Sunday, June 25, 2017

Grant House

Grant House is a building I have not featured in the blog before, but I imagine it has been in the background of shots at some point. It stands across from the City Hall and provincial courthouse precinct downtown, and was part of Doors Open. It dates back to 1875, and takes its name from its first owners, James and Maria Grant. James was a doctor who ran his practice from here. The design is in the Second Empire style, and the house counts First Baptist Church, at the right, as a neighbour. The building behind it, Performance Court, is much more recent, an interesting design that took the place of a parking lot and was finished in 2014. It houses numerous offices, including embassy missions for New Zealand and South Korea, and the glass partially encloses Grant House at the back in a way that makes the older building stand out. While Performance Court is 21 stories high at its peak, it  transitions down in width the lower you go, so the effect is that it doesn't overwhelm Grant House.


After Doctor Grant's day, the house was a university club, and a restaurant for many years prior to the building of Performance Court. Grant House is a focal point for ghost stories, as it is said that the place is haunted, though one wonders if there have been any incidents since the new developments. Today it serves as home to the Beckta Dining and Wine Bar, a fine dining establishment that relocated here after Performance Court was finished. Dining rooms are set up in the rooms of the old house, which looks beautiful inside, seating intimate groups of six up to several dozen. A main kitchen can be found on the second floor, with a bar at the back side of the main floor. When I got in, it was shortly before their Doors Open hours were at an end, and a guide was speaking with several people in the room adjoining the bar about the history of the house.


I wanted to get a couple of shots from the back of the house, which as you can see here is now enclosed within the atrium of Performance Court. It's a curious mix of older and new, but it works well. 


Here are more interior views of dining rooms, as well as a look in the kitchen, where chefs were at work for the evening hours of the restaurant. Grant House looks like it is in very good hands. 

28 comments:

  1. Breaking up an old home like this into dining areas can create a warm and inviting atmosphere. I've been in a number of restaurants like this and it's always been pleasant. Beckta seems just as nice.

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  2. I like that style. Simple and efficient.

    Janis
    GDP

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  3. I agree that the combination of old and new works well here!

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  4. i enjoy the wall art ... whatever you should call that pattern there. the light blurb is cool too. ( :

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  5. Hello, pretty building inside and out. The dining rooms looks nice. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

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  6. A beautiful place. Will be a wonderful experience to have a meal there. Have a beautiful Sunday!

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  7. @Kay: it works quite well.

    @Linda: indeed!

    @Janis: me too.

    @Marleen: it does!

    @Marianne: I agree.

    @Beth: I do too.

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @Nancy: I'll have to dine here sometime.

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  8. A lovely old place. I love the feel of stepping back in time.

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  9. It's hard to imagine that this was a family home and doctor's office. It's been turned into a nice restaurant.

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  10. Old nd well works well for sure. Pretty fantastic.

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  11. I like the wall art and decor. The only thing I would change would be the carpeting in favour of hardwood floors.

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  12. Such cultivated and civilized spaces

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  13. I love it when they reuse old buildings in this way William.. there is nothing nicer than enjoying a meal surrounded by history.. that could be just me though :)Excellent shots of Grant House.. would be interesting to know if the haunting continues!

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  14. You always give us wonderful historical information which enhances the post ad photos. Back from our Alaska cruise. We ended the trip in Vancouver, a city that captured my heart (and my pocketbook). Missed all of you; come visit!

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  15. It looks like an interesting place for a meal!

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  16. It's a beautiful place. It looks like a place I'd like to try.

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  17. ...Second Empire was a fabulous style.

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  18. @Denise: so do I.

    @Red: it is done impressively.

    @Carolann: definitely!

    @Linda: they did well in converting.

    @Cloudia: indeed!

    @Grace: I wondered with some shots if there was spectral interference.

    @Kate: it sounds like you had fun!

    @RedPat: I think so!

    @Sharon: I must sometime.

    @Tom: it was!

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  19. Nice inside views. Look like a lovely place to have a meal.

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  20. What a lovely old place and interesting to see that a mix of older and new, can work well. 

    All the best Jan

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  21. Updates to a beautiful old house--looks great!

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  22. It's lovely William, I think they did well incorporating the old with the new.

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  23. At least that beautiful place was not destroyed for something more modern.

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  24. It is interesting. Such a difference between the rich and the poor. It's good to repurpose the house, methinks.

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  25. I like inside of the building more then outside. Cool light in the last picture.

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  26. @Bill: I'll have to try it sometime.

    @Jan: thanks!

    @Norma: it does!

    @Denise: they did.

    @Mari: this was well worth preserving.

    @Jennifer: it is. I like the look of it.

    @Klara: I'd like to photograph again on a clear sunny day.

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