The Keyes House is situated on a prominent corner lot southwest of what was, in 1913, the commercial centre of the town of Penticton. While already having become less than the most desirable neighbourhood in the town, this area nonetheless became the location of the homes of many notable citizens of the era.
Quite Victorian in style, this residence exhibits a number of Victorian era stylistic traits, including shingle style gable ends employing an attractive mix of square, diamond and scalloped shingling under a hooded gable, Gothic style double gables on one side, the steeply pitched gable roof of the Gothic style and a large, wrap around verandah, now fully enclosed. Essentially all original wood trim and shiplap wood siding remains in place.
The Keyes House was entered into the City of Penticton Heritage Register on April 16th, 2007.
Keyes House
Description of Historic Place:
The Keyes House is a one-and-a-half storey Late Victorian cottage, featuring steeply pitched paired gables and a shingled gable truss, in Penticton, British Columbia.
Heritage Value:
Built circa 1913, the Keyes House is valued aesthetically as a rare example of a Late Victorian cottage in Penticton, originally featuring an open wrap around porch. It is notable in its striking eclectic design, which features steeply pitched Gothic paired gables, a shingle style hooded gable end, and a variety of surface materials typical of Queen Anne Revival architecture.
The house's aesthetic value is enhanced by its prominent corner location and its contrasting south and west façades in that the hooded gable on the west is strikingly different from the pair of steeply pitched gables on the south.
Historically, this building is valued as a reminder of the early settlement of Penticton and for its association with R.G. (Robert Grey) Keyes. Keyes owned several 10-acre parcels in this area, which he later subdivided into residential lots, and was a member of City Council.
Character-Defining Elements:
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Keyes House include its:
- use of different surface materials, including shingle and lap siding
- contrasting eaves
- hooded shingle gable on the west façade
- wrap-around porch, now enclosed
- steeply-pitched paired gables on the south façade
From Historic Places Canada