Description of Historic Place

The Spring House is the one-and-one-half-storey, single-family residence at 1420 Seventh Avenue. It is located on a single residential lot in the West End neighbourhood. The front-gabled, vernacular house is constructed of wood and has a cut stone foundation. The lot slopes to the south, in the direction of the Fraser River.

Heritage Value

Built in 1910 and occupied in 1911, the Spring House is valued for representing the second wave of development in the West End in the years immediately preceding World War I. The arrival of the streetcar line along 12th Street stimulated growth in the area.

The house is typical of the gable-end vernacular houses built for the working and middle classes at the time. It is also of interest for having remained in the ownership of a single family for many decades. The original owner, Albert Gordon Spring, had the house built for $1,800. His family occupied it until 1945. Albert Spring worked as a bookkeeper for Mahony and Kennedy. The residence passed in part to Gordon Alan Spring in 1923, who is remembered in his 1949 obituary as a plumber and partner in Spring and Sibley, and as a strong supporter of the New Westminster lacrosse team, the Salmonbellies.

The house underwent alterations over the years, representing the way in which buildings adapt to the changing needs of their occupants. For example, in 1922, the Springs added a basement at a cost of $425, and in 1977 a porch and patio were added.

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Spring House include its:

- location in the historic West End neighbourhood of New Westminster
- characteristics of the vernacular building of its day, including the front-gabled roof and return eaves, the simple form, and the existence of a front porch
- red-brick chimney
- intact window casings
- horizontal wood siding and shingles on gable end
- cut stone foundation
- off-centre front door opening, with a wood door and single window
- hipped front porch roof, with simple square cut posts
- full-width front porch