‘Burrvilla’ is an elaborate and sophisticated two storey plus basement wood-frame Queen Anne Revival style residence. It is part of the Deas Island Park heritage grouping and is situated near the Delta Agricultural Hall and Inverholme School. Similar to its original location, the house is oriented with views towards the Fraser River amidst large expanses of grass and a mixed canopy of deciduous and coniferous trees.
Built in 1905-06 at the corner of 62B and River Road, ‘Burrvilla’ reflects the turn of the nineteenth century economic expansion of Delta's farming industry, and symbolizes the wealth and status attained by the prominent Burr family. It is of great historic importance within the Crescent Island community and is a valuable legacy of Delta’s pioneering origins. The house and its farm were an important centre for community social gatherings for Crescent Islanders and others from Ladner. Also, the Burr property was the location of a steamer landing and briefly housed Crescent Island’s only post office. The house was the most prominent in the area and a well-known community landmark. The man for whom the house was built, Henry Benjamin Burr (known as ‘Harry’), was the son of W.H. Burr who was an early pioneer involved in the municipal incorporation of Delta. Harry Burr began farming on Crescent Island in the 1890s and married Edith Blanche Mitchell, daughter of pioneer Nathaniel Mitchell, in 1899. The house remained in Burr family ownership until 1974.
The heritage value of ‘Burrvilla’ is also associated with its architecture as an excellent and unusually late example of the popular Queen Anne Revival Style. The house represents a transition point between the elaborate Victorian residential styles and the more simplified expressions of the Edwardian era. It was constructed by carpenter, Fred Land, and designer/builder, David Price, who was Harry Burr's brother-in-law.
‘Burrvilla’ is also significant as the 1st heritage designation in Delta (1981). The house was relocated to Deas Island Park in 1982 as part of a heritage grouping with Inverholme School and the Delta Agricultural Hall.