Dr. William & Ruth Baldwin House
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark534
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The Dr. William & Ruth Baldwin House is a two-storey modern post-and-beam structure, located on the southern shore of Deer Lake in Burnaby's Deer Lake Park. The site is steeply sloped, and the main entrance of the house is at the top of the slope facing onto Deer Lake Drive.
- Associated Dates
- 1965
- Formal Recognition
- Community Heritage Register
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Associated Dates
- 1965
- Formal Recognition
- Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Council Resolution
- Enactment Date
- 26/05/2003
- Description
- The Dr. William & Ruth Baldwin House is a two-storey modern post-and-beam structure, located on the southern shore of Deer Lake in Burnaby's Deer Lake Park. The site is steeply sloped, and the main entrance of the house is at the top of the slope facing onto Deer Lake Drive.
- Heritage Value
- The Baldwin House is valued as a prime example of Burnaby’s post-Second World War modern heritage and progressive architectural style, as well as for its personal connections to internationally-acclaimed architect, Arthur Erickson. Inspired by the modern domestic idiom established earlier in the twentieth century by Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra, Erickson conceived his architecture as responding directly to the site. A cohesive expression of simple orthogonal lines and ultimate transparency, this structure reduces the idea of post-and-beam West Coast modernism to its most refined elements. A fine example of the evolving talent of Erickson’s earlier work, this house is a landmark modern house in Burnaby and is unique in terms of siting and context. Having just won the 1963 competition for the new Simon Fraser University in Burnaby with his partner, Geoff Massey, and having built fewer than half a dozen homes previously, Erickson’s reputation was growing and his skill as a designer of modern buildings was in great demand. The same year that Erickson/Massey Architects designed SFU, Dr. William Baldwin and his wife, Ruth, personal friends of Erickson, commissioned him to design this house. Erickson was already familiar with the site; as a child he had spent time at this spot when his family visited friends who lived on Deer Lake. Both the Baldwin House and the university were completed in 1965. SFU became internationally famous; the Baldwin House was also considered an architectural success and was recognized in publications of the time. Only a single storey of this two-storey house is visible from the road, as it is built into the hillside in response to its steep site and proximity to Deer Lake. Like many other Erickson designs, this structure was conceived as a pavilion. Constructed of glass and wood, its transparency facilitates visual access to the lake’s edge, acting as an invitation, rather than a barrier, to the landscape. The house blends into the natural surroundings and the site includes other man-made landscape features such as a reflecting pool. As a reaction to the often grey quality of light in the region, Erickson exploits flat planes of water as a source of borrowed light. The refined and purposeful design, transparency, openness of plan and adjacency to the lake combine to give the house a floating appearance at the water's edge. The concept of a floating house set within an accompanying garden was inspired, in part, by the palaces and house boats of Dal Lake in Kashmir and the famed nearby Mughal Gardens. Although Erickson never visited Dal Lake, he travelled extensively throughout India, and specifically mentions the Kashmir reference in relation to this house. There is a rich complexity of other allusions worked into the fabric of the house, unified by a feeling for the conjunction of light, water and land at this special location. Widely renowned as Canada’s most brilliant modern architect, Erickson’s reputation is important to the development and growth of modern architecture in Canada and North America.
- Defining Elements
- The elements of the Baldwin House that define its character are those materials and details which respond to the location of the building and determine the relation between landscape and building, combining to create a single cohesive site. These include its: - close proximity to water - orthogonal plan and massing, with flat tar-and-gravel roof - stepped down massing orienting the house towards the water - post-and-beam construction, with the width of the beams matched to the width of the posts - wood and glass used as primary building materials - transparency and light achieved by the abundant use of glass - large undivided sheets of single glazing - butt glazed glass corners - abundant and generous balconies, which blur the transition from interior to exterior - horizontal flush cedar siding - use of salvaged brick for chimneys - use of chains as downspouts - built-in rooftop barbeque - built in furniture and fittings dating to the time of construction, such as original hardware, benches, bathroom vanities and kitchen cabinets - landscaped site including reflecting pool, plantings and a dock protruding into the lake
- Locality
- Deer Lake Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Function
- Primary Current--Single Dwelling
- Primary Historic--Single Dwelling
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 011-946-032 and P.I.D. No. 011-946-067
- Boundaries
- The Baldwin House is comprised of two municipally-owned lots located at 6543 and 6545 Deer Lake Drive, Burnaby.
