This one has only recently become abandoned; several months ago, it was in the process of being renovated, but then the work stopped and now it's sitting fenced with the roof half off, construction material scattered around the yard, and some recent graffiti marring the front (which happened after I took the above photo). Here's the Google street view link.
I haven't taken any more photos or done much of my own research, because other people have already been doing both. A recent Vic News article states: "Originally built in 1912, the arts and craft California bungalow-style home (designed by the same architect who designed the original McPherson Theatre) has all the original features such as the copper beam ceilings, french doors and push button light switches still intact" (see interior photos below). The reason the house made it into the news is that some of the neighbors have been advocating for it to be saved, rather than demolished. There's even a Facebook page, Save 2018 Stanley Avenue, with regular updates, photos, and more info: "Built in 1912, this character house was designed by Jesse M Warren. Its new owners are considering demolishing it after neglecting it the past 4 months."
More info came out in a recent CTV news segment. Apparently the renovations stopped because an environmental assessment returned "negative results", leading the owner to decide it would be best to just build a new house--and so the current one was left with the roof open to the rain, even after the owner promised to tarp it way back in September. The owner plans to start construction of the new house in January; according to Vic News, the neighbors are hoping the current house can be relocated.
Vic News also informs us that "The former owner lived in the character house for several decades before he passed away. His family eventually sold the property earlier this year." Before the sale, the house was mostly hidden behind trees. The sale listing read: "If you are HANDY this home is the perfect place for you. 1912 character home with beautiful original built-in woodwork untouched." The photos from the listing don't show up on that page, but I found them using Google image search, and have included them here.
Here's one more photo I found, and there are more on the Facebook page.
One more quote from the Vic News article: " 'The owner has the right to do what he wants with his property. But I also felt that the house brings a lot to the neighbourhood and has the potential to be a shining star,' [Chris] Grieve [founder of the Facebook page] said, adding some people have even offered to buy the home in order to save it." So clearly there's a lot of interest in keeping this house around, and with all the publicity it's been getting, hopefully that's what will happen.
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