Victorians will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Emily Carr’s studio, as part of the Eclectic Heritage Home Tour this weekend.
The self-guided tour, put on by the Victoria Heritage Foundation and the Ross Bay Villa Society, offers the public a rare chance for a close-up look at nine iconic residences in Victoria, Esquimalt and Saanich to illustrate how architecture has evolved in the city.
“It is for people to get an idea of where our architecture came from. The buildings we’re in now, why are they the way that they are? You can see where they come from in this tour,” said Simone Vogel-Horridge, president of the Ross Bay Villa Society. “You actually start to appreciate styles that you never looked at before . . . it’s fantastic to see the interiors of the homes as well. It’s like your transported into that time.”
One of the homes on display is from the 1860s and the other residences range in style from 1940s art deco jewels to Queen Anne style, and arts and crafts to mid-century modern and contemporary houses.
Also open to the public for the first time will be Emily Carr’s studio in the House of All Sorts. Not to be confused with Carr House (the historic house on Government Street), the House of All Sorts in James Bay was built by Carr and is where she painted two large Indian Eagles on the underside of the roof.
“This is a place that is not open to the public. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in the house and be in the space where Emily Carr painted,” Vogel-Horridge said, adding visitors of the house will also get a peek of the eagle paintings.
The event, which is a fundraiser for the Ross Bay Village Historic House Museum, takes place on Sunday, May 29 from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at rossbayvilla.org, in person at the Moss Street Market on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or at the Ross Bay Villa (1490 Fairfield Rd.) at noon the day of the event. For more information call 250-884-7023.