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Online Heritage Inventory

Stilt Piling House #2

General Information
Thumbnail photograph of Stilt Piling House #2
Click to see full image
Type of Resource: Building
Common Name: Stilt Piling House #2
Address: 12100 7th Avenue
Neighbourhood (Planning Area Name): Steveston
Construction Date: 1912
Current Owner: Private
Designated: No

Statement of Significance
Description of Site
The Stilt Piling House #2 is located in Steveston near Garry Point. It is a small, rectangular, gable roofed one-storey house of modest proportions, and is constructed on a foundation of posts or stilts. This house is one of two adjacent dwellings constructed at a similar time and with a similar foundation, located within a changing neighbourhood of new housing and commercial developments.

 Statement of Values
The heritage value of this stilt piling house lies in its historical and cultural associations with the settlement of the Steveston Townsite, one of the earliest areas of Lulu Island to be developed. It is significant as one of the last of a number of similar houses constructed here, on both sides of the dyke, as accommodation for Steveston’s cannery workers. The canning and fishing industries in Richmond were flourishing during this period, and many cannery operations were being constructed along the riverfront in Steveston.
Aesthetically, the house has significance for its construction on posts and pilings, a necessity due to inadequate and haphazard dyke protection on most of Lulu Island during its early settlement in the late 1800s. The house is modest and has a simple style in keeping with its original use, and was part of a larger pattern of worker’s housing in this area, of which only one other example remains, next door at 12100 Seventh Avenue.

 Character Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
· Its location in the riverfront area of Steveston which was once constantly under threat of flooding before an effective island-wide dyking system was in place, and which was originally the location of a number of Steveston’s canneries
· The construction method of the house’s foundation, on pilings, a response to the flooding conditions inherent in its location
· The simple style, rectangular shape, shed roof, and wooden windows which reflect the house’s working class roots
· The aspect of the house to the south, towards the river, and not towards Seventh Avenue, which expresses the haphazard nature of the original pattern of development in this area.

 History
The Stilt Piling House #2 is located in Steveston near Garry Point. It is a small, rectangular, gable roofed one-storey house of modest proportions, and is constructed on a foundation of posts or stilts. This house is one of two adjacent dwellings constructed at a similar time and with a similar foundation, located within a changing neighbourhood of new housing and commercial developments.

 Architectural Significance
Architectural Style
Vernacular Stilt House

 Building Type
Single Family Domestic

 Design Features
The building is rectangular in shape with a concrete perimeter foundation and an irregular roof line. The roof is a front gable with a dual pitch or shed style addition on the south side. The roof cover is asphalt shingle. There is a flat hood roof over the door and an internal brick chimney. Windows are multi-paned double-hung wooden sash six over six on the north and west facades, and single pane pivot on the south facade. The banked multi-paned windows on the north façade are an unusual feature of this house type. The exterior cladding is cedar shingle with corner boards above and horizontal clapboard below. The cladding is not considered to be original.

 Construction Method
Wood frame construction. A unique building feature is the original post/piling foundation.

 Landscape Significance
Landscape Element
The most significant landscape element associated with the house is the presence of the dyke system along Seventh Avenue. The small yard, fence and vegetation appear to be recent additions.

 Integrity
Alterations
The shingle siding of the house is not original. Alterations have occurred to the entry and porch. The shed roof on the south side indicates a possible addition or the enclosure of an open verandah. The basement is assumed to be a later enclosure around the stilt piling construction. The changes in the immediate vicinity of the house make it appear to be out of context.

 Original Location
Yes

 Condition
The house is in fair condition. The fence and yard are fairly well maintained. This house and its neighbour are under threat due to continued deterioration and neglect.

 Lost
No

 Documentation
Evaluated By
Denise Cook BLA, PBD (Public History)

 Date
Sunday, September 24, 2000

 Documentation
Inventory Sheets by Foundation Group Designs, January 1990
City of Richmond Heritage Inventory by Julie MacDonald, February 2000

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