- Area
- 6,070.20
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Other Collection
- Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary, Collection: Original Plans No. ERI 4A/76.13
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
Images
Baldwin House, Deer Lake Drive
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37346
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph ; b&w ; 19.5 x 25 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of four children (unidentified) playing in the water, in front of the Baldwin House. The Baldwin House was built in 1965 and was designed by architect Arthur Erickson for his friends Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Baldwin family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph ; b&w ; 19.5 x 25 cm print
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 357-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1998-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of four children (unidentified) playing in the water, in front of the Baldwin House. The Baldwin House was built in 1965 and was designed by architect Arthur Erickson for his friends Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Baldwin House Dining Room
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37347
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16 x 19.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the dining room and interior of the Baldwin House at Deer Lake.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Baldwin family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16 x 19.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 357-002
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1998-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the dining room and interior of the Baldwin House at Deer Lake.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Heritage
- Furniture
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph.
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Deer Lake from the Baldwin House
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37350
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 21.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Deer Lake from the corner of the Baldwin house. Two women can be seen standing on the deck at the upper level of the home, but neither are identified.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Baldwin family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 21.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 357-005
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1998-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Deer Lake from the corner of the Baldwin house. Two women can be seen standing on the deck at the upper level of the home, but neither are identified.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Heritage
- Buildings - Residential - Houses
- Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Interior of the Baldwin House
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37348
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 25 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the interior of the Baldwin House, taken from the exterior courtyard. The dining room of the home is visible and two people can be seen seated in chairs. One of the people may be Susan Baldwin. This home was designed for Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin by their friend, Arthur Erickson.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Baldwin family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 25 cm print
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 357-003
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1998-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the interior of the Baldwin House, taken from the exterior courtyard. The dining room of the home is visible and two people can be seen seated in chairs. One of the people may be Susan Baldwin. This home was designed for Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin by their friend, Arthur Erickson.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Heritage
- Furniture
- Names
- Baldwin, Susan
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Photograph is the same as item no. 357-007
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Interview with Marianne May Bateman February 22, 1978 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory188
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Length
- 0:09:03
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Photo Info
- Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman with his four daughters; Marianne May is sitting on a chair beside her father, [1903}. Item no. BV992.29.1
- Length
- 0:09:03
- Subjects
- Buildings - Residences - Houses
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Interviewer
- Stevens, Colin
- Interview Date
- February 22, 1978
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Marianne May "May" Bateman conducted by Colin Stevens, February 22, 1978. Major themes discussed are: Elworth.
