McLeod Block

The heritage value of the McLeod Block is associated with the development of downtown New Westminster, which represents a formative period in BC's resource-based economy. The city grew through successive economic waves that followed the founding of the city as the colonial capital of the Mainland colony of B.C. in 1859, which earned the new settlement the name 'The Royal City'.

After the devastation of the Great Fire of 1898, the downtown was rebuilt immediately and continued to develop during the great western Canadian economic boom that preceded the First World War. The McLeod Block is also significant within the context of Columbia Street, the city's earliest, most historic area of commercial and institutional buildings. The consistent and distinctive built form of Columbia Street dates from between 1898, when New Westminster was the major centre of commerce and industrial output for the booming Fraser Valley area, serving the agricultural, fishing and lumbering sectors of the economy.

The McLeod Block is valued for its association with its architects Gardiner and Mercer, whose partnership was one of the most enduring and prolific in the province (1911- 1940). A high-profile commission by one of the wealthiest people in New Westminster, it was an important project for the partners. This handsome two-storey Edwardian Classical Revival building clad in pressed Clayburn brick, with contrasting tones of red and yellow, was striking and had rooms with plumbing and gas connections in the event that they were used for residential purposes.

Built in 1913, the McLeod Block is valued for its association with Alfred W. McLeod, known as 'the insurance man' in New Westminster. McLeod acquired the landmark stone residence and offices at the corner of Sixth and Carnarvon Streets in 1900, razed it, and commissioned the construction of a new landmark building. It was home to McLeod's head office for many years.