Paper Box Building

In yesterday's post about Michael Williams I mentioned that he had received awards for his restorations of downtown heritage buildings. Here is an arcade in the Paper Box Building that he restored in 1988. this is one of two joined arcades that link on the ground floor of the building. Below left is an interior passageway between the two arcades. On the right is the Johnson Street entrance to the second and main arcade.

Below is the exterior of the Paper Box Building.
One of my favorite City Daily Photo Blogs today celebrates its six month anniversary. If you haven't yet visited there, I recommend you check out Willits Daily Photo. Congratulations Elaine!

Michael Williams

I mentioned in yesterday's post that Michael Williams is immortalized in an unusual piece of public art. This is a life-size statue of him that I think is unusual because it is so unpretentious. It's just a man sitting on a park bench. Why is he there? The tiny park is opposite Swans Hotel and he is gazing at it. And why is he thus immortalized? He led an interesting life, arriving in Victoria originally as a dog breeder and kennel owner. Yet, through the twists and turns that fate often hands us, he ended up owning a substantial chunk of downtown Victoria, especially old buildings in the city core. As he did with Swans Hotel, he restored them superbly and I'll share some photos of some of his other award-winning restorations soon. But what is more, when he passed away, the bulk of his multi-million dollar estate and the many valuable art works he collected as a patron of local artists were all left to the University of Victoria, for the benefit of future generations.