As we stand before the Daniel & Amelia Mowat House, you might just be imagining a quiet farmhouse in the countryside. But this is no ordinary home. This charming Craftsman-style home played a pivotal role in the development of Burnaby, a city now bustling with life just outside of Vancouver. This house, built in 1913 by Daniel and Amelia Mowat, is one of the few two-storey Arts & Crafts residences left in the area.
The Mowats, a prolific family, had already made their mark on Canada, having lived in Regina, Saskatchewan, where Daniel had even served as mayor. Daniel Mowat was a man of many talents, working as a merchant and a farmer. In Burnaby, he went on to operate a chicken farm and later a goat ranch. This home sits near the Central Park interurban rail line, a testament to the transformative arrival of commuter transportation in 1892, which propelled Burnaby’s suburban growth.
The house holds many secrets within its walls, a silent observer of the changing landscape. It whispers tales of a time when Burnaby was a quiet farming community, and the bustling metropolis we see today was just a dream. A small glimpse of the past, preserved for us to truly appreciate the history that shapes the vibrant city of Burnaby today.