Peter & Catharine Whyte Residence
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PETER & CATHARINE WHYTE RESIDENCE 130 BOW AVENUE, BANFF, AB. STATEMENT OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE SEPTEMBER 2016 WHYTE RESIDENCE - 130 BOW AVE. used by the Museum to share the history of its founders: Description of the Historic Place signifcant local artists, and pioneers in the town and its cultural community. Te Whyte Residence (130 Bow Avenue) is a cross- gabled, two-storey log cabin in the pre-railroad folk architectural style, built for Peter Whyte and Catharine Heritage Value Robb Whyte in 1930-31. Te Whyte Residence is valuable and worthy of Te cabin was designed as both a home and an artists’ conservation due to its representative folk architectural studio, and the Whytes lived and worked there over a style, and its relationship to Peter and Catharine Robb ffty-year period in the mid-20th century. Te cabin Whyte, who were prominent members of the Banf initially exhibited an L-shaped two-room main foor community through its maturation in the 20th century. layout with a two-bedroom sleeping loft, and through the years experienced several additions and alterations Te residence displays a clear physical refection of Peter to meet Peter and Catharine’s changing needs over the and Catharine’s work as artists and their social life as course of their lives. hosts, as well as their modest approach to the design of their home. Originally located on a wooded property on the east bank of the Bow River, the block’s environmental It is additionally refective of their needs and desires context shifted with Peter and Catharine’s decision through the rapidly changing 20th century, and the to establish what is now the Whyte Museum of the residence may thus also yield information about life and Canadian Rockies. Today, the cabin is clustered with the changing landscape in Banf through this period. several relocated heritage homes conserved by the Whyte Its current location on the Whyte Museum grounds helps Museum, a practice that began on Catharine’s initiative to tell the important story of this institution that has during her lifetime. Te cabin sits adjacent to the Whyte been so infuential in the promotion and preservation of Museum building, and continues to be conserved and Banf’s heritage. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Character-Defning Elements Elements from later additions that refect the original architectural character and the Whytes’ changing needs Elements that refect the Whyte Residence’s 1930s-era over time: folk architectural character: t West-facing gable dormer Exterior: t South-facing Dutch door into the frst extension t East-facing interior door into the 1957 extension t Cross-gabled roof t Matching exterior doors on the east and west doorways t Simple, non-ornamental approach to design t Use of local Rundle stone along lower exterior walls and t Use of local logs and Rundle stone horizontally-oriented wood material above t Purlins visible along the exterior roof line of the t Small square panes in most newer windows second foor of the original cabin t Tick wood functional shutters on most newer windows t Saddle-notched rounded log exteriors of each unit t Original north and south dormers t Wood shakes roof covering Elements that refect the Whyte Residence’s information t Original front door (interior door), and original potential, and its relationship to Peter and Catharine door frame Robb Whyte as well as to the Whyte Museum: t Rounded log window frames, window panes, storm windows and thick wood functional t Te residence’s location on the Whyte Museum shutters on ten windows (two on main foor grounds facade, two on either side of chimney, the large t Te cabin’s orientation toward Bow Avenue and north side artists’ window, two on south side of the Bow River the kitchen, south side dormer window, and two north side dormer windows) t South side exterior coal chute Statement of Integrity Interior While the architectural additions to the Whyte Residence t Te original L-shaped foorplan featuring the in the post-1939 period have not been entirely consistent kitchen, studio living room, two upstairs with the original design, the 1930s era cabin remains bedrooms, the upstairs bathroom, three closets and a balcony not only intact, but in very good condition. Te original t Purlins visible along the interior roof lines on cabin remains fully furnished with Peter and Catharine’s the main and second foors, especially the original possessions. Eforts have been made to maintain design balcony purlins that extend into the current east- consistency throughout the rest of the property, notably side additions in the approach to most of the new windows, and in the t Wide wood plank foorboards in all original exterior use of Rundle stone. Te simple workmanship foorplan rooms except