Description of Historic Place

The Milne Residence is a wood-frame Craftsman bungalow, located in a residential area comprised of single family residences of mixed ages. One storey in height, it sits at the crest of a rise and has an elaborate verandah that faces the panoramic view to the south. The historic place includes the residence as well as its garage and associated landscape features.

Heritage Value

Built for W. Ernest Milne in 1911, this house is of heritage value as part of North Vancouver's early twentieth century residential development boom. After regular ferry service was established in 1903 and the city was incorporated in 1907, North Vancouver experienced a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity. This construction boom accelerated until a general financial depression in 1913 halted this ambitious suburban development.

The Milne Residence is a superior example of a Craftsman bungalow, as exemplified by the use of natural materials such as wood and stone, and rustic detailing of clinker brick and river rock. The design of the residence is complemented by an early garage of similar design and by associated landscape features, such as the mature plantings and a rock retaining wall. Comfortable suburban housing such as this appealed to a broad spectrum of the middle class, who were populating North Vancouver at this time. Milne moved from Vancouver, commissioning this house on land purchased from the North Vancouver Land and Improvement Company, which promoted the subdivision and development of the Grand Boulevard neighbourhood in North Vancouver at that time.

Additionally, the Milne Residence is a significant rare surviving example of the residential work of architect William Alexander Doctor, who arrived in Vancouver about 1908. The landmark St. Alice Hotel, now demolished, was one of his most prominent North Vancouver commissions. Indicative of the collapse of the local economy, Doctor had disappeared from Vancouver by 1917.

Source: City of North Vancouver Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Milne Residence include its:
- south-facing orientation with views over the city to Burrard Inlet, and residential setting amidst single-family residences
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its one-storey plus partially exposed basement height and regular, rectangular plan
- wood-frame construction with cross-gabled roof, gabled roof dormer, and exposed purlins and ridge beams
- elements of the Craftsman style such as: open verandah with square columns and exposed structural members; cedar shingle cladding; external clinker brick and stone chimney; distinctive door and window casings; and concrete foundation clad with river rock
- consistent use of multi-paned wooden sash casement windows
- complementary early garage with gabled roof, exposed rafters, shingle cladding, board-formed concrete foundation and hinged double doors
- associated landscape features, including a stone retaining wall parallel to 19th Street