Description du lieu patrimonial

The Hughes Residence is a one and one-half storey wood-frame house with a steeply pitched front-gabled roof, front bay window and open front verandah. The use of carpenter ornamentation provides decorative embellishment of the front facade. It is set on a pronounced rise from street level, within a residential context, with panoramic views of Burrard Inlet to the south.

Valeur patrimoniale

Built circa 1905, the Hughes Residence is valued as a good example of the development of modest suburban housing during the early Edwardian era. This was one of the earliest houses in the area and is situated in the context of other single-family heritage homes. Typical of local houses of this era, there was a late persistence of the influence of the Queen Anne Revival style, the most common housing style during the pioneer era of settlement. As an embellishment to an otherwise plain design, the front facade has been articulated with decorative elements that indicate pride of ownership and display the skill of local builders.

The heritage value of the Hughes Residence is associated with early private commercial enterprises and the development of North Vancouver at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was built for Welsh-born rancher Gwynne Robert Hughes (1864-1938), and his wife Margaret Hughes (1868-1949). The house was rented to the Burns family, who operated a grocery store on the lower section of Lonsdale Avenue.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of North Vancouver

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Hughes Residence include its:
- situation on a steep rise, set back on the property flush with other single family heritage homes with views to the south of Burrard Inlet
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey plus raised basement height, full open front verandah, front main floor bay window and regular, rectangular plan
- steeply pitched front-gabled roof with closed eaves
- concrete foundation and wood-frame construction
- decorative carpenter ornamentation including: patterned shingling in the front gable, verandah detailing such as lathe-turned columns and decorative scroll-cut brackets
- exterior elements such as: horizontal lapped wooden siding with cornerboards; wider lapped wooden siding at the basement level; original glazed front door and hardware; and one internal red brick chimney
- irregular fenestration, including double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows with window horns
- original interior features such as plaster walls and wood floors