History buffs get rare peek into home of 2 B.C. premiers now up for grabs

If the walls at Kelowna’s 1988 Bowes St. could talk, the political machinations of some of B.C.’s most powerful historic figures would be laid bare.

The towering Tudor revival home, referred to these days as the Bennett House, housed two premiers, W.A.C. Bennett and Bill Bennett, and one of Kelowna’s leading figures, F.R.E. De Hart.

While it’s been home to an exclusive list of historical figures, the potential for it to become part of the public domain grew when the Bennett family invited the local heritage society to hold an open house, coinciding with the property’s sale.

“We had opened it up for 50 people today, and we had well over 200 people show interest,” Janice Henry with the Central Okanagan Heritage Society said.

“The phones were literally ringing off the wall. So we know that there’s an appetite, we know that there’s an interest.”

The aim wasn’t to get someone to bid on the nearly $3-million property. Henry and her peers are behind a growing movement to get the property purchased with funds from the public purse, so its historic value is protected and the community can enjoy it in perpetuity.

“We think that it’s too important of a building both architecturally and historically to have it in private hands. We would prefer to see it in public hands,” Henry said.

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The society has reached out to numerous groups, including the City of Kelowna, the University of British Columbia, Okanagan College and the Royal BC Museum, to pitch in and purchase the property.

“I think it’s going to be a partnership, a multi-level partnership that’s going to see this building in hopefully public use,” Henry said.

“Somebody’s got to start it and I think once we get a commitment, a serious commitment for it, a chunk of money, that will be able to either fundraise or find other grantors.”

Clea Haugo was one of the many people who toured the property on Tuesday and said she can see the value of the home becoming public property.

“I think it would just be a huge asset for the city, for the community and also for tourism,” Haugo said.

Anne Miller was also at the home showing and said its value goes beyond dollars and cents.

“So many times these historical homes and buildings are torn down to give us something new,” Miller said.

“And we need to learn to appreciate the history that’s behind all of these things.”

The home first housed DeHart, an important land developer and fruit industry leader. Its next resident was former premier W.A.C. Bennett, who is considered by many to be one of the most influential politicians in the province’s history. Then later, his son, former premier Bill Bennett, took over and the house remains in the Bennett family.

DeHart was educated in horticulture at the Ontario Agricultural College and came to Kelowna in 1903. He and four partners formed the Okanagan Fruit and Land Co., which purchased the 4,000-acre A.B. Knox Ranch and subdivided it into five- and 10-acre lots.

DeHart operated a nursery business and purchased fruit for export. He was famous for his prize-winning exhibits of Kelowna-grown fruit across the continent and as far away as Wembley, England.

The City of Kelowna said DeHart served on city council in 1907-08 and as mayor in 1909.

“He instigated the ‘Cent a Pound or On the Ground’ fruit growers’ strike in 1933, which led to provincial marketing legislation and the formation of BC Tree Fruits Ltd.,” the city said in its description of the historic property.

“In 1936, shortly after DeHart’s death, the house and property were purchased by William Andrew Cecil Bennett. He had come to Kelowna in 1930 and purchased David Leckie’s hardware store at 267-71 Bernard Avenue. Bennett, his wife May, and their three children settled into the house, where the couple lived out their lives.”

Bennett expanded beyond the hardware business and became an investor and promoter of other local enterprises, including the Calona winery (although he was a teetotaler).

He first tried provincial politics in 1937, seeking the Conservative nomination; he secured it in 1941 and won a seat in the provincial legislature.

He remained the local MLA until his retirement from politics in 1973. In 1951 he joined the Social Credit Party, which he revived and led to victory in the 1952 provincial election.

“Bennett’s historical significance lies in his having pushed forward large-scale development of the province, with an ambitious program of road-building, railway extension, and hydro-electric dams,” the City of Kelowna said.

“He was especially proud of the Okanagan Lake Bridge, completed in 1958.”

Many of the decisions for these important landmarks in this province, of course, were likely mulled, then decided, on Bowes Road.