The nominated area includes 24 properties and demonstrates the colonial settlement of the lower Government St portion of James Bay, which the Hudson’s Bay Company negotiated from the Swengwhung tribe of the Lekwungen. The area sits on the site of the 19th century Beckley Farm and a variety of archival maps illustrate HBC land, its transfer to farmland, and how the farm was subdivided in the late1880s. To ensure an accurate, rich and holistic perspective on the heritage of this section of Government St., HCA signage and documentation should include review and input from indigenous cultural experts and acknowledgment of the indigenous historic values.

The nominated area is highly historic. It borders the Battery Street HCA, and overlaps with two of the properties from that Area. It is suggested that the Battery Street HCA and this nominated area could be combined into a larger contiguous HCA. A larger intact area would magnify and enhance the tourism, heritage, educational and wider historic values of the James Bay neighbourhood while also demonstrating how populations and settlements change over time.

The architecture, age of buildings, and the combination of Victorian, Edwardian and Minimal Traditional houses demonstrate a continuum of development in the settlement patterns of European immigrants. It also underscores the settlement opportunities available to individuals from a variety of walks of life and economic backgrounds, who were able to build distinctive homes in a newly burgeoning city.

Preliminary consultations with homeowners indicate a large majority of those contacted are in favour of an HCA that will emphasize the street’s notable historic architectural diversity, as well as the related historic and aesthetic tourism values. Recognition of these values is evidenced by factors that include i) signage for lower Government St. on walking routes for cruise passengers, ii) the fact that the block is a regular destination for horse and carriage tours, and iii) the multiple small businesses that lead guided walks to explain the history and heritage of the homes in the nominated area. Government St. is also an approved part of the All Ages and Abilities transportation network and designating this area an HCA would attract even more walkers, cyclists and people of all shapes, sizes and abilities to the area and further increase local vibrancy.

Age records for the houses in the nomination area are in some cases uncertain, particularly for those houses built before the installation of city infrastructure. From a combination of sources (incl. This Old House Vol 2, property assessments, and City Archive tax assessment records) we estimate that there are at least eleven buildings over 100 years old and seven buildings from 80 to 100 years old. Of these, four are already Heritage Designated, one is Heritage Registered and one has a heritage application pending. Landscape features include a number of old hawthorn trees bordering the street.

There are seven non-heritage properties on the street, these nonetheless provide insight into the history of the area and further information could be researched on the original homes which stood in those locations. Non-contributing properties include a ~ 50-year-old apartment building at 25 Government and six newer homes. Of the six homes three (#s 31, 62 and 64) have been built to blend well with the heritage nature of the street, a fourth is the duplex at 45/47 Government which is part of the Battery St HCA, fifth and sixth are 50 and 68 Government which are out of character.