817 Baker Street
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The house at 817 Baker Street is simple cross-gabled 2- storey Arts and Crafts bungalow located on two properties west of Cedar Street on the north side of Baker Street in the centre of Nelson, B.C.
HERITAGE VALUE
The house and its landscape at 817 Baker Street is a important for its cultural and aesthetic values, particularly as a fine example of houses built for the managerial class in Nelson in the early 20th Century.
Constructed in 1909, the house is associated with the important period of growth and sophistication in Nelson’s history just prior to the First World War.
The house was built for Walter Riblet, the Nelson branch manager for the Riblet Tramway Company. Located in Spokane, Washington, the company produced aerial ore tramways for mine sites. It is a good example of the type of house built for management level employees of major companies or interests in the city, and is important for its association with the economic and industrial development of Nelson.
The location of the house as part of a small residential enclave at the eastern end of Baker Street, the city’s main commercial street, is an important indicator of the limits of the early downtown commercial district. The house is an expression of a particular way of life through its association with the development of an established middle class in the Queen City, and the traditional role of a manager’s residence as an important representation of wealth and power.
The house is of value as a good example of bungalow design inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, specifically its close connection of the ground floor with grade, the foundation planting that is integrated with the house architecture, and its detailing that makes fine use of local materials and craftsmanship. Along with the neighbouring house at 823 Baker Street built one year before, the house is representative of the eclectic tastes in residential design during this period of prolific house construction.
From the City of Nelson Heritage Register, Page 106