the kitchen t Remaining original wood balcony foorboards in approach remains consistent throughout the building, the current upstairs studio extension though the detailed and careful craftsmanship exhibited t Five original interior rounded log door frames in the original building is less present in later additions. (door and frame between kitchen and living room, former back door, upstairs door into bedroom, upstairs Te environment and historical feeling of the Whyte door into former second bedroom, former upstairs property have changed signifcantly since the cabin’s balcony door, where only the inside door frame construction in the 1930s, however the shift toward remains) t Remaining window frame in the original back a context of museum grounds is consistent with the wall (currently surrounds a cabinet) property in the later period of Peter and Catharine’s t 1939 staircase lives, when they were devoted to the establishment of a t Rundle stone living room freplace and chimney museum through which to conserve and promote Banf’s t Black triangular working hinge used throughout cultural heritage. the house (on doors, cabinets, original furniture) WHYTE RESIDENCE - 130 BOW AVE. Description of the Historic Place Type of Historic Place Building Other Names n/a Street Address 130 Bow Ave. / 121 Lynx St. (Lot 12, Block A) Year of Construction/Establishment 1930-1931 Architect/Builder Earl Spencer, architect - Born in 1901, Spencer was a trapper, sawmill worker, boatman and cabin builder in the Rocky Mountains, notably active around Golden, BC, and Banf, AB. Also responsible for the Skoki Ski Lodge (which is also associated with the Whyte family) at Lake Louise. Builders included carpenters Sam Ward and Vern Costello, and electrician Cecil Philpott. Costello appears to have been responsible for the seasonal re-installation of storm windows through to the early 1950s. Original Owners t Sara Bell Irving: Sept. 1902-Dec. 1906 t John Curren (Dave White’s father-in-law): Dec.1906-Aug. 1907 t Dave White: Aug. 1907-Oct. 1936 t Peter and Catharine Robb Whyte: Oct. 1936- Mar. 1979 t Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies: 1979-present Heritage Value ‘Alberta Culture’ Signifcance Criteria A. Design / Style / Construction Representative of wooded western mountain pre-railroad folk architecture, or rustic architecture: a two-unit cabin (kitchen and living room), built of rounded logs, with a loft area for sleeping. Evidenced in the simple approach to construction, with little detailing, and in the use of local building materials (Rundle stone, and lumber from the nearby Morley Reserve) C. Institution / Person Associated with Peter and Catharine Robb Whyte, who lived in the house for ffty years. Tey are not only signifcant local artists, but also supporters of cultural life in Banf, and notably the founders of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, which continues to play a major role in cultural heritage promotion and preservation in Banf. Te property is also historically associated with Banf pioneers John D. Curren and Dave White. DOCUMENTATION OF SIGNIFICANCE D. Information Potential It is possible to better understand Banf’s morphology by studying the full property at 130 Bow Avenue. Te cabin’s orientation toward Bow Avenue is indicative that this was once the major street abutting the property, while the 1971 garage addition at the back of the house indicates that later access would occur from Bear Street. Te home’s additions and renovations over time also have potential to yield information about changing lifestyles in Banf through the 20th century, for example through the addition of a modern kitchen and a central heating system. ‘Banf Heritage Corporation’ Tematic Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life Framework t Architecture in Banf: Representative of vernacular architecture and the folk house aesthetic. t Education and Social Well-Being: In Peter and Catharine’s later years, the property grounds became a gathering spot for heritage cabins in need of conservation. Today their home is a part of this collection of Whyte Museum heritage homes, which not only conserves remnants of early life in Banf, but also serves to educate visitors on Banf’s cultural history. Period of Signifcance 1930-1979 Character-Defning Elements Cross-gabled roof Simple, non-ornamental approach to design Use of local logs and Rundle stone Purlins visible along the exterior roof line of the second foor of the original cabin DOCUMENTATION OF SIGNIFICANCE Saddle-notched rounded log exteriors of each unit Original north and south dormers Wood shakes roof covering Original front door (interior door), and original door frame Te following elements on the ten original windows: rounded log window frames; window panes; storm windows, and; thick wood functional shutters t Two main foor facade t Two on either