Description of Historic Place

The Henry & Marion Hoy Residence, located on a corner lot at Third Avenue and Second Street in the Queen’s Park neighbourhood in New Westminster, is a two-and-one-half storey, Edwardian-era wood-frame Foursquare house. It features a hipped roof with front and side dormers, and a partial-width front verandah with a hipped roof.

Heritage Value

The Henry & Marion Hoy Residence is significant for its Edwardian-era architecture, its contribution to the character of the Queen’s Park neighbourhood, and its associations with first owners, Henry Hoy (1845-1931) and his wife Marion Hoy (née Bonson, 1860-1943). Henry, a well-known contractor who constructed many fine houses in New Westminster, built the first house on this site the year of his marriage. After that house was destroyed by fire, this house was built in 1907, likely by Hoy himself. Henry Hoy was prominent in the New Westminster community, serving several terms on Council and a term as Mayor in 1894. The Hoys still lived here at the time of Henry's death in 1931, after he was struck by an automobile.

This house is further valued as an excellent example of Edwardian-era residential architecture. It reflects the influence of the Classical Revival style, as evident in the symmetrical proportions and a pediment over the front door. At the time, the Foursquare plan was becoming popular for urban houses, as a practical expression of domestic needs. Based on a central entry and hallway, it maximized the use of natural light and provided a building envelope that was efficient and easy to construct.

The Henry & Marion Hoy Residence is also significant for its association with the Edwardian-era boom period of development of Queen’s Park. The development of Queen’s Park reached its peak during the Edwardian-era building boom, of which this house is a prime example, then slowed until conditions improved later in the twentieth century. The Henry and Marion Hoy Residence is representative of this boom period in Queen's Park and further reflects Queen's Parks consistent streetscapes of finely restored homes.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Henry & Marion Hoy Residence include its:
- corner location on the south side of Third Avenue at the corner of Second Street, close to Queen’s Park, in the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its symmetrical design, two-and-one-half-storey height plus basement, hipped roof with front and side-hipped dormers, and partial-width open front verandah
- wood-frame construction, as expressed by its wooden lapped siding without cornerboards, and cedar shingle roofing
- Edwardian-era detailing, such as its boxed eaves, scroll-cut brackets and low balustrade
- additional features, such as a corbelled internal red-brick chimney
- windows such as its single, double and triple-assembly double-hung one-over-one wooden-sash windows with horns, fixed stairwell window with stained glass, and other stained glass panels
- notably wide front door assembly, with original wooden door with sidelights, with glazed insets