Repository

Burnaby Heritage Planning

Other Names

Maud & Harriet Woodward Cottage

Geographic Access

Sperling Avenue

Associated Dates

1904

Formal Recognition

Community Heritage Register

Enactment Type

Council Resolution

Enactment Date

26/05/2003

Description

Set far back from Sperling Avenue, Woodward Cottage is a one-storey, wood-frame house with a raised foundation and gabled roofline. It is located within a picturesque lakefront neighbourhood and is part of the Deer Lake Park Heritage Precinct.

Heritage Value

Woodward Cottage, built in 1904, is valued as the oldest house within the Deer Lake neighbourhood, whose construction marked the beginning of Deer Lake's transition from a rural farming community to a residential suburb. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Deer Lake was recognized for its tranquility and beautiful scenery, which, in turn, attracted New Westminster and Vancouver residents to relocate to the area and build family homes. The first owner, Maud Sarah Woodward (1865-1958), originally from England, was a pioneer nurse of Vancouver. In 1903, she purchased this property from her two close friends, Louis and Annie Hill, who were among Deer Lake's first residents. Maud and her sister, Harriet Julia Woodward (1879-1969), were prominent figures in the Deer Lake community and together they established the first post office in Burnaby, which operated out of this house. Due to the lack of any local facilities, in September 1904 Harriet Woodward established a private primary school here for the local children, which continued after 1908 as a kindergarten. The cottage was enlarged several times to accommodate the expanding post office until 1912, when the Woodwards began construction of a new, larger house. Woodward Cottage is also valued for its origins as an innovative prefabricated structure. In 1904, the B.C. Mills Timber and Trading Company patented a modular system in response to unprecedented population growth in the western provinces. This system could be adapted to provide everything from modest one-room cottages to schools, churches and banks. Short mill ends of lumber and siding, which had previously been discarded, were assembled into three or four-foot wide wall panels that could be bolted together. The vertical joints between the panels were covered by narrow battens, which gave these buildings their distinct appearance. The wall panels for the house were assembled at the mill, prepainted and packaged with various other components and the necessary instructions to assemble the building, and shipped via railway to its waiting customer. Woodward Cottage is one of the earliest surviving examples of this ingenious prefabricated system. In the 1930s, the cottage was raised and turned to allow for a new foundation to be built. Despite later additions and alterations, the original cottage form is still recognizable. Woodward Cottage is currently owned by the City of Burnaby and is part of the Deer Lake Park Heritage Precinct, Burnaby's most significant collection of historic sites.

Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Woodward Cottage include its: - secluded lakefront site, set far back from Sperling Avenue, within the Deer Lake Park Heritage Precinct - residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one-storey height and gabled roofline - original wood-frame construction and modular wall panels, extant under later stucco cladding - internal red-brick chimney - associated landscape features, including mature deciduous trees

Historic Neighbourhood

Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area

Morley-Buckingham Area

Organization

Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

Function

Primary Historic--Single Dwelling

Primary Current--Single Dwelling

Community

Deer Lake

Cadastral Identifier

P.I.D. 011-454-440

Boundaries

Woodward Cottage is comprised of a single residential lot located at 5141 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby.

Area

6596

Contributing Resource

Building

Ownership

Public (local)

Documentation

City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, Heritage Site Files

Street Address

5141 Sperling Avenue

Street View URL

Google Maps Street View

Less detail

Repository

Burnaby Heritage Planning

Other Names

Maud & Harriet Woodward Residence

Geographic Access

Sperling Avenue

Associated Dates

1912

Formal Recognition

Community Heritage Register

Enactment Type

Council Resolution

Enactment Date

26/05/2003

Description

The Woodward House is a two-storey plus basement, wood-framed house with British Arts and Crafts influences. It is set in a wooded landscape on a lakefront property, on Sperling Avenue within the Deer Lake Park Heritage Precinct of Burnaby, with expansive views of the lake.

Heritage Value

Maud Sarah Woodward (1865-1958), a pioneer nurse originally from England, and her sister Harriet Julia Woodward (1879-1969), one of Burnaby’s first teachers, had this large house built in 1912 to replace the smaller cottage they owned nearby at 5141 Sperling Avenue. Farmer, builder and longtime Deer Lake resident, Bernard R. Hill (1858-1939), was hired as the contractor. The Woodward House played an important role in the Deer Lake community. The Woodward sisters were tireless community organizers and volunteers. This house served a number of functions, and in addition to being the sisters’ home was the local post office until 1949 and also a private kindergarten/school until 1935. Originally designed in the British Arts and Crafts style with a simple rustic exterior of cedar shingles, it is an excellent example of the type of residence constructed by middle-class citizens in the Deer Lake neighbourhood. The B.C. Electric Railway's Burnaby Lake Interurban line, which opened June 12, 1911, fostered the development of Deer Lake as well as other Edwardian era neighbourhoods in Burnaby.

Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Woodward House include its: - lakefront location, within the Deer Lake Park Heritage Precinct - residential form, scale and massing as exhibited by its two-storey height, full basement, square floor plan and side-gabled roof - internal red-brick chimneys - British Arts and Crafts features such as cedar shingle siding, extant under later plywood - associated landscape features such as mature coniferous trees

Historic Neighbourhood

Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area

Morley-Buckingham Area

Builder

Bernard R. Hill

Function

Primary Historic--Single Dwelling

Primary Current--Single Dwelling

Community

Deer Lake

Cadastral Identifier

P.I.D.002-507-064

Boundaries

The Woodward House is comprised of a single residential lot located at 5195 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby.

Area

1788.5

Contributing Resource

Building

Ownership

Public (local)

Documentation

City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, Heritage Site Files

Street Address

5195 Sperling Avenue

Street View URL

Google Maps Street View

Less detail