Description of Historic Place

E-Dee-Nie is a large two-and-one-half storey, Arts and Crafts-style house located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood in New Westminster. The house is distinguished by its side-gabled roof, with prominent projecting front gables, half-timbering in the gable peaks, round projecting bays on the north side, a full-width open verandah supported by heavy timber posts on tapered river rock columns, and leaded glass windows.

Heritage Value

E-Dee-Nie is significant for its connection with the Edwardian-era development of the historic Queen’s Park neighbourhood, the most affluent and desirable residential area of New Westminster. The historic character of Queen’s Park is based on its consistent streetscapes of fine restored homes, augmented by mature landscaping.

Additionally, E-Dee-Nie is significant as an outstanding example of an Edwardian-era Arts and Crafts residence, designed by architect Edmund John Boughen (1874-1967) as his family’s residence. He moved to New Westminster in 1911, and that year built this grand house at a cost of $5,000. During World War One, Boughen relocated to Vancouver, and continued in practice until the early 1950s. The Arts and Crafts aesthetic is reflected in the complex, asymmetrical massing, half-timbered gables, variety of textured claddings, and the use of locally-available building materials, such as wood and river rock. Fine craftsmanship and materials are evident in the ornate exterior decorative features, and in the stained glass windows manufactured by a local firm, Royal City Glass.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of E-Dee-Nie include its:
- prominent corner location at the corner of Pine Street and Fourth Avenue
- generous set backs from the street on a large corner lot
- residential form, scale and massing, as expressed by its two-and-one-half storey height, full basement, complex multi-pitched roofline with projecting front gables, shed dormer on front elevation, round projecting bays on west elevation, full-width open verandah with arched supports, rear balcony on the second storey, and balcony at the rear ground-floor level
- construction materials as expressed by river rock porch columns, walls surrounding the central front staircase and perimeter surrounding wall, granite foundation with raised tuck pointing and arched openings under the verandah, internal red-brick corbelled chimney, and wood-frame construction with shingle siding, lapped siding at the basement level, cedar shingle roofing, and heavy timber verandah columns
- Arts and Crafts detailing, such as tapered river rock columns, extensive use of natural materials, textural contrast of exterior materials, open soffits with exposed rafters, half-timbering, triangular eave brackets, fretwork balustrades, and scroll-cut brackets
- fenestration, such as double-hung, one-over-one wooden-sash windows with horns, in single, double and triple-assembly, some with diamond-leaded panes in the upper sash, stained glass casement windows in single and double-assembly, multi-paned casement windows in single and double-assembly, curved triple-assembly double-hung windows with stained glass in the upper panes, multi-paned casement windows in the attic, original front door with oval inset glass, and oval feature window
-‘E-Dee-Nie’ imprint in front concrete sidewalk
- associated landscape features, such as a river rock perimeter wall that is connected to the base of the house