El, therefore is unusual in that it is the oldest synagogue in Canada, being erected here on Blanshard Street in downtown Victoria in 1863. It was restored in 1981, which no doubt accounts for its pristine appearance. There is an interesting history of the building and Victoria's Jewish community on their website (click here).