530 1st Avenue in downtown Ladysmith was built circa 1900. It is currently occupied by Zack’s Lounge.
The building sold for $650,000 on 17 August 2018.
530 1st Avenue is on the Ladysmith Community Heritage Register and the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Here is a map showing the location of 530 1st Avenue:
Here is a Google Street View image of 530 1st Avenue:
Description of the Historic Place
The 530 First Avenue Building is a small, Boomtown style building located on the west side of Ladysmith’s main commercial street. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.
Heritage Value
Built around 1900, the 530 First Avenue Building is an excellent example of a simple, vernacular Boomtown or False-front style structure. Until the erection of more sophisticated brick buildings in this area over the next few decades, Ladysmith’s first commercial buildings were typically wood framed and clad and false-fronted. Boomtown fronts made buildings appear more substantial and provided a convenient area for signage while large windows at the ground level provided space for goods display.
This otherwise modest building is embellished by a relatively ornate cornice.
The one-storey 530 First Avenue Building stands out as the smallest building on this city block. Shorter and narrower than any of its neighbours, the building contributes significant visual interest for its unique scale and style. Several similar buildings are scattered throughout the commercial area, although there are none on this
specific block.
Symbolizing Ladysmith’s very earliest commercial development, the 530 First Avenue Building has been in continuous use for over a century and adds significantly to the heritage character of the street.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the 530 First Avenue Building include:
- – all of the elements of vernacular, Boomtown architecture as expressed in the wood siding, boomtown false front façade, cornice and simple single door and window arrangement
- – the building’s small scale, simple form and massing
- – the building’s location within a group of historic commercial buildings on the town’s main commercial street
- – continuous commercial use