History of the House
W .A. Kirkland commissioned Ladner architect J. B. Eliot in 1910 to build him
an Edwardian farmhouse on the Kirkland farm property.
Construction on what
would become known as Hawthorne Grove began that year; the house was completed
and the family moved in the following year.
The Kirkland family, prominent in Ladner's political and social life, resided in the house until the 1940s. A Mr. Claire Haynes purchased the property in 1949. Farming on the property ceased in the mid-1950s. The buildings were simply cleaned out and abandoned. The property began to be reclaimed by the blackberries and other plant life. In 1975, Genstar Corporation acquired the property.
The windows were boarded up, and the property fenced off. Genstar, however, did not provide extensive lighting for the property nor did they place a security guard on the grounds on a consistent basis. These lack of security measures made the site an attractive place for vandals and partying teens. The interior of the house was severally damaged by teens: walls were smashed, flooring was ripped up, ceilings had holes punched through. Much of the inside was covered with graffiti and nearly two feet of garbage covered much of the floor.
Outside, the property was a thick tangle of blackberry and bramble bushes that reached right up to the walls of the house. The bridge across the slough was near the point of collapse.
In 1993, initial work began on the house. The grounds were cleared and vital repairs to the slough bridge, the front steps and the roof were made. From that point, work began on both the grounds and the exterior of the house.
In 2004 an exchange of land between the Corporation of Delta and Genstar was organized and Delta gained ownership of Kirkland House. The foundation now leases the house and the property from Delta directly.
Now that Delta owns the house, the restoration process has developed in overdrive. The grounds have been improved. Delta Secondary students constructed a gazebo. Modern washrooms have been installed. The restoration of the main floor proceeds efficiently.