History of The Baiss House By Samuel Maclure

 

Who was Samuel Maclure?

Samuel Maclure is British Columbia's best known residential architect. Born in 1860 in New Westminster, British Columbia, he was a self taught architect. While many of his 450 plus commissions were in Victoria, his designs can be found through out the province as well as Washington state.

Details of his life and a list of commissions can be found at The Art & Architecture of Samuel Maclure.

Other websites of interest include Architecture in Victoria 1880-1920, The Great Architects of Canada, Samuel Maclure (Wikipedia) and Rockland Heritage Walking Tour.

The Baiss House

This home was built for Mrs. Baiss in 1909. The smaller commissions of this period were truer to the arts & crafts ideals.  The design is a compact hip-gabled Bernese-Oberland chalet which is well suited for it's urban lot on Belmont Avenue.

During the 1070's the house was converted to a legal up and down duplex. Although the some modification like reversing the stairs, adding a kitchen upstairs, etc. was done, the basic structure and elegance of the home remains.  The home could be returned to an wonderful single family home.

The home has been lovingly maintained by the present owners with painting and other work done with consultation from one of Victoria's best know experts on heritage homes, Stuart Stark. The current heritage color scheme as well as the new lower window design are a result of Mr. Starks 2001 consultations.

The Baiss House	Other Samuel Maclure Homes in or near Victoria