Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Vancouver Sun - Pioneer farm house in Cloverdale moves 350m for condo development



"A farm house belonging to a prominent pioneer family in the historic centre of Surrey has been moved to a new site nearby because of a condominium project.

The Bose family home, where former mayor Bob Bose grew up, has been moved from its spot at 16390 64th Avenue in Cloverdale, to new foundations about 350 metres away.

The farm house, built in 1924, will undergo heritage revitalization, along with a milk shed and potato barn, with three buildings incorporated into the new condo development on the Bose farm. The farm house will be used as guest suites for The Ridge at Bose Farms condo development; the potato barn will become an amenity centre; and the milk shed will become a tool shed.

The new development will have 253 condo units in four buildings of four storeys in height.

Henry Bose, the Bose patriarch, was born in London, England, in 1868 and arrived in Canada in 1890. He put down farming roots the area two years later, and served as Surrey mayor from 1905 to 1909.

The wooden house was built with two floors, but had another added in 1939 after a fire destroyed the cedar shingle roof. Roger Bose, Bob Bose’s twin brother, remembers that his bedroom was on the top floor looking east.

In its heyday, the Bose family farm was a centre of activity, according to Roger Bose.

“We used to have barbecues in the bush for 150 people,” he said.

“In the 1940s, we had more winter than we had now. It would freeze up. There were be 400 to 500 people in the fields ice skating.”

The Bose family was in the dairy business for more than 60 years, and were considered to have one of the best Holstein dairy herds in the Fraser Valley.

A total of three generations of the Bose family farmed the land until 2009, when it was divided into two lots, with one being sold for the development.

Bob Bose was first elected to Surrey council in 1978. He was elected mayor in 1987, 1990 and 1993."

Read the full article in Vancouver Sun here.