Name/Title
The Original Union Club in Victoria [First venue, 907 Government Street at Yates, Victoria, B.C.], ca. 1975Entry/Object ID
2023.04.05.bDescription
Photograph
Reproduction photograph (undated) from ca.1975 black and white photograph by unknown photographer.
This is a view of the Cameron Building, northeast corner, 907 Government Street at Yates where the Union Club first met. 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.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Black and white photo on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
This photograph shows the northeast corner of the Cameron building, the second floor of which was the Club's first venue used from 1879 to 1885. The premises were reportedly simply furnished including a large room for billiards, a smaller reading room and card room. Initially, no meals were served, but a full service of breakfast, lunch and dinner was initiated in 1882.
This venue was located above Van Volkenbrugh & Co., wholesale and retail butchers and later stock ranchers operated by two brothers, Benjamin and Isaac - "Purveyors to His Excellency the [Governor General] Marquis of Lorne and Royal Highness Princess Louise." This may refer in part to the dinner hosted by the Union Club for the Governor General held at the Philharmonic Hall on November 1, 1882.
See Susan Mayse, "The Union Club of British Columbia - Our First 125 Years" (Victoria, B.C.: The Union Club of British Columbia, 2004), and Paul L. Bissley, "Early and Late Victorians: A History of the Union Club of British Columbia" (Sidney, B.C.: Review Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., 1969). Both publications are available in the UCBC Library.
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And, did you know - one of Victoria's oldest and most famous cafés, The Poodle Dog, was located in this building from the mid-1940s until the 1970s (closure date unknown). The earliest city directory reference to The Poodle Dog is in the 1887 B.C. Directory which lists "Marboeuf L. [Louis], (Hamm & Marboeuf) Poodle Dog, Yates Street." Reportedly, the early restaurant specialized in French cuisine and was both owned and operated by M. Marboeuf. Over the years, the popular café changed owners and appears to have operated as a restaurant, a hotel and restaurant, a café with the Hotel Metropolis and later, a cafe and bakery. The Poodle Dog had three or four different locations over the years, several on Yates Street and its last location, listed as 1241 Government Street.
See Web Links below: The Poodle Dog Café makes an appearance at about 4:50 in the restored version of this 1907 film, Tram Ride in Vancouver and Victoria.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
UnknownRole
PhotographerArtist
Royal B.C. Museum and ArchivesRole
PrintmakerDate made
circa 1970Time Period
20th CenturyDimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
19 cmWidth
22.9 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
UnknownNotes
Courtesy Royal B.C. Museum and ArchivesRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
2001.01.54 Union Club of B.C., Second Clubhouse with Expansion, 912 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C., ca. 1899
2001.01.55 Union Club of B.C., Third Clubhouse, 805 Gordon St., Victoria, B.C., ca. 1914
2023.04.11 Designation of Union Club of B.C. as National Historic Site of Canada
2023.04.05.a The Original Union Club in Victoria [First venue, 907 Government Street at Yates, Victoria, B.C., ca. 1880]
2023.04.05.b The Original Union Club in Victoria [First venue, 907 Government Street at Yates, Victoria, B.C.], ca. 1975![The Original Union Club in Victoria [First venue, 907 Government Street at Yates, Victoria, B.C.], n.d. Reproduction from ca. 1975 black and white photograph by unknown photographer: Royal B.C. Museum and Archives](https://d8e7jbdw4fu0e.cloudfront.net/5457/92ca9650-e6db-11ed-b5ea-dd471a073af4-vUVFFqe.lg@2x.jpg)
