Designed in a vernacular architectural style, the New Haven Barn is a large gambrel-roofed barn located on the Edwardian era McGregor Estate 'Glen-Lyon,' overlooking the rich farmland of the Fraser River floodplain and near a ravine and forested area adjacent to Marine Drive in South Burnaby.
Associated Dates
1939
Formal Recognition
Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
Other Names
Home of the Friendless, New Haven Borstal Home for Boys and Youthful Offenders, New Haven Correction Centre
Designed in a vernacular architectural style, the New Haven Barn is a large gambrel-roofed barn located on the Edwardian era McGregor Estate 'Glen-Lyon,' overlooking the rich farmland of the Fraser River floodplain and near a ravine and forested area adjacent to Marine Drive in South Burnaby.
Heritage Value
The site is historically significant for its association with early social welfare and correctional reform. The estate was sold in 1926 to an inter-denominational religious organization called the Home of the Friendless, which used it as their B.C. headquarters. The organization was charged with several cases of abuse and neglect in 1937, after which a Royal Commission was formed that led to new legislation to regulate and license all private welfare institutions. 'Glen-Lyon' was sold to the provincial government, and was dedicated in 1939 by the Lt.-Gov. E.W. Hamber for use as the New Haven Borstal Home for Boys and Youthful Offenders (later renamed the New Haven Correction Centre). The Borstal movement originated in England in the late nineteenth century, as an alternative to sending young offenders and runaways to prisons by providing reformatories that focused on discipline and vocational skill. This site’s role as the first North American institution devoted to the Borstal School philosophy was historic, and influenced corrections programs across Canada. The New Haven Barn is a significant feature from its development in 1939 as the Borstal School, designed by Chief Provincial Architect Henry Whittaker of the Department of Public Works, and is the only remaining structure of its kind in Burnaby.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the New Haven Barn include its:
- gambrel-roofed barn with roof vent with finial, sliding hay loft and access doors, small multi-pane windows, and lapped wooden siding
Photograph of unidentified military man with helmet, equipment without khaki uniform standing outside tents at Canadian Forces Base military training camp at Sarcee, Alberta.
Photograph of unidentified military man with helmet, equipment without khaki uniform standing outside tents at Canadian Forces Base military training camp at Sarcee, Alberta.
Photograph of Sergeant Crichton Hawkshaw in military uniform standing at the entrance to a white canvas tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of Sergeant Crichton Hawkshaw in military uniform standing at the entrance to a white canvas tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of Sergeant Tom Connors in military uniform standing at the entrance to a white canvas tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of Sergeant Tom Connors in military uniform standing at the entrance to a white canvas tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of a man in a military uniform seated at a table and looking over maps in wooded area during a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of a man in a military uniform seated at a table and looking over maps in wooded area during a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of sailors in a parade at Granville and Hastings, Vancouver. Visible in the background are crowds of people at the street side, as well as the Post Office, and the Royal Bank and "Famous Furs" stores.
Faint circular stamp mark of "Vancouver Drug Co." on verso, and gummed paper on each corner
The stamp reads, "Come to Vancouver's Golden [illegible]/ 50 Years of Progress" outside its circular seal for "Vancouver Drug/ Co. Ltd./ Nu-Gloss/ PHOTO FINISH"
Scope and Content
Photograph of sailors in a parade at Granville and Hastings, Vancouver. Visible in the background are crowds of people at the street side, as well as the Post Office, and the Royal Bank and "Famous Furs" stores.
This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue and the public tap available there for residents living on Burnaby Mountain. She talks about the City of Vancouver cemetery property. She describes the families and people who live…
This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue and the public tap available there for residents living on Burnaby Mountain. She talks about the City of Vancouver cemetery property. She describes the families and people who lived on Burnwood (2nd Ave), and the mushroom farm that operated next door to the Seim farm.
Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
Biographical Notes
Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Photograph of military men gathered outside a tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba. Men are gathered around a man playing a guitar.
Photograph of military men gathered outside a tent at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba. Men are gathered around a man playing a guitar.
Photograph of three unidentified military men clowning around at Canadian Forces Base military training camp at Sarcee, Alberta. The men are wearing some equipment but aren't wearing uniforms. Man on the left could be Sergeant Crichton Hawkshaw.
Photograph of three unidentified military men clowning around at Canadian Forces Base military training camp at Sarcee, Alberta. The men are wearing some equipment but aren't wearing uniforms. Man on the left could be Sergeant Crichton Hawkshaw.
Photograph of three men in civilian clothing standing outside at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba. Men are identified as "Moore" (left), Jack Knechtle (centre) and Crichton Hawkshaw (right).
Photograph of three men in civilian clothing standing outside at Canadian Forces Base military training camp in Shilo, Manitoba. Men are identified as "Moore" (left), Jack Knechtle (centre) and Crichton Hawkshaw (right).
Photograph of men in uniforms standing in front of white canvas tents with their military kits out. Canadian Forces Base military training camp located in Shilo, Manitoba.
Photograph of men in uniforms standing in front of white canvas tents with their military kits out. Canadian Forces Base military training camp located in Shilo, Manitoba.