A Family History Worry...
June 10, 2010
I had a slight shock today, and I am really hoping it doesn't turn into an even sadder event.
The two heritage homes that my great-grandfather built a century ago have been put up for sale. They are registered as heritage homes, but apparently they never received the full protected status and so they could be demolished now.
They are next-door to a large condo development, and the owner of a recently burned-down duplex nearby has said he would like to put in townhouses across the street from the Bird houses. I really hope that the heritage society can save this piece of my own family history.
The main house was built in 1912 by Arthur Bird, who had been working in the Klondike as a prospector before bringing his family to Victoria. He selected a site at 3108 Albina, and the top of what would later become known as Bird's Hill, and built a home for his wife and children, while he returned to the Northwest Territories to prospect further.
As his children got older, he built a second house next door to the first one for them to live in. (And not for rental income as the heritage register claims). After his wife Louisa died in 1939, ownership of the home passed from one child to another, until Arthur's daughter-in-law finally sold both houses in 1998.
I had always hoped since then that the municipal government would buy the homes for their heritage value. And perhaps they still will, and I am worried for no reason. But I still fear that progress will again trump history, and these beautiful old homes will be gone forever.
If only I had half-a-millions dollars, I would buy them myself...
Posted by Chris Bird. Posted In : News
I am a physicist recently graduated from the University of Victoria, with a doctorate in theoretical physics. I also have training in mathematics, engineering and computer programming.