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T.O. Townley Estate 'Deerholme'
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark545
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The T.O. Townley Estate, 'Deerholme,' is located on a lake front property on the north shore of Deer Lake Park. The main house is a two-and-one-half storey symmetrical-massed wood-frame Colonial Revival structure, with flanking one-storey wings, a side gable roof and a central front entry.
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Other Names
- Thomas & Frances Townley Estate, Loftus House
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- Thomas & Frances Townley Estate, Loftus House
- Geographic Access
- Price Street
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- The T.O. Townley Estate, 'Deerholme,' is located on a lake front property on the north shore of Deer Lake Park. The main house is a two-and-one-half storey symmetrical-massed wood-frame Colonial Revival structure, with flanking one-storey wings, a side gable roof and a central front entry.
- Heritage Value
- 'Deerholme' was built as the retirement estate of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Owen Townley (1862-1935) and his wife, Frances M. Townley. Townley was a pioneer resident of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia: he served as a lawyer, Registrar of Land Titles for New Westminster District and Mayor of Vancouver for one term in 1901. Built in 1913, this is one of the most significant of the Deer Lake estate houses and was the last of grand Edwardian era mansions built on the lots surrounding the lake. The area had been opened up for development two years earlier by the construction of the British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban Line. The estate speaks of a gracious way of life achieved by society's elite during the Edwardian era, supported by the use of domestic servants. Grand in scale, architecturally sophisticated and set in a bucolic landscape, this residence demonstrates the social status of the owner in the privileged classes of the rapidly developing social structure of Burnaby. The house is also significant as one of the earliest designs by the son of Thomas and Frances Townley, architect Fred Laughton Townley (1887-1966), who had graduated in architecture in 1911 from the University of Pennsylvania. In this house for his parents, he demonstrated his deft understanding of the American Period Revival styles learned during his schooling in the United States. The prevailing local taste for British-derived architecture dictated that this was a style he was rarely able to use until the Colonial Revival styles became more popular in the 1920s. F.L. Townley was a founding partner in Townley and Matheson, which achieved significant success as one of the most accomplished local architectural firms, culminating in their best-known commission, Vancouver City Hall, 1935-36.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements the define the heritage character of ‘Deerholme’ include its: - integration with its south-sloping lakefront site, which contains many original landscape features (extant rockeries, formal drive, tennis lawn, open fields, and specimen shrubs and trees) - two-and-one-half storey form with flanking one-storey wings - side gable roof with symmetrical shed dormers, three at the front and three at the rear - complex fenestration, including multi-paned wooden-sash double-hung windows, 6-over-1 on the ground floor and 6-over-9 on the second floor, and multi-paned wooden-sash casements in the dormers - pair of prominent exterior brick chimneys on each side elevation, clad with rough-cast stucco up to the roof level, and each with four chimney-pots - rough-cast stucco cladding - design elements typical of the Colonial Revival style, such as composed classical formality, side gable roof and balanced symmetrical massing - exterior architectural elements, such as classical columns, window shutters, fanlight feature window, multi-paned quarter-round windows flanking the chimneys, and projecting square brackets in the gables - superior level of design and craftsmanship throughout, including refined interior woodwork such as fireplaces, interior columned screen between hallway and living room and a staircase with Colonial Revival details - significant mature trees (such as Red Oaks, Silver Maples, and Copper Beech). - original guest house and stables, which survive on an adjacent property at 6176 Price Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Architect
- Fred Laughton Townley
- Function
- Primary Current--Estate
- Primary Historic--Estate
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 002-652-111 Legal Description: Parcel 'C' (Explanatory Plan 12891) , Blocks 4 and 5, District Lot 79 Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 536
- Boundaries
- ‘Deerholme’ is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6110 Price Street, Burnaby.
- Area
- 14,099.52
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Other Collection
- City of Vancouver Archives: T.O. Townley Residence, Original Plans, Add. MSS. 1399, Temporary No. 61, Location 920-D
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Street Address
- 6110 Price Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription12338
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:53:46 min.)
