Fumerton Residence
Place Description
The Fumerton Residence is a one-storey Arts and Crafts bungalow distinguished by its front-gabled roofline with multiple gabled projections on the front, east and west elevations. It is located on a prominent corner lot at the intersection of Vimy Avenue and McDougall Street on the southern edge of downtown Kelowna, set amongst homes of similar scale from various periods.
Heritage Value
The Fumerton Residence, built in 1925, is significant as a demonstration of the economic activity and wealth of Kelowna between the 1920s and 1930s when fruit production became the driving economic engine of the area. The house was built during Kelowna’s first phase of residential expansion. It was constructed for John Francis Fumerton (1863-1964) and his wife, Annie Maria Fumerton (1864-1964) by prominent local builder, Michael J. Curts. The Fumertons had moved to Kelowna in 1916. In 1919, just after the end of the First World War, J.F. Fumerton established a men’s clothing, dry goods and shoe store, Fumerton’s Ltd., on Bernard Avenue, that remained in business until the 1980s. Businesses such as Fumerton’s helped to establish Kelowna as an important regional service supply centre and reflects the city's development as the population and economic base increased, due to the growth of the fruit industry.
The Fumerton Residence is valued as a testament to the sustained popularity of the Arts and Crafts movement. Notable features include its windows with multi-paned upper sash, multiple gabled projections, an asymmetrical partial width verandah at the front and exposed rafters and purlins. Currently the house is undergoing renovations to restore its authentic appearance including the removal of later stucco to expose the original double-bevelled wooden siding.
Character Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Fumerton Residence include its:
- location on a prominent corner lot at Vimy Avenue and McDougall Street with a compatible residential setback in an area of houses of similar scale and rear lane access
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its: one storey height, with full basement; front-gabled roof with gabled projection on the front façade and side elevations; and asymmetrical partial-width verandah with square columns
- wood-frame construction with double bevelled siding
- Arts and Crafts details such as exposed rafters and purlins and wide eave overhangs
- windows such as its: multi-paned wooden-sash casement windows; and double-hung 4-over-1 wooden-sash windows in single and double assembly
- early additions such as an extension to the rear with shed roof
- early front-gabled, wood-frame garage
- associated landscape features such as the grassed yard with mature trees
