Description of Historic Place

The Turnbull House is a one-storey, late Victorian-era wood-frame cottage with a hipped roof. A later front-gabled, partial-width entry porch features tapered columns and half-timbering in the gable peak. It is located on Ninth Street in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood in New Westminster.

Heritage Value

Built circa 1888-1889, the Turnbull House is valued for its association with the earliest, Victorian-era development of historic Brow of the Hill. The neighbourhood began to develop in the late 1880s with the construction of modest homes, many of them built on a speculative or rental basis, attracting workers from the downtown area. The Turnbull House was one of the first residences built on Ninth Street. Following the war, a shortage of housing led to many of the neighbourhood’s houses being converted into apartments. The 1920s addition of a prominent front porch demonstrates the house’s evolution over time.

The house is additionally significant for its associations with Scottish-born Thomas Turnbull (1860-1939). Thomas was an accomplished carpenter and building contractor who built many fine homes and commercial buildings in the New Westminster area. After moving to New Westminster, he embarked upon an impressive contracting career, which included the construction of numerous buildings throughout New Westminster and the Fraser Valley. This house was apparently built as a rental property, as Turnbull retained ownership. Its square plan is a simplified version of the house that Turnbull built nearby for his own family.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Turnbull House include its:
- location on the east side of Ninth Avenue in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood
- minimal setback from the front property line
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its symmetrical square plan, one-storey plus full basement height, low-pitched pyramidal roof with closed soffits, and a three-sided cantilevered bay
- wood-frame construction, as expressed by wooden drop siding with cornerboards on the main floor, and narrow lapped siding at the foundation level
- 1920s front-gabled, partial-width entry porch with closed balustrade, half-timbering in the gable peak and two tapered columns
- original double-hung one-over-one wooden-sash windows and original front door assembly