The William John Malcolm House (1911)

photo: Paul Fuoco, NWHPS

Unraveling decades of stitched together ‘improvements’, this family knit together a 107-year-old heritage home with a dream addition.

By Sheilah Harris

Style Elements: A spacious foyer and high ceilings throughout welcome visitors to this handsome Edwardian-style house.

Architectural significance:  Malcolm House is one of four homes built on Seventh Avenue by a builder who was also responsible for constructing St. Aidan’s Presbyterian Church and its pastor’s house (since demolished) just half a block east. Sadly, the builder’s name is lost to history.

 

What to look for: The stained glass in the front window is original but was cut down in height to fit in the newly installed windows.  The owners managed to find old windows containing similar stained glass and had two small matching windows made for either side of the piano, replacing a large window that had been between them.

 

First homeowners: William Malcolm was widowed in 1908 when his wife Annie died giving birth to their sixth child. Two of their other children died young. William’s widowed sister Elizabeth Davis helped raise the surviving four children.

 The full story

Built in 1911, this handsome Edwardian-style house is one of four built on Seventh Avenue by a builder whose name is sadly lost to history. He was also responsible for St. Aidan’s Presbyterian Church, just half a block east.  Three of his houses still stand but the fourth, built next to the church for the pastor, has been torn down.

William Malcolm’s wife Annie died in 1908 after giving birth to her sixth child Stanley Malcolm.   A search of the Fraser Cemetery site finds Annie buried with William and two of their children Muriel and James. Both died young. James drowned in the Fraser River.  The four children that survived and that are listed on the 1921 census as living with their father at 1423 7th Ave are: Charles, Marjorie, William and Stanley. Also living there at the house is William John Malcolm’s widowed sister. Elizabeth Davis. She helped raised the family after 1908. She had no children from what I can see. It was niece Marjorie who signed her death certificate in 1956. She was 95.

When the present owners bought the house in 2009, it had been vacant for over a year. Through the decades, previous owners had: built a lean-to along the back of the house, enclosed the upstairs porch, squeezed a bathroom onto the main floor, and done patchwork repairs and “improvements” throughout.  After several years of tug-of-war with the city’s planning department, the couple was given permission to go ahead with their renovation plans. They moved out in December 2012 and proceeded to do the demolition work themselves, removing the lean-to at the back and taking the rest of the house down to the studs. The house was lifted and the basement dug out to allow for 9’ ceilings throughout (they had been 5’-4” at the front, sloping up to a mere 3’ at the back.) The house was then set back down at its original level on the lot.  The L-shaped addition along the side and back increased the home’s floor space from 2,600 sq. ft. to 4,250 sq.ft (excluding the attic.)

A spacious foyer is one result of the addition. Originally, the staircase was located immediately left of the front door. The hallway’s new dry bar area was originally part of the kitchen before becoming a bathroom in the ‘90’s, and the basement door was to the left. The kitchen ended at the present post, and the uninsulated lean-to ran along the entire length of the back wall. The dining room, too, went back as far as the post and the living room had been 2’ deeper.  The stained glass in the front window is original but was cut down in height to fit in the newly installed windows. The owners managed to find old windows containing similar stained glass and had two small matching windows made for either side of the piano, replacing a large window that had been between them.

The new addition bumps out 9’ at the front to fit the new staircase, then comes back to 6’ along the powder room and kitchen.  Upstairs, the master bedroom replaces what were two smaller bedrooms and the original porch. Another two bedrooms were located at the back of the house, one of which has been enlarged as a suite for their son at the back of the house.

Throughout the renovation, these homeowners went to great lengths to reuse and recycle building materials, use local tradespeople and businesses, blend their existing heritage house with their beautiful “new” dream home, and enjoy and learn from the process.  They can be proud to have ensured that this 107 year-old house now has a long and bright future ahead.

Please note: In your Homes Tour programme, the map pin on page 11 incorrectly situates Malcolm House in Glenbrooke North. This home is located in the West End – the nearest intersection is 12th Street at Sixth Avenue.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:  Basil Restoration is a Professional Renovator and a leader in heritage restorations since 1990. We recognize the diverse and specific needs of heritage restorations and work closely with our network of restoration specialists to provide quality services and workmanship to ensure client satisfaction. To arrange your free estimate please call Mark Wittig directly at 604-618-9364 or visit our website at basilrestorationltd.ca