Description du lieu patrimonial

The Galbraith House is a two and one-half storey Queen Anne Revival residence, with a distinctive square corner tower, a wraparound verandah and elaborate exterior and interior millwork. It is located on a prominent sloping site at the corner of Queen's Avenue at Eighth Street, overlooking the City of New Westminster and the Fraser River. The property is surrounded by a granite wall added in the Edwardian era, which contributes to the stately appearance of the property. It is part of a group of large stately homes which still survive in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood within a context of more recent, medium density apartment blocks.

Valeur patrimoniale

Built circa 1892, the Galbraith House is valued as one of New Westminster's finest examples of the Queen Anne Revival style. Popular during the late Victorian era, this style was characterized by asymmetrical, picturesque massing and rooflines, and elaborate surface articulation with a variety of cladding textures including shingles and siding. The design of this house, with its prominent corner turret with an iron finial, hipped roof with lower cross gables and wraparound verandah, was inspired by a design by New York architect H. Hudson Holly, found in a popular pattern book, "Detail, Cottage and Constructive Architecture", printed by New York publisher, William T. Comstock in 1886. The use of a pattern book design demonstrates the evolution of popular architectural tastes and the wide influence of these standardized plan books on vernacular architecture. These plans were commonly used by local owners and builders to expedite the construction process.

The heritage value of this residence is additionally associated with the Galbraith family. It was built by Hugh Galbraith (1832-1910), a carpenter by trade, who came to New Westminster from New Brunswick in 1884 with his wife Jane (nee Lindsay) (1843-1893). Hugh and three of his sons worked at the Royal City Planing Mills as factory hands. The Galbraith family started their own mill-working business on Tenth Street below Royal Avenue in 1891. This large residence became a show place for their mill's artistry and craftsmanship, and was detailed with examples of the plant's production. The Galbraith House stands as one of the finest examples of both interior and exterior Victorian detailing in New Westminster. Many of the original interior elements have survived, such as the elaborate millwork, hardware detailed in the Eastlake fashion, and the central two-storey stair hall featuring a cedar panelled ceiling and maple newel post, rail and balustrade. There have been interior renovations over the years, creating valuable layers of history that reflect changing residential needs and tastes. The house was renovated substantially in 1925 by the Galbraith family, which added a number of Craftsman design features such as panelling and a beamed ceiling in the den. The New Westminster Soroptomist Club renovated the home in 1940 and created a basement billiard room with murals painted by amateur artist Jean Gray. These murals depicting playful dancehall scenes of the period were completed during the Second World War when the house was used as a recreation centre for soldiers stationed in New Westminster for training prior to their deployment overseas.

Source: City of New Westminster Heritage Planning Files

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Galbraith House include its:
- prominent corner location on a sloped site, with views of the city and the Fraser River
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its two and one-half storey plus basement height and irregular, rectangular plan
- steeply pitched, cedar shingled hipped roof with cross gables; pent roofs with decorative shingles; and shed dormers
- later, concrete block foundation with rough-dressed pattern
- elements of the Queen Anne style, such as: a prominent, square turret clad on the third floor with octagonal wall shingles with pediments on each side, topped by a elaborate cast iron finial; contrasting wall materials consisting of wooden drop siding with cornerboards, a bellcast band of patterned octagonal and square shingle cladding above the first-storey and shingle cladding in the gable ends; wooden finials atop each gable; console eave brackets with drop finials; decorated friezes with scroll-cut ornamentation and dentils; bay window with spindle-work corner mouldings; and wraparound verandah with lathe-turned columns and balusters
- regular, asymmetrical fenestration with single, double and triple-assembly 1-over-1 double-hung wooden-sash windows; panelled wooden double front entry doors; French doors to verandah; and lunette window
- original interior features such as its open, quarterpace stair; two-storey stair hall with a cedar panelled ceiling and maple newel post, rail and balustrade; three hanging, stair hall light fixtures; narrow width oak flooring with perimeter bands of inlay in the principal rooms and halls; fir floors in the secondary rooms; embossed, cast-iron coal grate in the dining room; elaborate millwork in the Eastlake fashion including panelled wainscoting, and wooden panelling in the stair hall, dining room ceiling, parlour and dining room, fireplace mantles, panelled doors and door casings with extended corner-blocks; original Eastlake style door hardware throughout such as hinges, knobs, plates and escutcheons
- interior elements from historic but later periods such as a coved ceiling in the front living room; den with Craftsman style detailing featuring beamed ceilings, three-quarter height panelling and built-in bookshelves with glass doors flanking both sides of the fireplace; and basement murals
- landscape features such as its granite block wall at the side and front of the property