Rowcliffe Block

The significance of the building is derived from its association with early produce packing-house activities in Kelowna, and from series of alterations and occupants that reflect the evolution of building-form and land use in the Downtown area.

The building has historical value for its close association with George Rowcliffe and Thomas Lawson, both significant members of the early Kelowna business community. Rowcliffe arrived in Kelowna from Manitoba in 1898, and a year later he and his brother-in-law, Thomas Lawson, opened a general store (Lawson, Rowcliffe & Co.). They also packed and shipped local produce to the prairies, among the first to do so. In 1905 Rowcliffe took over the fruit-packing operation and sold his interest in the store to Lawson.

The historic place, which was built by Rowcliffe to house his fruit-packing business in 1908, possesses architectural value for being a relatively early masonry building in the downtown townsite, and for its having been expanded from one to two storeys, typical of many others as the Kelowna economy expanded. The lot on the north side of Bernard Avenue had became available because the former sawmill moved away. By 1911 Rowcliffe had added a second storey, which initially accommodated a beautician (Miss D.E. Simpson), a dentist (Dr. R. Mathison), and a civil engineer (W.T. Ashbridge). The building was soon too small for the expanding fruit business, as many newly-planted orchards were coming into bearing, and so in 1912, 'in order to cope with the enormous crop soon to be marketed,' Rowcliffe built an 'up-to-date' packing-house further north, by the CPR tracks. The original location had been convenient to the steamer wharf for shipping; the new location reveals that trains had superseded boats as the primary means of moving freight. Rowcliffe and his twin brother John later shifted to the canning business, and the Rowcliffe Canning Company operated until 1964.

The transformations of 1908 and 1911 represent the changes in land use, typical for downtown Kelowna, from the industrial to the retail sector, and then to the service sector. The service sector, particularly food services, gradually became dominant in the area generally, and in the building specifically. After the Rowcliffe fruit-packing business moved, realtors' offices occupied the east half of the lower floor and the west half housed a billiard hall. By 1929 the lower floor was occupied by the Traveller's Cafe. By 1945 it was the New Moon Cafe (Wong Dick proprietor). In 1962 the restaurant was owned by Sing Wong, and Sing's Restaurant was a fixture of Bernard Avenue until the 1980s. Nishi's Japanese Restaurant currently occupies the building.

The renovations over the years have changed or hidden many original materials and finishes. The original red brick front elevation remains beneath a later veneer.