W.H. KEARY COTTAGE
375 Keary Street
Built 1891

This is the Keary cottage’s second time on the tour, a restored jewel in New Westminster’s historic Sapperton neighbourhood.

This once notorious rental house has been lovingly revamped by its current owner who has undone a history of remuddling to successfully renovate a potential tear-down into a charming home. Kudos to her because this Victorian cottage is a significant part of New Westminster’s architectural heritage. It is one of five cottages on the block designed by the celebrated B.C. architect Samuel MacLure and his then-partner Richard P. Sharp. These five cottages were constructed at a cost of $5,000 for city entrepreneur William H. Keary, who saw the revenue potential for renting cottages to families who wanted to live closer to their work place, such as the local Royal Columbian Hospital and the Brunette Sawmill.

Since its last appearance on tour in 1997, much has been accomplished.
An upstairs has been added with a roof deck that affords river views.
Note original fir beams visible in the ceiling. The spindles and railings are salvaged from a Fraser Valley farmhouse. Downstairs, the TV room, for lack of a more accurate description, now has a built-in bookcase made from the 100-year-old stair tread and mouldings salvaged from the aforementioned farmhouse. The new old kitchen has circa 1970s cabinets that have been cleverly painted to look like beadboard.

Outside the front porch has been designed, in scale and period, after a
balustrade railing from a Vancouver church. The exterior of the house,
painted white in 1997, now has an elegant, distinct colour scheme.
The landscaping continues to be inventive and lush evoking a lovely cottage garden within its urban setting. The combination of greenery and richly coloured exterior would certainly meet ol’ Bill Keary’s
approval.