Description of Historic Place

The two-storey masonry Odd Fellows Block, clad in distinctive rusticated concrete block, is situated on a rise on a corner lot at Eighth and Carnarvon Streets in New Westminster's historic downtown core.

Heritage Value

The Odd Fellows Block is significant for its contribution to the consistent and distinctive built form of downtown New Westminster, which dates from 1898 to 1913, when the city was the major centre of commerce and industry for the booming Fraser Valley area. Architect Charles H. Clow (1860-1929) was a charter member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, which provided him with many important commissions. Clow established a home and office in the original Odd Fellows Block on Columbia Street, which was their local hall until 1909, when this new imposing structure was completed. Other examples of Clow's work include St. Paul's Reformed Episcopal Church on Royal Avenue and the Ellard Block on Columbia Street, both 1899. Well-known contractors Carter, Smith and Buckland were retained for this project. An unusual feature was the early use of a reinforced concrete structure, and a cladding of pressed cement blocks. These blocks were stamped with a rusticated pattern that was an inexpensive, fireproof alternative to stone. Machines for stamping these blocks became readily available at the turn of the twentieth century and could be ordered through department store catalogues.

Further, the heritage value of the Odd Fellows Block lies in its historical association with the fraternal organization of the International Order of Odd Fellows. Men often mixed socially in fraternal lodges, which thrived in the city amidst social and class divisions. Emerging in eighteenth-century Europe, fraternalism represented a response to the hierarchical ordering of society, idealizing instead brotherhood and social equality through complex rituals. Fraternalism brought together men of both the middle and upper working classes in a social atmosphere. The Odd Fellows organization was a benevolent secret society based on the teaching and application of Friendship, Love and Truth, founded in England in the late 18th century and established in North America as early as 1819. As part of the distinct and secret nature of the order, Egyptian esoterica was used as the source of its symbolism, mixed with other arcane references. By 1843, a lodge had been opened in Montreal, and as settlement moved west, so did the Odd Fellows. The Royal City Lodge of the I.O.O.F. had been established by 1887. This structure was completed for the use of the Odd Fellows after their Columbia Street hall was sold. The upper floor was devoted entirely to the use of the organization and consisted of a large lodge room with a six metre high ceiling clad with decorative pressed tin, a banquet hall, and various anterooms used by the I.O.O.F. Known for their charity work, the Royal City Lodge of the I.O.O.F. continues to demonstrate a long-standing commitment to the New Westminster community.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of New Westminster

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Odd Fellows Block include its:
- prominent corner location, part of a grouping of late Victorian and Edwardian era commercial buildings in historic downtown New Westminster
- siting on the front and side property lines
- form, scale and massing as expressed in its two-storey height, symmetrical, cubic massing, retail frontage on Carnarvon Street and entrance to upper hall off Eighth Street
- hipped roof with flat top and shallow overhangs
- masonry construction, including internal concrete frame structure and concrete block cladding
- exterior elements, including decorative pilasters; symbols of the order such as the three links of a chain on the second floor window lintels; cornerstone
- irregular fenestration on Eighth Street facade due to the slope of the hill and the staircase at the entry to the upper floors
- interior elements dating to the original date of construction, such as the intact main lodge room with a decorative pressed tin ceiling