Description of Historic Place

Situated at the corner of Edinburgh and Fourteenth Streets in New Westminster’s historic West End neighbourhood, the James & Margaret Whitelaw House is a picturesque Craftsman bungalow. This dwelling is distinguished by its hipped roof with front-gabled projection, half-timbering in the gable peak, and tapered porch columns.

Heritage Value

Constructed in 1925, the James & Margaret Whitelaw House is significant as an example of a late Craftsman bungalow, exemplified by its tapered square porch columns and half-timbering in the gable peaks. The Craftsman style was popularized through periodicals and plan books, expressing both the traditional aspects of the Arts and Crafts movement as well as modern lifestyles. Efficient, rational floor plans, where small rooms were situated around central living rooms, reflected the reality that most families, especially after the end of the First World War, could no longer afford domestic help. This house was constructed by the Lane Brothers contracting company at a cost of $3,000.

Further value is attained through this historic house’s association with the ongoing development of the West End neighbourhood in New Westminster. Initial stages of development began in the late 1880s with the subdivision of what was mainly pioneer land, consisting of bush and orchards. Development continued swiftly until the end of the Edwardian-era building boom. During the period between the two world wars, development continued with construction of many single-family dwellings. The James & Margaret Whitelaw House is typical of middle-class housing in the West End.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the James & Margaret Whitelaw House include its:
- prominent corner location at Edinburgh and Fourteenth Streets, in the historic West End neighbourhood of New Westminster
- setting in a residential context, among houses of a similar style and age
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its one-storey height, full basement, square plan, hipped roof with front-gabled projection, and projecting square side bay with gabled roof
- wood-frame construction with wooden lapped siding, and shingle siding at the basement level
- Craftsman detailing, such as half-timbering in the gable peaks, open soffits with exposed rafter tails, and tapered square porch columns
- windows, such as one-over-one double-hung wooden-sash windows with horns in double and triple assembly, and multi-paned windows at the basement level
- associated landscape features, such as an informal English garden and mature plantings