Description du lieu patrimonial

The Mason Residence is a one-storey Late Craftsman bungalow located south of Ladner village on the east side of Arthur Drive in the context of other late nineteenth and early twentieth century houses. It is distinctive for its side-gabled roof and projecting front porch.

Valeur patrimoniale

The Mason Residence, built circa 1922-23, is significant for its association with first owner and prominent local citizen, Rhoda Devereaux (1857-1932), and for the Mason family who were resident here for many years. Devereaux and her husband, Jonah (1854-1901), emigrated in the 1890s from England to Ladner, where they purchased 4 hectares of land on Arthur Drive. Over time, the couple subdivided their acreage into smaller lots. Rhoda lived next door in a house built circa 1896, and in the 1920s had this modest house built, which she sold in 1924 to English-born William Mason (1863-1924) and Scottish-born Elizabeth Mason (née Edmonston, 1867-1929). The Masons, who married in New Westminster in 1905, lived here with their two daughters, Betty and Joan, who continued to reside here after their parents passed away. In 1942, they moved into accommodations in Ladner village provided by Betty’s employer, the BC Telephone Company, and rented out this house. It was later the home of Fred and Florence Arthur after they retired from their farm on Parmiter Road.

The Mason Residence is a modest example of the influence of the Craftsman style, which was the most popular housing style during the early twentieth century. The Craftsman style was typified by rational space planning, the use of natural materials and a mix of traditional design elements inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. The modest detailing demonstrates the late and persistent influence of this style on local housing stock, even after the end of World War One. The Mason Residence is also significant as a representation of the continued development of the Arthur Drive residential corridor, a prestigious area that developed south of Ladner village starting in the late nineteenth century.

Source: Corporation of Delta Planning Department

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Mason Residence include its:
- location on Arthur Drive, south of Ladner village
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its one-storey plus full basement height, and side-gabled roof with projecting front porch
- wood-frame construction, including narrow lapped wooden siding, covered by later asbestos siding, and cedar shingles at the foundation
- late influence of the Craftsman style, including a front porch with square columns, and open soffits with exposed rafter tails
- internal red-brick chimney
- wooden sash windows, such as three-over-one and six-over-one multi-paned casements, in double and triple assembly
- associated landscape features, including mature deciduous and coniferous trees and hedge screen