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Cliff Building
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Cliff Building
28 Sixth Street, New Westminster, British Columbia
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Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Cliff Building is a four-storey plus lower level Edwardian-era masonry commerical structure located on a
steeply sloped site at the corner of Sixth and Clarkson Streets, in New Westminster's historic downtown core.
Heritage Value
The Cliff Building is significant for its contribution to the consistent and distinctive built form of downtown New
Westminster, which dates from 1898 to 1913, when the city was the major centre of commerce and industry for the
booming Fraser Valley area.
Built in 1910, the Cliff Building is valued for its construction history. This prominent structure was built at the
extraordinary pace of one floor per week. The building was composed of B.C. Douglas fir girders, covered with
plasterboard in the interests of fireproofing. The pressed tan bricks used for the exterior cladding came from the
Clayburn brick factory in Matsqui. Other construction brick was manufactured at the Westminster Brick Works.
Typical of commercial buildings of the Edwardian era, the facade has elements of the Classical Revival style. The
double-hung windows cover a great deal of the wall surface, illustrating the desire for ever greater amounts of
glazing and light, and the gradual shift toward a lighter appearance of buildings. It was built during the Edwardian
era building boom for an investment group headed by Ronald Lorraine Cliff (1881-1953), a lumber manufacturer.
The Cliff Building is valued for its association with its architect Henry Sandham Griffith (1865-1943), a prominent
architect with successful offices in both Victoria and Vancouver, known for designing all types and styles of
buildings, from skyscrapers to palatial residences. He executed several commissions in New Westminster including
the Coulthard-Sutherland Building.
Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of New Westminster
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Cliff Building include its:
- location on a steeply sloping site at the corner of Sixth and Clarkson Streets, part of a grouping of late Victorian
and Edwardian era commercial buildings in historic downtown New Westminster
- siting on the property lines, with no setbacks
- form and scale as expressed by its four-storey plus lower level height, recessed central entry on Sixth Street, flat
roof and cubic massing
- smooth dressed sandstone foundation with exterior cladding of pressed tan bricks
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- Classical Revival influence, as demonstrated in: the tripartite facade articulation; vertical brick pilasters with a
solid base, shaft and detailed capital; and intermediate cornices with dentils above the storefronts
- side entry on Clarkson Street with horizontal metal sign above "Cliff Building - 1910"
- regular fenestration, with double-hung wooden-sash windows
- rectangular storefront windows of varied size due to the slope of the hill, with wooden profiles and transoms
- mosaic floor tiles at main entry
- interior elements such as wooden window trim
- interior heavy timber frame structure of Douglas fir beams
Location
Recognition
Province/Territory
Jurisdiction
British Columbia
British Columbia
Street Address
Recognition Authority
28 Sixth Street
Local Governments (BC)
Location
Recognition Statute
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Burnaby
New Westminster
Local Government Act, s.954
Recognition Type
Community Heritage Register
Recognition Date
4/5/2004
Historical Information
Construction Date(s)
Significant Date(s)
1910
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Function - Category and Type
Historic
Commerce / Commercial Services
Office or Office Building
Architect / Designer
Current
n/a
Builder
Henry Sandham Griffith
M.D. Van Der Voort
Additional Information
Related Listing(s)
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Location of Supporting Documentation
Heritage Planning Files, City of New Westminster
Cross-Reference to Collection
n/a
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
Status
DhRr-178
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8/25/2010