A beloved hand-hewn stone structure on Hollywood Crescent, scheduled to be demolished by developers soon, was celebrated in high style earlier this month. A diverse representation of Victoria’s historically-minded “who’s who”—past and present city councillors, historians, a TV personality, artists and musicians—were on hand to commemorate the importance of the cottage built by former homeowners Andy and Margarete GiIstein.

Three generations of the Gjelstein family were there. Eleanor and Freida, Andy and Margarete’s daughters, spoke about the way their parents lovingly worked on the cottage’s unique construction and the colourful gardens that surround it. The garden extends to the rooftop of the stone house where, come early spring, daffodils bloom.

Event organizer Rosemary Sleigh told Capital Daily that “if you look at pictures of those gardens and the way they’re laid out in red and yellow flowers, it almost looks like a flag design.” There was a miniature farm on the property that replicates, as she understands it, Andy Gilstein's family farm in Norway. Sleigh was able to secure one of the city’s My Great Neighbourhood grants to host the event.

Former TV personality Jack Atkins, folk musician Bart Hoen, Hal (Harold) Kalman, pre-eminent Victoria architectural historian, were all on hand as were Pam Madoff, former city councillor and past president of the Hallmark Heritage Society, and current councillor Marg Gardiner. Both Kalman—who lives directly across from the property—and Madoff spoke to those gathered in lawn chairs in the shade of the stone house about the importance of historical preservation in the city. 

“I had seen the stone garage many times while door knocking during elections and visiting people in the area,” said Gardiner.  “At the gathering this past week, the descendants of the stone garage creator were there with a photo collage going back in time. There were even snapshots of the final "stoning" of the peak over the door.” 

“I thought the keynote by the historian and the two sisters was very moving, especially towards the end,” said neighbour Wilford Castle. “Like many people, I knew about the amazing garden here, but I never knew how much history was in this place, and how unique it is because of the people who took the effort to create it all.”

Organizer Sleigh, a designer and researcher, said there has been some confusion about who built the house and when. 

“What’s in the city directory does not agree with what has been said about it,” she said.“According to some records the house was built in 1922 but there's not even an address on that land until 1925 and the house wasn’t built until 1926.” 

She knows that a popular myth circulates about the house’s origins as being built by a sea captain named John Calvin Foote, but her own research confirms it was Peter Lyall. She’d like to talk to McInnis about how the other story began to circulate. 

Amit and Karishma Sethi, the property’s current owners, have put in a rezoning application for a two-block multi-unit development that will occupy the majority of the lot. 

“There are many, much more sensitive solutions that could have come to this property, but the developer is not interested,” said Sleigh.