Name/Title
Union ClubEntry/Object ID
2018.08.39Description
Painting
This is an image of the façade of the Union Club at 905 Gordon Street at Humboldt showing a transparent canopy structure over the front steps and entrance, with a Canadian flag flying overhead and The Empress Hotel in the background to the right. Founded in 1879, The Union Club of British Columbia is a landmark institution in the heart of downtown Victoria., B.C., considered the foremost business, social and cultural club in the city.Artwork Details
Medium
Watercolour on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
This Union Club building was recognized as nationally significant in 1995 by the joint federal, provincial and territorial administered registry, Canada’s Historic Places. And in 2017, The Union Club of British Columbia was declared a National Historic Site by the Government of Canada. The Union Club, completed in 1913, earned the prestigious status for its important early history and outstanding architecture of Beaux-Arts Italian Renaissance Revival Style.
Designed by noted San Francisco architect Loring P. Rixford (1870-1946), plans for the building were drawn up with the help of prominent Victoria architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury (1867-1935). Of note, in addition to the building's elegant design, is it's juxtaposition with The Empress Hotel (1908), a nationally significant
Château-style hotel, built for the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Belmont Building (1912), significant for its early use of concrete frame construction and as a gatepost to Victoria's commercial core. Together these buildings form a backdrop of historic places in the northeast corner of the Inner Harbour, and mark the entrance to Victoria's Old Town District.
In 2017, an extensive $4 million five-year building renovation project was completed, including exterior restoration. The restoration of the exterior terracotta was documented and the photographs now form part of the Club's collection. See 2018.06.01 - 2018.06.15.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Ben TurnerRole
PainterDate made
1996Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
A Benson Turner is listed in the "FINE ARTS '96" exhibition catalogue, Sooke, B.C. Further research is needed.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, DateLocation
Signed and dated lower right: Ben Turner '96Dimensions
Dimension Description
Visible imageHeight
43.8 cmWidth
48.3 cm