Pinehurst House

Built in 1889, Pinehurst is a grand Queen Anne Revival mansion in Victoria's James Bay that evolved from the palatial seaside estate of prominent early citizens into a heritage-preserved community housing complex.

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Location

Victoria
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About

Overlooking Holland Point and the windswept Strait of Juan de Fuca stands Pinehurst, one of Victoria’s most outstanding surviving examples of a Queen Anne Revival mansion.
Built during a gilded era of wealth and expansion, this palatial home has seen over a century of history, from the extravagant garden parties of the elite to its eventual transformation into community housing.

Palatial architecture

Constructed by prominent Victoria contractor George C. Mesher at a staggering cost of $25,000, Pinehurst was originally built in an austere Shingle Style popular for eastern American seaside mansions. Its subsequent owners dramatically transformed it, cementing its status as a pinnacle of the late Victorian Picturesque tradition.
The two-and-a-half-storey wood frame house features incredible craftsmanship and Queen Anne flair:
- The tower: A striking 14-foot wide, 84-foot high conical "witch's cap" tower on the southwest corner.
- Intricate woodwork: Steamed drop siding curved specifically to fit the rounded edges of the tower, paired with shingled gables.
- Opulent interiors: The home originally boasted eighteen rooms, interconnecting reception areas, hand-painted ceilings, a baronial two-storey entrance hall, and nine fireplaces featuring superb tilework depicting the tales of Sir Walter Scott.
- Exterior embellishments: A sweeping upper and lower wraparound verandah, pedimented gables, quarter-round eave brackets, and quatrefoil gable trusses.

A legacy of colorful characters

The walls of Pinehurst have housed some of Victoria's most influential, and at times controversial, pioneers.
- 1889-1892: The lumber baron
  - Wealthy banker and lumber baron William James Macaulay retired to Victoria and commissioned the estate. Unable to stay retired, he soon bought the Chemainus Mills and formed the Victoria Lumber and Manufacturing Company. The Macaulay family lived on the large estate until moving to the Rockland neighbourhood.
- 1892-1937: The doctor's domain
  - Dr. George Lawson Milne and his wife Nellie purchased the home, adding much of its elaborate Queen Anne detailing. Milne was a giant in Victoria society, he helped found the Royal Jubilee Hospital, spearheaded the BC Medical Act, and served as an MLA. However, his legacy is complex: he resigned as Victoria's Health Officer during the 1892 smallpox epidemic following a dispute, and later served as an immigration agent responsible for collecting the notorious Chinese Head Tax.
- 1939-1980: The slow decline
  - Following the glamorous era of high-society garden parties, the sprawling estate was slowly subdivided. Robert and Lora Percival divided the home into the Pinehurst apartments, and by 1944, the house was relegated to a pan-handle lot, hidden from its original Dallas Road frontage. Under subsequent owners like Larry and Irene Lee (who ran it as Westpark Apartments), the house fell into disrepair, losing its conservatory and porte-cochere.
- 1980-present: Heritage rebirth
  - Despite opposition, the home finally received heritage designation in 1980. By 1983, the Capital Regional Housing Corporation purchased Pinehurst. With the help of a grant from the Victoria Heritage Foundation, the exterior, including its massive verandahs, was rehabilitated, and the interior was renovated into nine subsidized townhouse suites, preserving this "seaside castle" for future generations (source, source, source, source).