This modest but well-detailed house was built as the family home of Walter Mostrenko (1902-1978), a Ukrainian emigrant, and his wife, Anne (1912-2001). Walter Mostrenko was born just outside Lvov and came to Canada in 1922. He met Anne, also of Ukrainian descent, in Manitoba; he played violin in a restaurant where she was the hostess, and fell in love at first sight. Walter worked as a furniture maker but times were hard, and there was very little work. They moved to B.C. in 1929, and Walter worked in the Chilcotins building ranch houses and bunkhouses, saving to buy their own land. They acquired this property and Walter built the house and a small barn on six acres that they cleared by hand. The Mostrenkos had a menagerie of farm animals, and were generous in support of their neighbours who were struggling during the time of the Great Depression. Walter Mostrenko worked extensively as a carpenter and built many local houses and barns. When they moved into this house, there were no services other than electricity and they had to bike to the Crossroads Gas Station at Dewdney and Lougheed to use the telephone. The Mostrenkos lived here for about six years, then moved to a 12 acre site at Lougheed Highway and the old Dewdney Trunk Road, where Walter built a new larger home, a barn and a large workshop.
Modest in its Craftsman style and detailing, the Mostrenko Residence has a side gabled roof, horizontal lapped siding and triangular eave brackets. The triple-assembly front windows with arched central panes are typical of the era. Still set in a rural location, with several mature trees on the property, the house has survived in substantially original condition, with the major change being the enclosure of the front porch.