Burkart House

The Burkart House is valued as an example of the early development of the Newton neighbourhood and for its architecture.

The Burkart House demonstrates the impact of the B.C. Electric Railway (BCER) on settlement patterns in the Newton area. BCER passenger and freight service commenced in this area in 1910, opening this once heavily-forested area to settlement, logging and commercial opportunities. Built in 1920 for two brothers of Swiss origin, Jacob and Joseph Burkart, the Burkart house is immediately southwest of the former location of Newton Station, a stop on the BCER line that once served the nearby Hiland/Sullivan Lumber Company and King & Farris Lumber Company. After 1930, it was home to Lewis Jack and his wife Jane, who had operated a successful store across the street since 1918, supplying the booming local logging industry with groceries, meat, clothing, coal and lumber.

The Burkhart house was originally built as a symmetrical Craftsman Bungalow with a hipped roof, a central front dormer and a full-width front porch with central entry. With increasing densification in Newton, the house was converted to a restaurant in 1974 and underwent a major renovation in 1982 that included a major extension to the west and the infilling of the verandah. Set amidst mature vegetation, the Burkart House is still used as a restaurant.