Description of Historic Place

This prominent one and one-half-storey wood-frame Edwardian era residence, designed in the British Arts and Crafts style, marks the southeast corner of the low-density suburban development of Grand Boulevard.

Heritage Value

The Keith Residence is valued as a part of the Grand Boulevard development, North Vancouver's most prominent garden subdivision, designed to attract affluent and prominent families to the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. Planning and development was initiated in 1906 by the North Vancouver Land and Improvement Company. Following the lessons of the disastrous fires caused by that year's San Francisco earthquake, Grand Boulevard was laid out as a generous fire break. Prestige was guaranteed through minimum construction cost standards and restrictions on buildings and landscaping. Grand Boulevard is now part of a rectilinear system of boulevards and parks known as North Vancouver's "Green Necklace," which also includes Ottawa Gardens, Victoria Park and Mahon Park.

Along with the Doney Residence, this house is valued for marking the southern entry to Grand Boulevard and was one of the first built as part of this development, demonstrating the pattern of the earliest residences being built on prominent corner lots. This large home is symbolic of the affluence of those who first populated the area, demonstrating their status and prestige in the community.

The Keith Residence is valued as an imposing example of the British Arts and Crafts style. An unusual two-storey semi-octagonal bay projects from the front facade and a one-storey sunroom extends to the south. It retains a number of early plantings, including a variety of mature shrubs and a manicured hedge.

It is also valued for its association with its developer and first owner, James Cooper Keith (1852-1914), an important banker, developer and community leader on the North Shore after whom Keith Road was named.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of North Vancouver

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Keith Residence include its:
- boxy form, tall scale and regular massing
- location on Grand Boulevard
- set far back on a corner site, near the rear property line
- side gable roof, with gable dormer over the inset central entry
- overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails
- cladding, including a mixture of lapped wooden siding on the ground floor, with half-timbering and cedar shingles above
- elements of the British Arts and Crafts style, including: asymmetrical and eclectic elements such as the two-storey semi-octagonal bay at the front and the projecting bay in the top floor gable; the use of natural materials such as the granite ashlar foundation; and the articulated wall surfaces
- irregular fenestration
- multi-paned double-hung wooden-sash windows, 6-over-1 and 8-over-1, some in double and triple-assembly
- stained glass windows
- mature landscape elements such as coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs and a manicured hedge