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Thomas Kerr was a partner in the Grant and Kerr Sawmill. This was the Kerr family's third house, the other two being in Ladner village itself. Their second home we know as McKee House on Arthur Drive, previously the home of John and Lilla McKee, and their first home was on the slough side of Elliott Street north of the sawmill; it is long gone, of course.
This house, in comparison to many of the old homes along this part of River Road, is fairly large. However, the Kerrs had a sizeable family, three daughters: Mabel, Rosetta, and Thomasina. In addition, the size would have been in keeping with the Kerr's position as a successful businessman in the community. However, it is mot any larger than comparable houses in Ladner village. T. W. Kerr, incidentally, was prominent in the Methodist church locally and designed the public school on 47A Avenue.
The architectural style is described as "extended carpenter" in the Delta Heritage of the early 2980s, but like most houses built in Delta, the building exhibits a combination of styles, imported from the east or the south, and blended to meet the owner's wishes.
Some of features adapted from other styles are the L-shaped plan, with two gabled roofs intersecting and extensive use of decorative wood work. Other attractive and unique features which have been retained over the years are the lattice detail on the porch facing and the elliptical arches on the porch.
After the Kerrs moved to Cloverdale in 1907, the house was home for about a year to the Baptist minister, Reverend A. H. Huntley. Next, the family of William Wilkinson, who was connected with the short-lived glue factory in Canoe Pass, lived here briefly. He then rented the house to various families until it was purchased in early 1912 by Hugh A. McDonald, a real estate agent employed by the People's Trust Company in Ladner.
The McDonalds were followed by the family of James Mason, who bought the house in 1916 and stayed until about 1945. For some years afterwards, the house reverted to a rental property, owned by Emma Paterson, the widow of the former Lieutenant-Governor T. W. Paterson. Other owners followed including Martha Ann Tolman and Owen Swan, who was connected with Brackman-Ker Milling Co., and later Buckerfield's, for many years.
Later owner, the Van Edens, restored the home to its original condition. Given the number of owners and tenants this house has experienced, it is surprising and gratifying that it has survived to became a "century home."
For many years after the sawmill burned in 1927, the Kerr house was the only building on this block and it was located right in the middle too. It must have been a bleak sight until 1941 when Ladner Lumber sold of its lots and new houses began to be built.
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Thomas Kerr Residence include its:
setback from the property line, on River Road West, consistent with neighbouring residences
residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey height and L-shaped plan
compound gabled roof with closed v-joint soffits, with cedar shingle cladding
wood-frame construction: horizontal wooden v-joint drop siding; dimensional trim boards including cornerboards; elaborate window surrounds with crowns; angled watertable boards; and vertical foundation siding
Late Victorian vernacular style including: elaborate carpenter ornamentation on the verandah; rectangular panels of rounded mouldings on the bargeboards; and glazed, Eastlake style front door with original hardware
additional exterior details such as an internal red brick chimney
fenestration, including double-hung 1-over-1 wooden sash windows with upper-sash horns, and a frosted glass transom above the front door
original interior features such as a central wooden staircase with large, lathe-turned newel posts and balusters, and door and window casings with bulls-eye cornerblocks
associated landscape features such as mature trees at the front property line
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