Originally built for Margaret Doane in 1891, the building was later acquired by the Morgan family in 1927. Our clients, the Morgan Sisters, are the third generation of the family.
The Morgan Block is a significant heritage rehabilitation of two existing 2-storey heritage designated commercial buildings in downtown Victoria, and their redevelopment into a consolidated 4-storey residential building with commercial at grade. Key heritage conservation strategies include the re-instatement of the raised brick parapet and character defining commercial storefronts, removal of paint from the original brick facades, re-instatement of a large ornamental cornice fronting Douglas Street, and the refurbishment of the original wood sash windows and their stained glass transoms. The 2-storey vertical addition differentiates itself from the original building by employing a more contemporary design language that is subordinate to yet complimentary of the visual patterning of the original faced below. An interior courtyard “street” on the second level connects the two buildings together an enhances the livability of the new residential dwellings.