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Julie Lee conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Julie Lee shares information about her mother, Suey Ying Jung's (Laura's) experiences growing up as a Chinese Canadian on a farm in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She also shares some …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Chinese Canadians in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:53:46 min.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewee: Julie Lee Location of Interview: Home of Julie and Cecil Lee Interview Date: February 6, 2020 Total Number of Tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 00:53:46
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Julie Lee conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Julie Lee shares information about her mother, Suey Ying Jung's (Laura's) experiences growing up as a Chinese Canadian on a farm in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She also shares some information about her father Puy Yuen Chan. 0:00- 01:47 Julie Lee provides background information on her families’ connection to Burnaby and conveys how her maternal grandparents farmed a five acre lot at Still Creek and Douglas Road. Her grandparents grew vegetable produce and operated a piggery at this location. Her mother, Suey Ying Jung (Laura) was the middle child between two older sisters, Maida and Annie and her two younger brothers Gordon and Harry. They were all born at home and educated at Edmonds Elementary School. 01:48- 11:47 Julie provides some background information about her mother, the friendships she made growing up, when she got married and places that she lived. She tells of her mother marrying in 1942 at age 30 years, moving to Fraser Mills and then onto Maillardville in 1958. There was easy access to the Interurban tram so her mother was able to have a social life with others in Vancouver’s Chinatown. She says that many of the only existing photographs of the family living on the farm at Still Creek and Douglas Road can be attributed to her mother’s friend Lil Mau [sic] who owned a camera. The farm was sold around 1949 when her grandparents moved to East Vancouver. While operating the farm, her grandparents only hired Chinese workers who spoke the same language and ate the same foods as them. Despite this, her grandparents made friends with the Collin’s family who assisted them in adjusting to the Canadian way of life. Julie tells that her mother’s sister Maida and brother in law lived with them at Fraser Mills. Her mother’s sister Maida had nine children so Julie’s mother helped her in raising them. 11:48 – 16:53 - Julie talks about racial prejudice towards the Chinese in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She says that for the most part, her mother’s family had a very insular life on the farm and mainly socialized only within the Chinese community. Julie tells of how she recently became aware of a memoir “The Way it Was”, written by Burnaby resident, Fannie Waplington. The memoir is held as part of the Burnaby Village Museum collection. In the memoir, Fannie Waplington tells of how she was forbidden from visiting Julie’s mother on their farm due to her ethnic background. Julie conveys that it seems like it was a missed friendship for both her mother and Fannie. 16:54 – 22:30 Julie describes what school life was like for her mother and what she may have done outside of school. Her mother attended Edmonds School in the 1920s up to Grade 7 or Grade 8. Julie explains that Asian girls were never offered the opportunity to pursue higher education while her mother’s brothers continued with their education attending Vancouver Technical School. Her mother continued to work on the farm until she was married cooking for workers and helping her mother. Outside of school, she may have helped with looking after nieces and nephews, played cards and mahjong. She says that her mother continued to play cards with her own children and was a skilled knitter into her 80s. 22:31 – 30: 53 Julie tells of what she knows about the Chinese workers on the farm and Fraser Mills and what they did on the weekends. She figures that many may have played card games to pass the time and at Fraser Mills gambling occurred. Fishing was a highlight for her father and she recalls him fishing sturgeon. Single workers may have gone into Vancouver on the weekends. Julie says that her parents had a hobby farm while living at Fraser Mills and that they grew enough garlic to sell in Chinatown. She thinks that before living at Fraser Mills, her mother must have went to Chinatown quite a bit, assisting with banking and enjoying a social life. Julie shares that her father, Puy Yuen Chan came to Canada from China at twelve years of age but working as a shingle packer, he never learned to speak English. She figures that her parents must have met at Fraser Mills while her mother was visiting her sister Maida. 30:54 – 37:33 Julie describes her mother as the cook, caregiver and the “one man show”. She says that her mother enjoyed cooking traditional Chinese recipes. Julie talks of her own cooking and gardening skills which she may have inherited from her parents including her large patch of garlic. 37:34- 40:23- Julie is asked as to whether her mother attended Chinese school and says that she had some Chinese schooling. She could read and write a little but didn’t attend a formal school as far as she knows. Julie shares some background information on her own husband Cecil, who grew up in East Vancouver. She shares that Cecil’s family went back to China from 1931 until 1939 when they returned to Queensborough. Cecil attended Chinese school in New Westminster. 40:24 – 42:19 Julie speaks briefly about what type of medical care her mother and her family had. She relates that all births took place at home and they accessed a Chinese herbalist in Chinatown. Hospitals were accessed in 1950s—1960s. The family did use Western doctors that were insured under the medical system. She recalls growing up and having to drink a particular herbal brew at least once a month to stay well. 42:20- 46:47 Julie describes how her parents stayed connected with their families in China. She says that her mother’s family didn’t stay in touch with relatives in China and that her uncles rejected anything to do with the past. On her father’s side they maintained a connection with cousins. She recalls that her father, Puy Yuen Chan supported some of his relatives back home in China and stayed in touch with some. Her mother, Laura travelled to China in 1991 and 1992 and connected with some relations on Julie’s father’s side. 46:48- 53:46 In this segment, Julie speaks of her mother’s character being very self-assured, independent and goal oriented. She feels that her mother valued being surrounded by her family and friends and felt very comfortable growing up in Burnaby and with the relationships that she had. She feels that her mother adapted to her roles being the last of four children on the farm and that she was very self-sufficient and determined.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Julie Lee (nee Chan) is the daughter of Suey Ying Jung (Laura) and Puy Yuen Chan. Her mother's family owned and operated a vegetable and piggery farm on Douglas Road near Still Creek in the early 1900s. Their farm was located in front of the Douglas Road interurban tram station. Her mother had two older sisters named Maida and Annie and two younger brothers Harry and Gordon. Her mother was born in 1912 and left the farm for Fraser Mills when she was married in 1942. Julie grew up with her parents and siblings on the Fraser Mills site during the 1940s and 1950s. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Names
- Lee, Julie Cho Chan
- Chan, Puy Yuen
- Jung, Suey Ying "Laura"
- Wong, Suey Fong "Maida" Jung
- Jung, Suey Cheung "Harry"
- Jung, Suey Yook "Gordon"
- Jung, Gee Shee
- Jung, Chung Chong
- Jong, Suey Kin "Annie" Jung
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Geographic Access
- Douglas Road
- Accession Code
- BV020.6.2
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Related Material
- See also BV018.16.1
- Scan Resolution
- 1000
- Scan Date
- 01-Oct-2017
- Scale
- 96
- Notes
- Title based on contents of interview
- Photograph info: Suey Ying (Laura) with produce baskets [between 1940 and 1942]. BV017.24.27
Images
Audio Tracks
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2020_0006_0002_001.mp3