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Were it not for glacial action in the past, there would not be a Penticton. The city occupies the entirety of a deposit of glacial till which separates Okanagan Lake from Skaha Lake. As a result Penticton has lakes and beaches at each of its north and south ends.
In the 1930s the north (Okanagan Lake) shore became the most desirable building site in the city for its lake shore location. So, during the '30s some of the city's most prestigious homes were built along Lakeshore Drive, facing the lake and the view well up the lake toward Kelowna.
Built in 1938 at 524 Lakeshore Drive, the Colquhoun Residence was designed by architect Robert Lyon. A two storey foursquare house, this was originally the home of M.M. Colquhoun, a County Court Judge. The building's architect,
Robert Lyon, active in Vancouver from 1911 to 1920, opened a practice in Penticton in 1922, working there until until 1958.
Colquhoun Residence
Description of Historic Place:
The Colquhoun Residence is a two- storey foursquare house featuring a low pitched hip roof, central porch, and multi-paned windows, located on Lakeshore Drive in Penticton, British Columbia.
Heritage Value:
Built in 1938, the Colquhoun Residence is valued as an example of the kind of prestigious home built by upper middle class families in the Lakeshore Drive neighbourhood in the 1930s. It is an imposing structure with a symmetrical form, featuring a hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves, central entry porch, and pairs of multi-light windows.
The Colquhoun Residence is also notable for its association with M.M. Colquhoun, a County Court Judge, and the prominent Penticton architect, Robert Lyon. In 1938 Lyon designed many prestigious homes for important Okanagan clients, including not only Judge Colquhoun, but also Charles Tupper, MLA for Similkameen, and Mayor Hughs-Games of Kelowna. While Lyon was experimenting with art moderne and art deco designs that year, the more traditional design of the Colquhoun Residence is testimony to Lyon's versatility as an architect.
Character-Defining Elements:
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Colquhoun Residence include its:
- picturesque setting on a large lot on Lakeshore Drive opposite Okanagan Lake
- massing and form, including its two-storey height, hipped roof and overhanging eaves
- symmetrical arrangement of paired multi-light windows
- decorative bands around the house which emphasize its horizontality
- the glassed breakfast room on the east side of the house
- tall brick chimneys
- hipped entry porc
From Historic Places Canada