The Kelowna town site was laid out in 1892, and by 1898 the community growing on the shores of Okanagan Lake began to show that it would become a permanent settlement. As people came so did the traveling missionaries and students of both the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. Kelowna is the largest community in the Okanagan Valley.
The Okanagan Sunflower is the official floral emblem of Kelowna. It is one of the longest blooming wildflowers, providing abundant splashes of bright yellow on the hillsides in early spring. The plant is drought tolerant; it’s completely edible and was used by the First Nations peoples as a food source. Its large yellow flowers reflect the sunny Okanagan skies and the hot summer climate.
The service industry employs the most people in Kelowna. In summer, boating, swimming, water skiing, windsurfing, fishing, golfing, hiking and biking are popular. In winter both Alpine and Nordic skiing are favorite activities at the nearby ski resorts. Kelowna produces wines that have received international recognition. Vineyards are found around and south of the city where the climate is ideal for the many wineries. Kelowna is the home of Sun-Rype, a popular manufacturer of fruit bars and juices.
Many prominent people played a part in Kelowna becoming the city it is today and many of them made their homes on Marshall Street. The W.J. Marshall family was one of the very early families to settle here and their home is at 1869. R.B. Staples owned the Beaverdell Silver Mine and was also prominent in the fruit industry; their home is at 1812.
781 Bernard Avenue – The David Leckie (successful businessman and civic leader) House was built in 1906 in the late Queen Anne style. A tall gable on the right is balanced by a dormer on the left. There is narrow horizontal wood siding and a semi-circular porch with a balustrade above.806 Bernard Avenue – Jessie Willard Hughes House – 1933 – Colonial Revival style – J.W. Hughes planted the first commercial vineyards in 1926 and he exported gladioli and peony bulbs.830 Bernard Avenue – James W. Jones (Mayor, Conservative MLA) – 1912 – Queen Anne style, hipped roof with dormer, classic foursquare, wraparound pillared veranda, narrow horizontal wood siding865 Bernard Avenue – James Bacon Knowles (jeweler and watch maker) house built in 1907 – hipped roof, wood frame construction with double-beveled wooden siding, wooden trim and details.870 Bernard Avenue – William Hughes-Games house – 1936 – is a Vernacular Cottage with a cross-gabled roof. There is an arched opening to a recessed entry.757 Lawrence Avenue – George Arthur Meikel House – 1910 – Dutch Colonial style – gambrel roof831 Lawrence Avenue – Howard E. Atchison House – 1931 – Tudor Revival style with half-timber detailing on stucco, gable roof truncated at the peak857 Lawrence Avenue – Dougald McDougall (civil engineer in fruit industry) House – 1922 – California Craftsman Bungalow – gable roof with deep eaves and exposed rafters, deep porch868 Lawrence Avenue – William Harold Hunter McDougall (fruit grower and exporter) House – 1909 – Vernacular Cottage style966 Lawrence Avenue – Munson House – 1911 – Victorian Foursquare with hipped roof, gabled dormer and covered porch – Robert Munson was a sawmill worker.987 Lawrence Avenue – Renwick House – 1912 – Queen Anne style – altered from the original – turret, bay window, dormers1001 Lawrence Avenue – Second Knowles House – 1913 – J. B. Knowles was a jeweler and civic leader. Dutch Colonial Revival style – gambrel roof228 Lake Avenue – This house was the home of Harold Pettman and his family. Harold and his brother Charles ran Pettman Brothers Grocery until 1966 when Harold became Manager of the Okanagan Federated Shippers. This 1½ story wood frame house was built in 1941 during the wartime. It is in Cape Code style. It has a cross-gabled roof, and a concrete foundation. There is horizontal siding on the first story and vertical siding with polygonal ends on the upper half-story. A small gabled roof supported with brackets covers the front entrance.1922 Abbott Street – John Francis Fumerton and Annie Maria brought their family to Kelowna in 1916 where he established a men’s clothing, dry goods and shoe store. This 1½ story wood frame house was built in 1933 on the corner of Abbott and Vimy. With its picturesque roof line and casement windows, this Storybook cottage is a romantic representation of traditional domestic ideals. It has a steeply-pitched cross-gabled roof with gabled projections, its original glazed front door and semi-circular concrete front entrance steps.1858 Abbott Street – 1937 – Moderne style – streamlined, flat parapet roof, stucco and horizontal banding and cladding, multi-sash windows with narrow trim, curved walls, asymmetrical facade, canopy over entrance
