Nick Russell

By Jack Krayenhoff

The reason Nick Russell was in the news again lately was the publication of his Glorious Victorians, these Victorians being not people but residences. It is an excellent coffee table book for people, especially James Bay people, who are fond of those beautiful old homes we love to stroll along. (And I'll give you a hint: if you buy the book from him directly, he will give it to you at a big discount. He's in the phone book.)

It's fun to interview Nick Russell because he's such a passionate and articulate defender of our architectural heritage. He is upset because the community plan of James Bay is from 1993 and has not been reviewed since. "That's almost twenty, twenty! years of change and development not taken into consideration!" His voice rises as he adds, "The community association should go to City Hall and bang on their desk and say, 'This is not acceptable!'"

Where does his interest in old houses come from? "My parents were interested in history and archaeology, and in school the only subjects I did well at were English and History. Forty years ago I started fixing up an old house, and that got me interested in the 'bones' of a building. So they came together: history, archaeology, old houses, architecture."

Still, initially these remained in the background, for his love of English determined his career. He was a journalist, an editor, wrote books, and even became professor of the Ethics of Journalism. He still enjoys writing, but it is no longer the main thing in his life.

That is now our residential architectural heritage, in particular James Bay's.  

He is past-president of the Hallmark Heritage Society. This started over thirty years ago when Victoria's downtown heritage was in danger. The venerable Parrot House was demolished and the Eaton's Centre was going up. Nick recalls, "The citizens said, 'Enough! We don't want that Eaton's Centre to demolish two city blocks and put up a new concrete building.' Then they organized the Heritage Hallmark Society, to defend heritage."

This society spreads the word, it points out houses that are worth preserving, or even rows of houses that need preserving. "Take down one, and you are left with a smile with a front tooth missing," Nick comments.  It increases awareness of the pleasures of living in our gorgeous city. It supports the City's Heritage Planner. Once a year it gives out an award to persons who helped save a worthwhile building or did a good restoration.

Nick is seriously concerned about James Bay's heritage. "I love old houses," he says, "and we continue to lose them. We are not replacing them with interesting buildings that can contribute to the next generation's heritage, but rather with concrete-block houses that don't fit into our environment. An old lady lives in a beautiful house but it's getting too much for her, and she wants to sell. The developers are right there, offer her a price she likes, and bang! - another house lost and replaced by a concrete duplex, typically flat-roofed, that is a misfit."

"What we need is a better community plan, a plan that says how James Bay should look in the future. They are not even honouring the recommendations of the outdated 1993 version. Do you know what City Hall is planning now? They want to spill City Centre into James Bay, down Menzies right into the Five Points. This is absurd. James Bay is a residential community. Downtown can expand in other directions with far less disruption."

"James Bay revolted thirty-five years ago when there were far too many high-rises going up, and it's time to revolt again. There are only two heritage conservation areas in James Bay and they are tiny - each fifteen houses at the most, at Avalon and Battery. Most of James Bay is duplex-zoned, so there is no protection. But James Bay is not being heard. There is no squeaky wheel. The neighbourhood association should go to City Hall and say, 'This community plan is totally out of date.' Let's get our act together! Make a better, up-to-date community plan!"

I asked why he himself is not banging the desk at City Hall, but the answer is that he is spread too thin as it is, what with his self-published book, his work with the Heritage Society and as a researcher for the Victoria Heritage Foundation. Plus, he is working with the community associations of Gorge/Burnside and Fernwood, which he finds very active and effective, by the way.

Still, at the end of this interview, your reporter is left with the conviction that this knowledgeable, devoted and colourfully-speaking defender of our cityscape would himself be just the right man to bang the desk at City Hall on behalf of us all.