Robert Edgar and Mary Elizabeth (Spratt) Douglas House

A modest home with a rich story of resilience and craftsmanship. Built during the Great Depression, Douglas House reflects a shift toward practical, well-crafted living -- a lasting example of how thoughtful design endures in challenging times.

The Douglas House is a picturesque one-and-a-half-storey late Craftsman bungalow that reflects a significant period in New Westminster’s history. Built in 1931 by developer Robert Edgar Douglas for himself and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Spratt), the home represents the more modest housing constructed during the economic challenges of the Great Depression.

Douglas, a superintendent at a local lumber mill, developed this property alongside the neighbouring house at 915 Tenth Street, both built to the same plan. Finnish carpenter Theodore Skytte was engaged to construct the homes—small yet thoughtfully detailed “five-room semi-bungalows.” These houses reflect a practical approach to building at a time when affordability and efficiency were paramount.

There is some indication that the design may have been inspired by popular catalogue house plans of the era, such as those offered through Eaton’s or Sears. However, rather than using pre-cut kits shipped from eastern Canada, it is more likely that local materials and adaptations were used—taking advantage of the region’s abundant sawmills and allowing flexibility in design and cost.

Architecturally, the Douglas House displays characteristic elements of the late Craftsman style, which remained popular during the period between World Wars I and II. Homes of this era often drew on traditional forms, reflecting a sense of stability and domestic comfort. The house features a rectangular plan, one-and-a-half-storey massing, and a low-pitched front-gabled roof with wide overhangs.

Its exterior is clad in distinctive wide, rough-hewn wooden shingles, giving the house a textured, handcrafted quality. The asymmetrical partial-width verandah is supported by tapered columns set on shingled piers, with latticework below. Additional details include exposed rafters, decorative bargeboards, and a patterned red-brick chimney.

Windows are arranged in multi-light configurations, including four- and six-over-one double-hung wooden sash, allowing natural light to fill the interior spaces. The original wooden front door, with multi-paned glazing and sidelights, further contributes to the home’s character.

The Douglas House is also valued for its setting. Located on the east side of Tenth Street in the Kelvin neighbourhood and set back on a landscaped lot, it maintains a strong relationship with its surroundings and with the adjacent house at 915 Tenth Street.

Over the years, the home has been occupied by a range of residents, including long-term tenant George Edwin Downey, a City electrical lineman and member of the 1936 Salmonbellies lacrosse team.

Today, the Douglas House stands as a well-preserved example of modest, thoughtfully designed housing from a challenging period—illustrating how craftsmanship and character endured even in more constrained times.

Sources: HistoricPlaces.ca; New Westminster Archives; and research by Bozana Djuric