Description of Historic Place

The Neill Residence, located along West 8th Avenue in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, is a two and one half-storey with full basement, Edwardian-era residence, distinguished by its simple gabled form with hipped skirt.

Heritage Value

The Neill Residence was built in 1911 and is valued for its connection with the early, pre-World War One growth, development, and on-going evolution of the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver, and for its Edwardian-era Gabled Vernacular architecture.

The Neill Residence is located within the Fairview neighbourhood, which was so named in 1887 by the Canadian Pacific Railway's Lauchlan Hamilton, who was surveying the future community and was struck by the hillside views of the downtown peninsula and of the North Shore mountains. Development of Fairview began in the 1890s, after the completion of the Granville Street Bridge (1889), the Cambie Street Bridge (1891) and the new Fairview Beltline streetcar (1891). In addition to its spectacular views, the centrally located neighbourhood offered convenient access to downtown, attracting many new residents during the early 1900s. As the industries forming along the shores of False Creek continued to grow through the 1910s, more modest housing was constructed in this area and, by the height of the pre-war construction boom in 1912, most lots in Fairview boasted single-family houses, including the Neill Residence, constructed in 1911. Local contractor Edward Neill purchased the property and demolished the existing one-storey cottage that was constructed in 1905. In its place, Neill constructed this house, which he occupied until the early 1920s. Following the war, the need for housing in Vancouver increased significantly. In 1922 this house, like many others across the city, was converted to a rooming house operated by a woman, in this case, Mrs. Ida Girdlestone. The Neill Residence is valued as a rare surviving example of a grouping of original housing stock in the area, which also exemplifies the evolution of the neighbourhood.

The Neill Residence is also valued for its Edwardian-era Gabled Vernacular architectural style, which is distinguishable by its symmetrical proportions and wooden materials. Constructed by local contractor and original owner Edward Neill, this house is a good example of classic residential Edwardian architecture. Characterized by its front-gabled roof structure with hipped skirt, exposed raftertails and its simple two and one-half storey profile, the prominence of the house was enhanced by its position on a hilltop lot allowing occupants to take advantage of the expansive views to the north.

Character-Defining Elements

The elements that define the heritage character of the Neill Residence are its:

- location along West 8th Avenue in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver;
- continuous residential use;
- main floor set at grade at the front;
- residential form, scale, and massing as expressed by its two and one-half storey height with rectangular plan, front-gabled roof with hipped skirt, bays on the rear elevation, rectangular bay on the west elevation, and hipped roof, and enclosed front porch;
- wood-frame construction with cedar shingle and wooden lapped cladding;
- gabbled vernacular architectural details including: wooden brackets in the gable end and on the west elevation bay, decorative brackets set in the soffits, and cornerboards;
- wooden window assemblies, with each elevation featuring double-hung and casement assemblies (with examples on the rear elevation featuring multiple panes);
- wooden front door assembly with upper, central light; and
- internal red brick chimney.