Meugens House
Place Description
The Meugens House is a one and one-half storey vernacular Edwardian era wood-frame residence. It is located mid-block on the north side of Cadder Avenue with an early garage at the front of the large, treed property, among similar houses in Kelowna's historic Abbott Street neighbourhood, close to city centre.
Heritage Value
Built in 1910, the Meugens House is valued for its well-preserved vernacular style architecture. There is a holdover of the influence of the Queen Anne Revival evident in the cornice details, the gabled front projection and the carpenter ornamentation. However, in response to changing, simplified tastes which had become popular during the Edwardian era, this house forgoes much of the elaborate detailing commonly associated with the Queen Anne Revival style, the influence of which had waned by the time this house was built.
Furthermore, the house is valued for the history of its occupation. It was originally built for Arthur Lionel Meugens (1881-1967). The occupations of several of the later residents demonstrate the economic activity and wealth of Kelowna during the 1920s and 1930s when fruit production became the driving economic engine of the area. In 1919, Ormonde St. Patrick Aitkens (1892-1976), secretary and later manager of Okanagan Loan and Investment Trust Co. and Kelowna Land and Orchard Co., acquired the house and lived here until the late 1920s. The house was rented to D.E. Oliver, the manager of Crown Fruit, in 1928 and later to Reginald G. Rutherford, a chartered accountant. In 1944 it was sold to A.K. Lloyd, the manager of B.C. Tree Fruits.
Character Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Meugens House include its:
- location on Cadder Street near Pandosy Street;
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey height and irregular L-shaped plan;
- hipped roof with front gabled projection and side shed dormer;
- concrete foundation and wood-frame construction, clad with horizontal wooden drop siding and cornerboards;
- decorative details such as the scroll-cut eave brackets and scroll-cut window aprons;
- two internal red brick chimneys;
- regular fenestration such as single and double-assembly double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows; and
- associated landscape features such as the early garage at the front of the lot and mature trees.
