Draft:Pandora Avenue

Pandora Avenue is a major east–west street in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It runs through the city's historic downtown and Old Town districts, passing through areas associated with Victoria's historic Chinatown, Market Square, and the city's former railway district. The street contains numerous heritage buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The street is commonly referred to informally as "Pandora Street", although its official name is Pandora Avenue.

History

Pandora Avenue forms part of one of the oldest developed areas of Victoria. During the 19th century, the area around present-day Pandora Avenue developed as Victoria expanded beyond its original commercial centre and waterfront.

Parts of the street were historically associated with Victoria's Chinatown. The University of Victoria's Chinese Canadian history project identifies the area around present-day Pandora Avenue as part of the city's early Chinatown, with the street historically known as Cormorant Street in sections of the district. The area developed as an important location for Chinese-owned and Chinese-operated businesses during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The development of Pandora Avenue was also influenced by the Johnson Street area and the former Johnson Street Ravine, which historically separated parts of Chinatown from the predominantly European commercial centre of Victoria. Bridges crossing the ravine connected the two areas.

During the late 19th century, substantial commercial and residential buildings were constructed along Pandora Avenue. Several of these buildings survive and have subsequently received heritage recognition.

Heritage buildings

Pandora Avenue contains numerous heritage properties.

Market Square

The western portion of Market Square contains several 19th-century buildings fronting Pandora Avenue. Buildings at 505–511 Pandora Avenue and 515–527½ Pandora Avenue were constructed in the 1880s and form part of a larger historic grouping associated with Victoria's Old Town and the southern edge of historic Chinatown. Both properties are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The buildings are representative of the commercial architecture that developed in Victoria during the city's late-19th-century expansion. The Market Square complex was subsequently rehabilitated while retaining its historic streetfronts.

536–544 Pandora Avenue

The building at 536–544 Pandora Avenue was constructed in 1884. It is a three-storey masonry commercial and residential building forming part of the western wall of Fan Tan Alley. Its location places it within the historic Chinatown area.

The building is notable for its relationship to the surviving 19th-century commercial architecture of Victoria's Chinatown. It features a four-bay street frontage and an ornamental corbelled brick cornice.

791 Pandora Avenue

791 Pandora Avenue is a four-storey heritage building constructed in 1891 for developer and landowner Carlo Bossi. The building occupies the southwest corner of Pandora Avenue and Blanshard Street.

The building is an example of Italianate architecture and is distinguished by its beveled corner and surviving exterior details. It was originally constructed as a hotel with commercial space at street level. A major renovation in 1944 converted portions of the building for wartime housing.

The building later became the Ocean Island Inn, a backpackers' hostel.

916 Pandora Avenue

The building at 916 Pandora Avenue is a heritage-registered house constructed in 1863–1864 for George and Mary Ann Mason. The building is notable for its early date of construction and is described by the Victoria Heritage Foundation as the oldest surviving brick house in Western Canada.

The house originally stood on property purchased by George Mason from the Hudson's Bay Company. Its original residential design included multiple parlours, fireplaces and bedrooms. A storefront was subsequently added to the front of the building.

Victoria railway station

The eastern portion of Pandora Avenue was historically associated with Victoria's railway infrastructure.

Victoria station, located at 450 Pandora Avenue near the eastern end of the Johnson Street Bridge, opened in 1888. It served as the Victoria terminus of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway and later Via Rail's Dayliner service.

Passenger service at the station continued until 2011, when Via Rail discontinued the Dayliner service. The station subsequently ceased operating as a passenger railway station.

City Hall and Centennial Square

Pandora Avenue runs alongside the civic centre of downtown Victoria.

Victoria City Hall is located at the intersection of Pandora Avenue and Douglas Street. Construction of the building began in 1878 and was completed in the late 19th century. Designed by architect John Teague, the building is an important example of Second Empire-style architecture in Western Canada.

The creation of Centennial Square in the 1960s significantly altered the street network around City Hall. Portions of the historic street layout were removed or modified as the civic complex was redeveloped.

Name

The name "Pandora" is associated with the British naval tradition of naming places and vessels after ships of the Royal Navy. The avenue is named after HMS Pandora, a British naval vessel.

The name is sometimes confused with Cormorant Street, another historic street associated with Victoria's Chinatown. Historical maps and records show that the two streets had distinct histories, although later changes to the street network altered their relationship.

Present day

Pandora Avenue remains an important downtown transportation and commercial corridor. It connects several major parts of central Victoria and provides access to the city's historic districts, commercial areas, civic facilities and heritage sites.

The avenue has experienced significant changes in land use and streetscape over the course of Victoria's history. Some sections retain substantial amounts of historic architecture, while other portions have been redeveloped with modern residential, commercial and civic buildings.

Homelessness and social issues

Pandora Avenue has become associated with homelessness and housing insecurity in downtown Victoria, particularly in the area around Our Place Society and the Victoria Cool Aid Society's services. The concentration of social-service organizations in the area has made parts of Pandora Avenue an important location for people experiencing homelessness and other forms of housing insecurity.

The street has also been affected by the broader housing affordability and homelessness crisis in Greater Victoria. People experiencing homelessness may be visible in public spaces along Pandora Avenue, including sidewalks, parks and areas surrounding social-service facilities.

The presence of homelessness has been the subject of ongoing public and political debate in Victoria. Discussions have included access to supportive and affordable housing, emergency shelters, mental-health and addiction services, public safety, sanitation, and the use of public spaces.

In response to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, governments and non-profit organizations have operated shelters, supportive-housing programs, outreach services and other forms of assistance in and around the Pandora Avenue area. The concentration of these services has contributed to Pandora Avenue becoming one of the most recognizable locations associated with homelessness in Victoria.

The situation has changed over time as shelters and supportive-housing facilities have opened or closed, encampments have been removed or relocated, and municipal and provincial policies concerning homelessness have changed.

See also

• Old Town, Victoria
• Chinatown, Victoria
• Market Square, Victoria
• Fan Tan Alley
• Victoria City Hall
• Victoria, British Columbia
• Johnson Street Bridge
• Victoria station (British Columbia)

References

• HistoricPlaces.ca, "791 Pandora Avenue", Canadian Register of Historic Places.
• HistoricPlaces.ca, "536–544 Pandora Avenue", Canadian Register of Historic Places.
• HistoricPlaces.ca, "505–511 Pandora Avenue", Canadian Register of Historic Places.
• HistoricPlaces.ca, "515–527½ Pandora Avenue", Canadian Register of Historic Places.
• University of Victoria, Chinese Canadian History Project, "Pandora Avenue (Cormorant Street)".
• Victoria Heritage Foundation, "916 Pandora Avenue".
• City of Victoria, heritage and civic-history records.