Borden number: DcRu-460. A Borden number is a unique identifier code that is assigned to an archaeological or historic site on the basis of its location.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

Designation; OIC 2234; 20 December 1984.
Designation; OIC 603; 11 April 1990.
Designation; OIC 1443; 24 November 1998.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

St. Ann's Academy is an impressive four-storey school and convent building situated on several acres of land between Victoria's Old Town District and Beacon Hill Park. Located in the Humboldt Valley, the cultivated historic landscape surrounding St. Ann?s Academy includes an orchard, manicured gardens, pathways and driveways, and a variety of significant trees and plants.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

St. Ann's Academy is valued for its association with the Order of the Sisters of St. Ann, a major pioneering religious organization in British Columbia between 1871 and 1973, and their integral role in the spiritual and educational growth of the province. This historic place also possesses great significance as a representation of women's history in British Columbia's evolution. Furthermore, it is important as the earliest and most prominent example of a major Roman Catholic convent on the West Coast.

The association of this place with the Order of Sisters of St. Ann, the first Roman Catholic mission to come to western Canada, is integral to its heritage value. Once the provincial motherhouse for the Order, the Academy and convent survive as a valuable monument to the Sisters' outreach of community enrichment which stretched throughout British Columbia, and into Alaska and the northern territories.

St. Ann's is also a valuable part of women's history and heritage in British Columbia because it was a centre for women's education, charity, and spirituality for over one hundred years. It is a testament to the Sisters' belief that a woman's influence is not limited. Life will be what women truly wish it to be.

Architecturally, the Academy holds significance as an important archetype, which influenced the design and development of other similar institutions nearby and throughout the province. Although it is typical of Canadian nineteenth-century convent architecture, it is a rare example of its type on the West Coast, modelled after antecedent convents in Quebec. Elements of the building's construction reflect the Roman Catholic affiliation and Quebec origins of the Sisters of St. Ann., and in particular the chapel at the rear of the building, built in 1858, is noteworthy for its wooden construction reflective of Quebec church architecture. It was the first Roman Catholic cathedral in Victoria.

Additionally, the cultivated and manicured elements of the Academy grounds contribute significantly to the heritage value of this historic place because they retain a sense of containment, separating it from both Victoria’s downtown and nearby Beacon Hill Park. Although they extended their charity to St. Joseph’s hospital across Humboldt Street, and throughout the City of Victoria, the Academy grounds continue to reflect the secluded lifestyle of the Sisters of St. Ann to the modern city.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

Source: included with note

The character-defining elements of St. Ann's Academy include:
- identification of the site with the Sisters of St. Ann, seen in such physical elements as cemeteries, monuments, signs, and plaques within the buildings and grounds
- the large expanse of grounds and its contribution to the accessibility and continuity of green space between St. Ann's and Beacon Hill Park
- the proximity of the building to St. Joseph's Hospital across Humboldt Street
- the Allee (entrance lane) marked by a gate and trees
- evidence of the evolving landscape, as seen in historic varieties of plants and trees, landscape planning and uses attributable to various stages of the Sisters of St. Ann's occupation of the site
- evidence of the historic educational and spiritual uses of the building and grounds, as seen in such features as the auditorium and chapel
- additive form of the school as seen in the various stages of its construction
- spatial configurations, form, and interior finishes of the1858 chapel
- surviving original design elements and detailing of the three stages of the Academy building's construction
- authentic construction materials attributable to all major phases of construction
- authentic interior finishes, such as paint, floors, ceilings, doors, moldings and architectural hardware from the three periods of construction

Source: BC Heritage Branch files

OIC 2234 (1994) designated the property; OIC 603 (1990) rescinded previous designation and designated the facade of the building as a Provincial heritage site; added the Chapel as a designated Provincial Heritage Site; OIC 1443 (1998) designated the grounds as a Provincial heritage site.

Source: BC Heritage Branch files