Media & PR
The Butchart Gardens recognized for national significance by Government of Canada
Monday, 27 December 2004
December 27, 2004
The national historic designation is made annually by Canada’s Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The award recognizes people, places and events “of national historic importance that have helped to build Canada into the nation it is today,” according to a press release issued by the two agencies. The award was issued to The Butchart Gardens on Dec. 21, 2004, by the Honourable David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Victoria, British Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment.
“It is most fitting that The Butchart Gardens be designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. For a century The Gardens have been one of the premier attractions on Vancouver Island and a monument to Robert and Jennie Butchart’s imagination and energy,” Mr. Anderson was quoted as saying in the press release. “This family tradition will continue for the century to come.”
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada stated that the recommendation for The Butchart Gardens as a national historic site was issued “because they represent the remarkable combination of three aspects of Canadian gardening history. First, they represent the traits of an early twentieth century estate garden through their use of different types of gardens such as the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the Italian Garden, the Star Pond and Jennie Butchart’s Private Garden. Second, they evoke the early twentieth century beautification movement as expressed through the Sunken Garden. And third, they rely on the Victorian bedding-out system to achieve outstanding floral displays. These three aspects of The Butchart Gardens have been consistently conveyed through the successive visions of Butchart family members.”
The Butchart Gardens was created in 1904 by Jennie Butchart out of her husband’s worked-out limestone quarry site, welcoming 1.3 million guests from around the world each year, and 2004 marked the 55-acre Gardens’ very special “100 Years in Bloom.” The site is located 13 miles north of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, on the Saanich Peninsula. Visitors can reach Vancouver Island by ferry from Tsawwassen on the British Columbia mainland or Port Angeles, Wash.; by hydrofoil (Victoria Clipper) from Seattle, or by plane. More information is available at www.butchartgardens.com or by calling 866-652-4422 or 250-652-4422.
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December 27, 2004
VICTORIA, British Columbia, Canada – The Butchart Gardens was recently designated a National Historic Site of Canada by the country’s Minister of the Environment. The prestigious recognition came towards the close of the site’s 100 Years In Bloom – The Gardens’ year-long centennial celebration in 2004.
The national historic designation is made annually by Canada’s Minister of the Environment on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The award recognizes people, places and events “of national historic importance that have helped to build Canada into the nation it is today,” according to a press release issued by the two agencies. The award was issued to The Butchart Gardens on Dec. 21, 2004, by the Honourable David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Victoria, British Columbia, on behalf of the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment.
“It is most fitting that The Butchart Gardens be designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. For a century The Gardens have been one of the premier attractions on Vancouver Island and a monument to Robert and Jennie Butchart’s imagination and energy,” Mr. Anderson was quoted as saying in the press release. “This family tradition will continue for the century to come.”
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada stated that the recommendation for The Butchart Gardens as a national historic site was issued “because they represent the remarkable combination of three aspects of Canadian gardening history. First, they represent the traits of an early twentieth century estate garden through their use of different types of gardens such as the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the Italian Garden, the Star Pond and Jennie Butchart’s Private Garden. Second, they evoke the early twentieth century beautification movement as expressed through the Sunken Garden. And third, they rely on the Victorian bedding-out system to achieve outstanding floral displays. These three aspects of The Butchart Gardens have been consistently conveyed through the successive visions of Butchart family members.”
The Butchart Gardens was created in 1904 by Jennie Butchart out of her husband’s worked-out limestone quarry site, welcoming 1.3 million guests from around the world each year, and 2004 marked the 55-acre Gardens’ very special “100 Years in Bloom.” The site is located 13 miles north of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, on the Saanich Peninsula. Visitors can reach Vancouver Island by ferry from Tsawwassen on the British Columbia mainland or Port Angeles, Wash.; by hydrofoil (Victoria Clipper) from Seattle, or by plane. More information is available at www.butchartgardens.com or by calling 866-652-4422 or 250-652-4422.
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