Duncan El was built in 1913.  The architect was William Tuff Whiteway from Vancouver, with the local contractor The Island Building Co., Ltd.   

 

The main building was built for approximately $36,000; $15,000 from the City of Duncan and $21,000 from the BC government.

 

When the Duncan Consolidated Public School opened in September 1913, the upper floor was still incomplete.  The Cowichan Leader of August 28, 1913 stated: Duncan can now boast a public school

building of which any city might well be proud. The . . . general appearance from the outside is distinctly

handsome. In so many school buildings in this Province all thoughts of beauty of design have been

sacrificed to utility and the result is a collection of extremely lain buildings. The architect is to be

congratulated on the pleasing appearance of the exterior of the school.

 

The school enrollment of September 1913 of 182 students exceeded the capacity of the four classrooms

on the ground floor by 8 students. The largest classroom was designed to accommodate 48 students,

while the other three would take 42 each for a total of 174. The first principal, Henry Drummond Herd,

had the Division 1 or senior class; Miss Elizabeth Morley, Division 2; Miss Sarah Elizabeth McKnight,

Division 3; Miss Teresa Agnes Costigan, Division 4; and Miss Bessie Stoakes Dickinson, Division 5 (grade

1’s).

 

The school was officially opened on the afternoon of Saturday, December 13, 1913 by the BC Deputy

Minister of Education, Dr. Henry Esson Young, and the MLA for Cowichan, Mr. William Hayward. Dr.

Young strode up the stairs to the main door between two lines of school cadets. With a few formal

words, he declared the school open and unlocked the door. As he did so, the bugle band of the cadet

sounded the Salute.

 

 

Inside the school on a specially built platform at the foot of the staircase, Mr. W. M. Dwyer, chairperson

of the Duncan Consolidated School Board, welcomed Dr. Young and Mr. Hayward, and then spoke about

the increase in pupil enrollment and the need to complete the four classrooms on the upper floor of the

building. Another $10,000 would be needed, he said. At the conclusion of all the formal speeches the

children were marched to their respective classrooms for an exhibition of a fire drill which was carried

out in quick time.

 

On June 14, 1982 the City of Duncan passed By-Law 1379 which designated and proclaimed the school

building as a Heritage Structure.              

                                                                                               Submitted by Carolyn Prellwitz January 29, 2014