1300-1304 Government Street – the Adelphi Building

Downtown Victoria Tour

Government Street – 1300 Block

1300-1304 Government Street / 578 Yates Street

Adelphi Building

The Adelphi Building at 1300-1304 Government Street and 578 Yates Street was built in 1891. It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The retail space on the main level has been occupied by Field’s Shoes for several decades.

Here is a map showing the location of 1300 Government Street:

Here is a Google Street View image of the Adelphi Building, 1300 Government Street:

Additional Information on 1300 Government Street, the Adelphi Building

1300 Government Street is legally amalgamated with the adjacent building at 1306 Government Street

• Assessed Value (July 2019): $1,783,000; Land $971,000 Buildings $812,000
• Sold on 31 July 2019 for $3,000,000
• Assessed Value (July 2018): $1,685,000; Land $872,000 Buildings $813,000
• Assessed Value (July 2017): $1,546,000; Land $702,000 Buildings $844,000
• Assessed Value (July 2016): $1,331,000; Land $469,000 Buildings $862,000
• Assessed Value (July 2015): $1,268,000; Land $419,000 Buildings $849,000
• Assessed Value (July 2014): $1,331,000; Land $486,000 Buildings $845,000
• Canadian Register of Historic Places – listed in 1975

A Brief History of 1300 Government Street, the Adelphi Building

Here are links to some historic photos of the Adelphi Building:

• City of Victoria Archives photo M09897 – Adelphi Saloon, south west corner of Government Street / Yates Street, circa 1880
• BC Archives photo A-05883 – Adelphi Building and Victoria streetcar, circa 1900
• BC Archives photo A-08066 – Fire Department horses in the 1300 block of Government Street, circa 1904.
• BC Archives photo B-06372 – Government Street looking south from Johnson Street, circa 1910
• BC Archives photo I-01662 – the former Adelphi Building where the Federal Building stands now
• BC Archives photo I-01665 – Adelphi Building, 1947. This photo also shows 1306 Government Street , 1308-1310 Government Street, 1312-1314 Government Street and 566-570 Yates Street. Photographer: Duncan Macphail
• City of Victoria Archives photo M01387 – 1961
• City of Victoria Archives photo M07704 – circa 1964
• BC Archives photo I-04446 – Government Street at Yates Street, 1974
• BC Archives photo I-26511 – Government Street at Yates Street, 1975

This building at 1300-1304 Government Street and 578 Yates Street was built in 1891. It has been attributed to architect Thomas Hooper, largely because some of the windows are the recessed bay design common on Thomas Hooper‘s buildings, but it cannot be conclusively credited as a Thomas Hooper design.

It was named the Adelphi Building, most likely named after the Adelphi Saloon which, in the 1890’s, stood on the opposite corner of Yates Street, where the Federal Building stands now. Here is a link to a B.C. Archives photo of the former Adelphi Building on the southwest corner of Government Street and Yates Street.

The 1891 records describe the building as a “three storey brick store” built for “Allsop & Mason” at an estimated construction cost of $10,000.

The Adelphi Building was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.

1300-1304 Government Street is legally consolidated with the adjacent building at 1306 Government Street.

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