Description of Historic Place

The Armstrong Block is a two-storey commercial building, with arched windows and a flat overhanging awning, located on the north side of Columbia Street, the main commercial street in New Westminster's historic downtown core.

Heritage Value

The Armstrong Block is significant for its contribution to the consistent and distinctive built form of Columbia Street, which dates from 1898 to 1913, when New Westminster was the major centre of commerce and industry for the booming Fraser Valley area. This structure was originally built in 1899 as a replacement for the 1891 Armstrong-Young Block. The eastern half of the two-storey and basement brick block was owned by Joseph Charles Armstrong while his partner Benjamin Young owned the western half. Pioneer Joseph Charles Armstrong (died 1916) came to New Westminster in 1858, part of the human tide that rushed up the Fraser River in search of gold, and settled in New Westminster in 1869. The original - and long-time - occupant was J.E. Phillips, clothiers for men.

The Armstrong Block is valued for its association with its architect George William Grant (1852-1925), a prolific architect, who designed much of the built environment in downtown New Westminster, before and after the Great Fire. He redesigned and restored buildings that survived, and designed replacement blocks for those that were destroyed, much reduced in scale and opulence from the pre-fire buildings.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of New Westminster

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Armstrong Block include its:
- location on Columbia Street, part of a grouping of late Victorian and Edwardian era commercial buildings in historic downtown New Westminster
- siting on the property lines, with no setbacks
- boxy form, two-storey plus lower-level height, flat roof and cubic massing
- exterior decorative elements, including original detailing remaining under the stucco; ornamentation at cornice level
- facade articulation, including its: arched windows on the second storey; asymmetrical central entrance, with side entrance to second storey
- regular fenestration