Description of Historic Place

The Alexander Residence is a cross-gabled, one and one-half storey Craftsman house at 2628 St. George Street in the low-density neighbourhood of Moody Centre in Port Moody, British Columbia. The house features typical Craftsman detailing such as a partial-width verandah supported by square tapered porch columns, and stucco cladding at the front gable peak. Formerly located at 2209 St. Johns Street, the house was moved to 2628 St. George Street in 2011 as part of a Heritage Revitalization Agreement. It is now located on the north portion of the lot, adjacent to the Judd Residence which occupies the south portion of the lot.

Heritage Value

The Alexander Residence, built in 1914, is valued as a reflection of the pre-First World War development boom in Port Moody. Development was centred on St. Johns Street and Clarke Street, near the industrial waterfront. Although burdened by the general economic slump beginning in 1913, Port Moody continued to grow with the development of the Ioco Townsite on the north side of Burrard Inlet, beginning in 1914. This residence is reflective of the strength of the community in Moody Centre at the time, with its continuing economic and population growth, and is valued as a reflection of Port Moody's early development patterns.

The Alexander Residence is valued for its architecture and for its association with the original owners, Ethel Maria Alexander and Arthur Harold Alexander. Ethel was a postmistress, and Harold owned E. Bennett & Co., a general store. The Alexander residence typifies the massing and style of many homes that were built in Port Moody at this time, featuring hand-crafted elements and oversized proportions. The residence displays elements of the Craftsman movement popularized through countless periodicals and plan books, such as the efficient floor plan and the shallow-pitched cross-gabled roof with wide overhanging eaves and triangular brackets.

Source: City of Port Moody Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Alexander Residence include its:
- location in the Moody Centre neighbourhood
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey with full basement height, and cross-gabled roof with overhanging eaves
- wood frame construction with remnants of original siding including narrow lapped wooden siding on main floor and stucco cladding at the front gable peak
- Craftsman influences such as original full width front verandah, now partially enclosed, with tapered columns and piers and triangular brackets at the gable peak
- additional elements such as an external red brick chimney