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'O Canada'
House was built in 1897, and became the site where one of the first English versions of Canada's National Anthem was penned in 1908.
100 years later in 1997,
'O Canada' House won the prestigious "City of
Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour" for outstanding
refurbishment and interior decoration in the Victorian
style of Queen Anne. |
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This award-winning home was the private residence of Ewing Buchan, president of The Bank of Hamilton and a prominent citizen of early Vancouver.
Ewing's brother, Brigadier-General Lawrence Buchan, was commander of the Quebec military base and in charge of 12,000 troops who were taking part in ceremonies to mark Quebec City's 300th anniversary in July, 1908. During the ceremonies, which were also attended by the then Prince of Wales (later King George V), the bands played a stirring composition. The composition had been written 33 years earlier by Calixa Lavallee, a music teacher who was commissioned to write a patriotic song to celebrate St. Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24, 1880. The Prince was quite moved by Lavallee’s tune and inquired, "What is that magnificent composition?" He was told that the unofficial title was “Chante Nationale".
Lavalle Version with English translation by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson:
O Canada! Our fathers’ land of old
Thy brow is crown’d with leaves of red and gold.
Beneath the shade of the Holy Cross
Thy children own their birth
No stains thy glorious annals gloss
Since valour shield thy hearth.
Almighty God! On thee we call
Defend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall,
Defend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall
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 Lawrence Buchan also very much enjoyed the song and acquired a copy of the sheet music as well as the French lyrics with the English translation, which he sent to his brother Ewing in Vancouver. Although Ewing was quite fond of the composition, he was not satisfied with the English translation. Thus, accompanied by his daughter on piano, he set out to write his own English version in the parlor of his home at 1114 Barclay Street.
Buchan Version:
O Canada, our heritage, our love
Thy worth we praise all other lands above
From sea to sea, throughout thy length,
From pole to borderland
At Britain’s side, whate’er betide,
Unflinchingly we’ll stand.
With heart we sing, "God Save the King"
"Guide thou the Empire wide", do we implore
"And prosper Canada from shore to shore".
Ewing, who was vice-president of the Vancouver Canadian Club, first introduced his version of the song at a club luncheon meeting at the Hotel Vancouver on February 9, 1910. The song was well-received and eventually became the most popular patriotic song on the West Coast.
However, despite the success of Ewing’s words, it was another version of "O Canada" that was to become Canada’s National Anthem. This version was written in 1908 by lawyer and Recorder of the City of Montreal, Robert Stanley Weir. Weir’s song was officially published for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and eventually became the accepted English version of the Canadian National Anthem.
Weir Version – The Official Lyrics of "O Canada"
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. |
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Saved by a Song
How the lyrics to Canada's national anthem
and two brave restorationists saved this historically important
Vancouver house from demolition
'O Canada' House was saved from the wrecking ball in 1995 because of a strange confluence of events. If its original owner Ewing Buchan hadn’t penned the lyrics to one of the first English versions of the National Anthem while living there, or its architecture had been less noteworthy, the City of Vancouver might not have placed the property on its Heritage "A" list. Also, if Jim Britton and Mike Brown, two Vancouver men who had spent ten years restoring Vancouver houses, had not become aware of 'O Canada' House, it most certainly would have been reduced to rubble. Fortunately, because of its historical importance to Canada, these two men were able to restore this beautiful national treasure to its natural glory.
A wrap-around porch and original roofline were replaced; 40 double-hung windows were rebuilt; period doors were sought out and installed; and exterior siding and trim replaced, repaired and repainted. Inside, custom-made Victorian carpet was imported from France, turn-of-the-century tiles were bought for the kitchen and bathrooms, and the house was filled with a dazzling array of Victorian antiques. These renovations earned the City of Vancouver’s Top Heritage Award for Interior and Exterior Restoration and now comprise the elegant setting for Vancouver’s leading bed and breakfast.
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