Uncovering Burnaby: The story behind the historic mansion that became the famous Hart House Restaurant

You’ve probably heard of Burnaby’s Hart House Restaurant, which is known as one of the best fine-dining establishments in Metro Vancouver.

Aside from the delicious food, one of the things that stands out about Hart House is that it’s located in a historic mansion.

So what’s the story behind this iconic home-turned-restaurant?

Before it was Hart House, the home was known as the Avalon Residence.

According to Heritage Burnaby, the home was built for a wealthy land developer named Frederick John Hart and his wife, Alice Chapman Hart in 1912.

Hart first came to New Westminster in 1890 and purchased the beautiful lot located on the shore of Deer Lake in 1904 to serve as a summer retreat.

A few years later, in 1912, the Harts decided to build their estate.

The home was expected to be one of the finest in the area as The British Columbian newspaper wrote that it would be “one of the handsomest in Burnaby when completed, costing it is estimated, nearly $50,000.”

The impressive home was designed by Burnaby architect Frank William Macey, who was the city’s first resident architect.

Macey was born and trained in England, and when he moved to Burnaby, he became well-connected with many local businessmen who wanted to build their homes in the Deer Lake area.

“The architectural style of Avalon set the tone for many of the grand mansions in the adjacent residential development—British Arts and Crafts in derivation, with eclectic details, particularly Tudor precedents,” according to Historic Places Canada.

The Harts’ home was designed in a Tudor Revival style and some notable features included roughcast stucco on the home’s exterior, stone and brick finishes, a corbeled chimney, mock battlements, and decorative half-timbering.

In 1917, the Montague Moore family moved into the estate and named it Rosedale Gardens, according to the City of Burnaby. They developed a large farm on the land and were responsible for planting much of the greenery and flowers that surround the property today.

In 1950, the Moores sold the property to Ralph Baker, an oil executive who worked on modernizing the house.

Then, the Charles Riley family purchased the home in the mid-1950s, continuing upgrades and modernization.

The City of Burnaby purchased the property in 1979 and until 1986, it was occasionally used as a film set (and filming still takes place here today).

In 1988, the Hart House restaurant officially opened its doors to the public and Paul Smolen and his wife Carole took ownership of the building. In 1992, Hart House was granted heritage status.

Have you visited the heritage-home-turned-restaurant? Want us to dig into the history of other Burnaby landmarks or buildings? Let us know here.