The vision for the future redevelopment of the Royal British Columbia Museum's property at Belleville and Douglas Streets. Image © Royal British Columbia Museum.

Representatives from the Royal British Columbia Museum yesterday presented a daring vision for the future of the entire 2.7 hectare complex. The plan was presented to City Council on Wednesday and a media briefing will be held today.

The museum is seeking a rezoning–the first step in a massive restructuring of the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) site that envisages the demolition of the sunken gardens, the outdated 1969 Fannin Building (aka the curatorial tower) and nearby archives building. In its place, a small, dense cluster of towers would surround the existing 1967 exhibition building and the more recent IMAX theatre next to it.

Why Rezone?

Incredibly, the current zoning for much of the Legislative Precinct, including the Museum and the Legislature itself is R-2, two family residential. This is ordinary duplex zoning, common in many Victoria residential neighbourhoods. This non-conforming use complicates many routine Musuem activities. For example, installation of new generators meant consultation with the City’s Planning Department, since installation of heavy machinery is ordinarily not acceptable in a duplex-oriented residential neighbourhood. Plans to introduce a café or restaurant technically would run afoul of existing permitted uses.

Tipping Point

RBCM Board members described the problems that plague the current complex. Inferior seismic standards mean the priceless holdings of the Museum and archives are at risk in the event of a major earthquake. Outdated climate controls and lack of adequate storage hinder preservation of the collection. The Newcombe Auditorium, a once-admired lecture and music venue has been closed for years and is used for overflow storage.

In fact, many irreplaceable cultural artifacts, including many Emily Carr paintings are stored below sea level, in areas of the archives a former long-time Museum employee said yesterday flooded on several occasions in the late 1960s following high tides.

The Board calls the present situation a “tipping point”. Without expansion and renovation the collections are increasingly at risk. Inadequate facilities make it harder to draw and stage major exhibitions and preclude the possibility of attracting larger crowds.

Vision

Working with local architecture firm de Hoog & Kierulf, the Museum developed a massing model representing the possible forms a new complex could take. While not representing any actual plan, the model does hint at the scale of the additional space needed, as well as how it could be arranged to make a strong visual statement on Victoria’s skyline. The existing 1960s carillon, a gift from the people of the Netherlands, would be moved or rebuilt a few metres east, opening up space on the northwest corner for a new splayed entrance in front of a ramped plaza. This wheelchair-friendly ramp approach would bring a spectacular cylindrical totem gallery and gift shop closer to the street and would create a more visible main entrance. This would spell the end for the north-facing lobby entrance addition designed by John Di Castri in 1997.

A sizable LEED Gold-rated commercial office space component and collections building would occupy a portion of the south side of the lot. As the collection expanded and leases expired, the Museum would take over this space. The museum left open the possibility that there could be a residential component included in the new Comprehensive Development Zone.

Vancouver Island marble was mentioned by architect Peter de Hoog as an example of the type of cladding material suitable for significant construction on this high-profile site.

No change would occur on the Helmcken House or Thunderbird Park area of the Cultural Precinct.

A siteplan illustrating the vision for the RBCM property. Image © Royal British Columbia Museum.

Roadblocks

Any bold plan runs the risk of being shot down. Recent cutbacks to BC’s arts funding has cast doubt on the Province’s long-term commitment to local culture, yet the Board feels the Province will support their initiative. Recent development proposals for the Crystal Court Motel site and the Admiral’s Inn were received poorly by James Bay and Fairfield residents and the City Planning Department in part because tall, high-density buildings on the edge of Downtown were perceived as a threat to the primarily single-family-dwelling type model of the south Victoria district. But this will be tempered with the acknowledgement that the Museum has been a welcome and valued member of the community and that any changes are intended only to modernize and strengthen what is already a well-respected institution.

Next Steps

As with any rezoning, a series of community consultation meetings must be held. James Bay, Fairfield and Downtown residents will be asked to weigh in. Public open houses will be held later in the year to acquaint Victorians with the proposal.

To discuss the Royal British Columbia Museum’s plans for change, refer to this thread in the VibrantVictoria.ca discussion forum.

Robert Randall is the Chair of the Downtown Victoria Residents’ Association.

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