- Biographical Notes
- May Bateman was born in 1894 in Portage LaPrairie, Manitoba to Edwin Wettenhall Bateman and Cassie (Dale) Bateman. May's father, Edwin Bateman was born in 1859 in Sandbach, Cheshire, to James and Caroline Mary Wettenhall Bateman (their home in Sandbach was called Elworth Cottage). When he was twenty-one, E.W. Bateman immigrated to Manitoba, Canada where he met Catherine “Cassie” Dale, daughter of George and Sarah Gillon Dale. They were married in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on November 9, 1886. Edwin and Cassie had seven children, the eldest Edna Caroline Annie (Corner) born in 1889, George, Mamie (McWilliams) born in 1892, Marianne May “May” Bateman born in 1894, Jessie (Fox Kemp), Carey, and the youngest Warren Stafford born in 1901.Cassie (Dale) Bateman died in Portage La Prairie in 1909. Edwin was transferred to Vancouver by the Canadian Pacific Railway where he married Cassie’s younger sister Mary Dale, born 1865, and moved his six children to Vancouver. The Bateman family first lived at 7th and Balsam in a large new house. It wasn’t until 1920 that they decided to move to the quieter atmosphere of the Burnaby Lake- Deer Lake area. By this time Edwin Wettenhall Bateman was a retired CPR executive. He moved his wife and daughter May to Deer Lake and commissioned 'Elworth' house, designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans. The house was completed by contractor William Dodson in 1922 and located at the site of what would become Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Avenue. The Batemans lived here for seventeen years before moving back to Vancouver in May of 1935. Mary Bateman died July 5, 1935. Edwin Wettenhall Bateman died on November 25, 1957 at the age of ninety-seven. Marianne May Bateman died in 1990.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:30:44
- Interviewee Name
- Bateman, Marianne May
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with May Bateman
Track one of interview with May Bateman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-014-1/MSS137-014-1_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Marianne May Bateman February 22, 1978 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory189
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Length
- 0:09:40
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Photo Info
- Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman with his four daughters; Marianne May is sitting on a chair beside her father, [1903}. Item no. BV992.29.1
- Length
- 0:09:40
- Subjects
- Buildings - Residences - Houses
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Interviewer
- Stevens, Colin
- Interview Date
- February 22, 1978
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Marianne May "May" Bateman conducted by Colin Stevens, February 22, 1978. Major themes discussed are: Elworth.
- Biographical Notes
- May Bateman was born in 1894 in Portage LaPrairie, Manitoba to Edwin Wettenhall Bateman and Cassie (Dale) Bateman. May's father, Edwin Bateman was born in 1859 in Sandbach, Cheshire, to James and Caroline Mary Wettenhall Bateman (their home in Sandbach was called Elworth Cottage). When he was twenty-one, E.W. Bateman immigrated to Manitoba, Canada where he met Catherine “Cassie” Dale, daughter of George and Sarah Gillon Dale. They were married in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on November 9, 1886. Edwin and Cassie had seven children, the eldest Edna Caroline Annie (Corner) born in 1889, George, Mamie (McWilliams) born in 1892, Marianne May “May” Bateman born in 1894, Jessie (Fox Kemp), Carey, and the youngest Warren Stafford born in 1901.Cassie (Dale) Bateman died in Portage La Prairie in 1909. Edwin was transferred to Vancouver by the Canadian Pacific Railway where he married Cassie’s younger sister Mary Dale, born 1865, and moved his six children to Vancouver. The Bateman family first lived at 7th and Balsam in a large new house. It wasn’t until 1920 that they decided to move to the quieter atmosphere of the Burnaby Lake- Deer Lake area. By this time Edwin Wettenhall Bateman was a retired CPR executive. He moved his wife and daughter May to Deer Lake and commissioned 'Elworth' house, designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans. The house was completed by contractor William Dodson in 1922 and located at the site of what would become Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Avenue. The Batemans lived here for seventeen years before moving back to Vancouver in May of 1935. Mary Bateman died July 5, 1935. Edwin Wettenhall Bateman died on November 25, 1957 at the age of ninety-seven. Marianne May Bateman died in 1990.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:30:44
- Interviewee Name
- Bateman, Marianne May
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with May Bateman
Track two of interview with May Bateman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-014-1/MSS137-014-1_Track_2.mp3
Pond in front of the Baldwin house
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37349
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two women, one standing in the doorway and another seated on a rock at the edge of the water, outside the Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin House at Deer Lake. A note on the back of the photograph indicates that one of the women may be Susan Baldwin.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1966
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Baldwin family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 25.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 357-004
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1998-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two women, one standing in the doorway and another seated on a rock at the edge of the water, outside the Dr. William and Ruth Baldwin House at Deer Lake. A note on the back of the photograph indicates that one of the women may be Susan Baldwin.
- Names
- Baldwin, Susan
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph.
- This photograph is the same as item no. 357-006
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Street Address
- 6543 Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
