The Westridge Neighbourhood of Burnaby was created as a new subdivision during the post-World War Two housing boom in Burnaby. Developed by the C.B. Riley Company, it was laid out in a plan contoured to the shapes of the land and was situated to allow residents easy access to main transportation routes.
Local farmers William Alexander Mawhinney (1870-1953) and Annie Josephine Mawhinney (née Sutcliff, 1871-1956) built this residence as their retirement home. It was the last of several houses built in the immediate vicinity by members of the Mawhinney family between 1909 and 1930. Born in Ireland, William Mawhinney first came to Burnaby to help his brother Isaiah establish his fruit farm. Due to his farm management experience, in 1908 William became foreman of the Avalon estate at Deer Lake that was owned by F.J. Hart. When he retired in 1930, William had fifty years of experience as a fruit and grain farmer.This house is situated on its lot at an angle, rather than parallel to the street, to take advantage of the view of wooded Buckingham Creek that runs through the northeast section of the property. Complementing the picturesque character of the property is this charming cottage-style residence, which is an excellent example of an interwar Storybook Cottage. During the years between the two World Wars, domestic styles in North America were resolutely historicist. In order to display good taste, it was expected that a house would have an identifiable period revival style. As economics dictated that houses of the time were generally modest, they often assumed a cottage appearance that provided a romantic ideal of traditional domesticity. The American Sesquicentennial reinforced this historicist trend, and the most popular Hollywood movies of the time were swashbuckling costume dramas. With its distinctive roughcast stucco and half-timbering, this house is an excellent example of this housing trend. The rolled roof edges, with steam-bent cedar shingles, simulate a traditional thatched roof. Other picturesque features include a front porch with round-arched openings, battered wall buttresses, an oriel window and diamond-paned leaded casement windows.
Willingdon Heights was another new subdivision developed in Burnaby during the post-World War Two building boom. A brochure about the development published in 1948 proclaimed "the Willingdon Heights 500 home development project in Burnaby fulfills its promise to provide a self-contained community for former members of the armed services and their families...the largest single veteran housing project in Canada as far as homes for individual ownership is concerned, Willingdon Heights development was planned by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation...At this date the earlier built rows of homes have passable roads and the owners are improving lawns and gardens in spare time...eventually additional stores and professional services will be installed and recreational projects will add to the amenities of a community of congenial residents..."