Spring House

Built in 1910 and occupied in 1911, the Spring House is valued for representing the second wave of development in the West End in the years immediately preceding World War I. The arrival of the streetcar line along 12th Street stimulated growth in the area.

The house is typical of the gable-end vernacular houses built for the working and middle classes at the time. It is also of interest for having remained in the ownership of a single family for many decades. The original owner, Albert Gordon Spring, had the house built for $1,800. His family occupied it until 1945. Albert Spring worked as a bookkeeper for Mahony and Kennedy. The residence passed in part to Gordon Alan Spring in 1923, who is remembered in his 1949 obituary as a plumber and partner in Spring and Sibley, and as a strong supporter of the New Westminster lacrosse team, the Salmonbellies.

The house underwent alterations over the years, representing the way in which buildings adapt to the changing needs of their occupants. For example, in 1922, the Springs added a basement at a cost of $425, and in 1977 a porch and patio were added.