Downtown Victoria Tour

Government Street – 800 Block

Belmont Building – 801-807 Government Street / 600-620 Humboldt Street

The Belmont Building at 801-807 Government Street and 600-620 Humboldt Street was built in 1912 by architect Samuel Hoult Horton for the Belmont Ltd., which used it as an office building with retail space on the main floor. The Belmont Building is still used for these purposes.

The Belmont Building is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The Belmont Building, 810-807 Government Street / 600-620 Humboldt Street. Built in 1912.

The Belmont Building, 801-807 Government Street / 600-620 Humboldt Street. Built in 1912.

The Belmont Building and the Causeway, seen from the Steamship Terminal on Belleville Street

The Belmont Building and the Causeway, seen from the Steamship Terminal on Belleville Street

Here is a map showing the location on the Belmont Building:

Here is a Google Street View image of the Belmont Building:

Additional Information About the Belmont Building

  • Assessed Value (July 2018): $26,814,000; Land $11,448,000 Buildings $15,366,000
  • Assessed Value (July 2017): $24,207,000; Land $8,025,000 Buildings $16,182,000
  • Assessed Value (July 2016): $22,682,000; Land $5,684,000 Buildings $16,998,000
  • Assessed Value (July 2015): $20,365,000; Land $3,298,000 Buildings $17,067,000
  • Assessed Value (July 2014): $20,153,000; Land $2,861,000 Buildings $17,292,000
  • Canadian Register of Historic Places – formally recognized in 1975, listed in 2004.

A Brief History of the Belmont Building

The Belmont Building was built in 1912 by architect Samuel Hoult Horton for the Belmont Ltd., which used it as an office building with retail space on the main floor. The Belmont Building has been used in this configuration throughout its history.

The Belmont Building is credited as Victoria’s first reinforced concrete office building. The original building permit, issued to The Belmont Ltd. by the City of Victoria in March 1912, describes a “new reinforced concrete building”, eight storey, 180 rooms, “purpose: offices and stores” with an estimated construction cost of $400,000.

Its notable past tenants include The Uplands Ltd., which designed and built the Uplands residential district in Oak Bay, and Robert Pym Butchart (of Butchart Gardens fame) who had an office on the third floor in his role as President of the B.C. Cement Company. Robert Butchart also used his third floor offices in the Belmont Building in his role as Director of Wooden Ship Building for the Imperial Munitions Board during the First World War (1914-1918).

The Belmont Building’s office space in now primarily occupied by B.C. provincial government offices.

The Belmont Building was formally recognized by the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975 and was listed in 2004.

Here are links to some historic photographs of the Belmont Building:

Would you like to leave a comment or question about anything on this page?

Error: Contact form not found.