The waters of the Upper Harbour have been put to good use for centuries. The Songhees people would fish and race their canoes here. Sawmilling, which began in the 1840’s, was followed later by many other related industries. People from all walks of life lived and worked here, built their homes, went swimming, and had picnics.

By the second half of the 20th century industrial activity started to subside, and in 1989 the sawmill and plywood plant was closed. The buildings were demolished and a major excavation and environmental clean up was done.

Jawl Holdings Ltd. purchased the site in 1991, and DeHoog D’Ambrosio & Rowe Architecture was hired to begin designing a mixed-use urban community. Planning started with the creation of an Urban Design Manual that would guide the transition from an industrial site to a space where retail, commercial, residential and public interests could not only work together, but also thrive and enhance one another.

For this to happen the Selkirk Waterfront Community needed to incorporate some design ideas that had never been tried before in Victoria. As the public domain was to be considered paramount, everything had to be kept on a human scale. That meant linking green spaces and public and private places, and turning roads into public spaces, as well.

Inspiration came from Europe where buildings and trees are used to form outdoor spaces, and where much is done with little space. Conservation in all forms is a priority at Selkirk Waterfront. Inspiration came also from the history of the site itself. An uncovered concrete foundation was transformed into a performance stage. Pieces of old machinery became pieces of art; piles from the original railway tracks now support the boardwalk. An industrial loading structure is now seating around a giant outdoor chessboard. Underneath the chessboard are 70 time capsules, prepared by local children, so one day their history, too, can be rediscovered.

The use of galvanized metal, timber, stone, steel and concrete as construction materials is both an appealing aesthetic and a tribute to the site’s industrial heritage.

By combining the past with today’s human values, Selkirk Waterfront is an emerging contemporary mixed-use community that truly delivers the best of all worlds.