Missing middle housing initiative catalyst for demolition of Fairfield heritage house

With its quaint residential enclaves and landmarks, Victoria has a rich architectural past. The missing and middle housing initiative is aimed at building for the future and may be adding pressure to decisions individual homeowners are making with their heritage properties in favour of more lucrative real estate transactions and development deals. Council, responding to an urgent need for housing and a targeted legislated mandate, is approving projects that can make that happen.

Criteria for the designation process of individual structures include uniquely historical style, design, and construction. A heritage designated site is protected by heritage designation bylaw and cannot be altered or demolished without the approval of Council.

After a presentation on its historical merits by Hallmark Heritage Society president Ken Johnson to the Victoria Heritage Advisory panel, its recommendation to approve the designation of 1734 Hollywood Crescent as a municipal heritage site was approved. The house, a one-and-a-half-storey craftsman-style bungalow, was built in 1922 for sea captain John Calvin.

The role of the 10-member advisory panel in Victoria, is to make recommendations to council’s  committee of the whole on the designation of heritage buildings, structures and lands and the preservation, alteration, renovation or demolition of heritage buildings, structures or lands.

Just down the road, 1844 Hollywood Crescent is a registered heritage property and, while a more dramatic example of arts and crafts architecture, boasts some of the same features as 1734, with its bracketed eaves and double-hung sash windows.

Hollywood house that's been a hit

1734 has had many owners, including a Norwegian couple who cultivated extensive gardens around the property and built what is considered a neighbourhood landmark: a hand-wrought stone garage complete with a moss roof and tulips.

For years, the house, with its colourful gardens and unique outbuilding was a tourist draw. Neighbours say buses traveling the shoreline road used to stop so people could take pictures of it. Built by then homeowner Andy Gilstein, the stone structure “was a labour of love,” said Johnson. His wife Margarete’s passion was the garden.

In light of the house’s now-fated demolition, there has been some interest by Fairfield-Gonzalez residents, such as Rosemary Sleigh and Dianne Osoko in trying to save the landmark garage by moving it to a triangle of community park space at Ross and Robertson streets.

“This has been part of the neighbourhood for many years,” Osoko said. “It’s very unusual. It has different plants, daffodils, and crocuses that sprout out of the roof. I’ll be sad to see it go.” Johnson thinks salvaging the structure won’t work. “It would just fall apart.”

Originally, the basis for its approval of the house as a municipal heritage site was not the garage, but the property’s other significant features: including its original stained-glass, multi-paned and wood double hung sash windows, enclosed front porch, and original arts and crafts architectural detailing.

Ultimately, the new homeowner decided not to agree to the heritage designation. “When missing middle housing [MMH] got approved in the city, [the new owners] found a redesign was more profitable,” said Johnson.

Most heritage designations are not mandatory

Jim Kerr, a member of Victoria’s Heritage Advisory Panel told Capital Daily “Almost all heritage designations in BC are voluntary on the part of the property owner. In this case, it is clear that the designation by-law was never passed because the owner didn’t want it to. It is a shame but such is life. While it is possible that a designated building or site can be de-designated through a motion by Council, it is extremely rare.”

In 2022, the property was assessed at $1.5M. Each of the eight new 2-bedroom units in the development will be worth more than $1M.

That redesign by the property’s current owners, Amit and Karishma Sethi, is for a two-block multi-unit development that will occupy the majority of the lot. The blocks will reach a height of roughly 11.25 and 11.6m. With only 14 feet between the lot line and the buildings, there is no room for the storied garage.

At the time the motion to adopt the MMH initiative was approved by council, Coun. Dave Thompson said “Affordable housing is not the goal being served or pursued by this project,” he said, noting the goal of the missing middle is to provide options between condos in towers and very expensive single-family homes in residential neighbourhoods.”

Last Sept., the house’s developer, Joe A. Calenda of Molto Bene Enterprises wrote an Op-Ed piece in the Times Colonist in which he asked: “What would be wrong with townhouses having more lot coverage, bigger building envelopes and footprints, more height, and more floor space ratio? And why not have beefier and higher houseplexes?”

“It will dwarf everything. It’s totally out of scale,” said the anonymous neighbour.

The problem, Calena said is “These [MMH initiatives] are intended to make redevelopment compatible with and/or complementary to the way the street was built 100 years ago.”

In the case of the Hollywood Crescent heritage house and its unique stone garage, this doesn’t seem to be the case and in the end, Calenda got exactly what he asked for.

The rezoning application is still under review.

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Correction: An earlier version of this story noted that Freida Eriksen, the previous owner, decided not to agree with the heritage designation. This has now been corrected to state that the home's current owners, Amit and Karishma Sethi are the ones who decided against the heritage designation.