256 East 6th Street, North Vancouver

MCNAIR RESIDENCE

James Archibald McNair (1866-1942) from Jacquet River, New Brunswick came to British Colum­bia with his two brothers, Robert and William, in 1892 in hopes of getting better jobs and finding their fortunes.

The McNair brothers established a shingle mill at Hastings which is in the general vicinity of the Hastings Racetrack at the PNE. By 1906, James was a partner in the McNair Fraser Lumber Company which had expanded greatly and had an extensive shingle mill operation in Lynn Valley and six shingle mills in Washington in the United States. James had established himself as a prominent manufacturer and lumberman on the West Coast and was known as the “Shingle King of the Northwest.”

He was also involved in investment and brokering and served as the Ferry Commissioner for North Vancouver. James McNair, his wife, Minnie, and their two children, Lilian and Murray, were prominent members of the North Vancouver community during its formative years in the early 1900’s. In fact, Lilian was the first May Queen celebrated on Victoria Day in 1909 in Victoria Park.

The McNair Residence at 256 E 6th St is a large two and one-half storey plus basement Foursquare estate home built by James McNair in 1907. This heritage house is a fine example of the grand mansions of the Edwardian era and features a large wraparound verandah that took advantage of the stunning views the house had of Vancouver Island, Washington State, English Bay, Vancouver and McNair’s mill at Hastings. The estate size property was originally landscaped with pools, shrubs, fruit trees, and even had a stable. Many of the wood mouldings, casings, banisters, newels, verandah posts, and spindles, both inside and outside the home, were stock items supplied by McNair’s Vancouver mill.

An article in the News- Advertiser on March 11, 1908, described McNair’s newly built house: “The new $15,000 residence in North Vancouver of Mr. James A. McNair, of the McNair Lumber Company, is finished and now occupied by the builder. Mr. McNair has spared noth­ing to make this one of the finest houses on the Coast. From cellar to garret, the in­side has been finished in elaborate style, some of the wood used being imported from Australia. The wide staircase in the front hallway is in itself a work of art, and is composed of oak and walnut. The house is situated in the centre of nine lots on 6th Street East, fronting Victoria Park, com­manding a fine view of the Inlet and Gulf.”

After the McNairs sold the home, it was converted to a senior’s home known as the Four Seasons Guest Lodge. Numerous alterations occurred over the years with porches being enclosed and additions added. Most of the individual lots surrounding the house had been sold as single-family lots.

In 1993, the Brody Development Corporation had acquired most of the original McNair estate to restore the heritage home as the centrepiece of a 58-unit townhouse de­velopment called McNair Park. In exchange for the legal protection of the house, the CNV rezoned the property to allow for the construction of the townhouse development. In 1996, the developer received a Heritage Award from the City of North Vancouver and a Heritage BC Award for the restoration of this grand heritage home.

The restoration and legal protection of the McNair Residence and the rezoning of the property to allow multi-family construction is another excellent example of a win-win heritage development for the community and the City of North Vancouver.