The home was built in the Steamboat Gothic style and is oriented four-square to the compass. The square, three-storey tower with a convex mansard-type roofline and hooded dormer windows provides a good view of West Bay and the sealing fleet. The exterior is covered with bargeboard siding accentuated with hearts, butterflies, birds and anchors apparently carved in wood by the captain. The front entranceway features decorative posts with spindles while the southern exposure boasts a complex bay window. The original owner, Captain Victor Jacobson, was born in Finland in 1859 of Swedish parents and sailed the world as a young man. He came to Victoria in 1880 where he became involved in the sealing industry. By the time he built the house, he was well established as a skipper of several vessels, some of which were anchored just outside his back door. He is also known for working on the restoration of the Tilikum, an Indian canoe that had been piloted by Captain J. C Voss on his famous voyage from Victoria to England in 1901-1904. At the time of this work, he was more than 80 years old.

Among West Bay’s crown jewels is the beautifully restored home of whaler Captain Jacobson is the anchor of West Bay. The house was built in the Steamboat Gothic style and is oriented four-square to the compass. The square, three-storey tower with a convex mansard-type roofline and hooded dormer windows provides a good view of West Bay and the sealing fleet. The exterior is covered with bargeboard siding accentuated with hearts, butterflies, birds and anchors apparently carved in wood by the captain. The front entranceway features decorative posts with spindles while the southern exposure boasts a complex bay window. The original owner, Captain Victor Jacobson, was born in Finland in 1859 of Swedish parents and sailed the world as a young man. He came to Victoria in 1880 where he became involved in the sealing industry. By the time he built the house, he was well established as a skipper of several vessels, some of which were anchored just outside his back door. He is also known for working on the restoration of the Tilikum, an Indian canoe that had been piloted by Captain J. C Voss on his famous voyage from Victoria to England in 1901-1904. At the time of this work, he was more than 80 years old.

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