Description:
2809 Burdick Avenue, Uplands border in Oak Bay, front entrance on Burdick showing driveway and garage.  The two-storey 1930 house was designed in the Tudor Revival style by prominent Victoria architect William Semeyn, and built for Mrs M.E. Bowden, a widow, and her son Wally.  In order to create a healthy and bright environment for Wally, the design incorporated large windows on the south elevation and used special "vita" glass in the sunroom, which is transparent to ultraviolet light.  The Bowden house is significant as an example of interwar architecture, reflecting the means and lifestyle of a family still affluent during the Depression era. Between 1937 and 1951, the house was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lipsey.  Richard Lipsey was a private realtor and manager of  A.P. Slade & Co., a wholesale fruit warehouse on lower Yates Street in downtown Victoria.  Prior to moving in 1951, Mrs. Lipsey created an album of 24 interior and exterior photographs of the Lipsey family home. More about 2809 Burdick