Description of Historic Place

The Newton Residence is a one-storey, wood-frame Victoria-era residence on the west side of Oak Street in the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood in New Westminster. Originally a two-storey house, the top floor was removed in 1986.

Heritage Value

The Newton Residence is valued as a representation of New Westminster’s Victorian-era residential development and subsequent adaptations to suit changing owners and situations. At the time of its construction, New Westminster was beginning to emerge as an economic and industrial centre. Local growth was facilitated by the completion of the Westminster & Vancouver Tramway in 1891, which linked Vancouver to New Westminster.

The house was built circa 1892 for E. Newton, and is an example of the housing built for those residents who worked in the rapidly-developing downtown. By 1939, the house was owned by Francis William Purvis (1887-1981), a retail clerk at M.J. Phillips, a local gentleman’s clothing store, who resided briefly in the house while his new home was being built at the back of the lot facing Fourth Street. It was intended that this house would be demolished, but it was retained, and objections from neighbours led to the demolition of its second storey in 1986.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Newton Residence include its:
- location on the west side Oak Street, in the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one-storey height with full height basement at rear and low-pitched pyramidal roof
- wood-frame construction with original wooden drop siding with cornerboards on the main level and vertical siding at the basement