Description of Historic Place

The original portion of the Forrer Residence is a one-storey wood-frame late Victorian cottage, identifiable by its paired bay windows on the front facade; later additions to the side and rear have added substantially to the original size of the house. It is located on the southern edge of Ladner village, mid-block on the east side of Arthur Drive in the context of other late nineteenth and early twentieth century houses. The property is well landscaped with manicured lawns, mature coniferous trees and a picket fence.

Heritage Value

Built in 1890, the Forrer Residence is of heritage value as a reflection of the early development patterns in the area. The house is strategically located between Chilukthan Slough and Arthur Drive (formerly Slough Road), both early north-south transportation links. At the time of its construction, land transportation was extremely difficult due to the poor road conditions, usually prone to flooding given the area's low elevation. Travel by the water network, including this slough, was often the most practical. Slough Road was an early land transportation route that linked the outlying rural areas to the village of Ladner. Development along these two transportation arteries allowed the transport of goods and people. The Forrer Residence remains as a tangible reminder of the early development of this area as a residential suburb of Ladner village.

Furthermore, this site is valued for its associations with a number of early residents of Delta. Forrer, a farmer and later a salmon packer, sold the house in 1899 to M.N. Reid, Delta Municipal Clerk. The house later passed through the ownership of several prominent Delta families.

The Forrer Residence is also significant for its charming, late Victorian cottage architecture. Distinguishing features of the house include its paired bay windows that embellish the exterior in a conservative and tastefully restrained manner. Later alterations to the house include an addition to the north, which has another square projecting bay facing west, and a large addition to the rear constructed in the 1980s. The picturesque quality of the home, combined with its once semi-rural setting on the edge of Ladner village, served to create a feeling of idyllic, rural domesticity.

Source: Delta Heritage Planning Files

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Forrer Residence include its:
- mid-block location facing west on Arthur Drive, with Chilukthan Slough running along its eastern property line
- residential form, scale and massing, including later additions, expressed by its one-storey height, prominent roofline and regular, rectangular plan
- complex roofline with hipped roof incorporating polygonal forms over the bay windows, all clad with cedar shingles
- wood-frame construction with horizontal wooden drop siding with cornerboards
- Victorian era decorative embellishments such as the paired semi-octagonal bay windows on the front facade, with vertical tongue and groove cladding on bay windows
- irregular fenestration, including: tall, narrow double-hung 2-over-2 wooden-sash windows, with window horns (double-assembly in front square bay); stained glass windows on either side of the external chimney; and piano window on the south elevation
- landscape features such as the large, mature pines in front yard and grassed lawns