Description du lieu patrimonial

The McNeely House is a two-storey, wood-frame late Victorian-era house situated on the west side of Milton Street in the historic Brow of the Hill neighbourhood of New Westminster. It is distinctive for its jerkin-headed roofline, full width-open front verandah and decorative half-timbering.

Valeur patrimoniale

Constructed circa 1892-93, the McNeely House is significant for its associations with the McNeely family. Thomas McNeely (1839-1900) was one of New Westminster’s most prominent contractors. Born in Ontario, he came to New Westminster in 1880, where he began his trade as a builder. McNeely was involved in several business ventures across Greater Vancouver. He was responsible for constructing the Dominion Saw Mills and other mills at Port Moody and Hastings, started a hotel and grocery store in Ladner, and was a successful real estate developer. Around 1887, he purchased this lot and the neighbouring lot, and built rental houses on both properties. In 1893, he married Annie Chisholm (1840-1929).

In 1925, this house was sold to sea captain Thomas Henry Hirst (1886-1958) and his wife, Annie Elizabeth (née Ramsden, 1887-1944). The couple were responsible for a number of renovations, illustrating the house’s adaptation to changing functions and residential styles. These alterations included the addition of a new concrete foundation and full-width verandah, and a jerkin-headed roof and half-timbering that reflected the popular Period Revival styles of the 1920s. After Annie died in 1944, Thomas continued to occupy the house until his own death in 1958.

The McNeely House is also valued as an example of the Brow of the Hill’s earliest Victorian-era development. Initially planned by Colonel Moody as a neighbourhood for the working class, Brow of the Hill is characterized by its steep topography and expansive views of the Fraser River. The neighbourhood began to develop in the late 1880s with the construction of modest homes, many of them built on a speculative or rental basis, attracting workers from the downtown.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the McNeely House include its:
- location on the west side of Milton Street in the historic Brow of the Hill neighbourhood, among houses of similar style and age
- minimal setback from the front and side property lines
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its two-storey height, full basement, and full-width open verandah
- wood-frame construction, with wooden drop siding and wooden trim
- Period Revival alterations, including the jerkin-headed roofline and half-timbering
- windows, including one-over-one double-hung wooden-sash windows, with decorative leaded glass with an arched motif in the upper floor front windows
- original panelled front door with arched leaded glass inset