2016 HERITAGE HOUSE TOUR Sunday, June 5th, 10am - 5pm THIS GUIDEBOOK IS YOUR TICKET Welcome to the Heritage House Tour! 2

This Heritage House Tour brochure is your passport the history of our city and offer a vital legacy to carry to explore some very special homes, part of the forward into the future. wonderful variety of historic places in . Nine We hope the 14th annual Heritage House Tour gives stops will take you through diverse neighbourhoods you an inspiring slice of history, architecture and neigh- from Cedar Cottage and Mount Pleasant to the heart bourhood. A big thank you goes to the homeowners of Shaughnessy and west to Kerrisdale and Dunbar, who are opening their homes, to the many volunteers on an architectural journey that takes in the familiar who make the tour possible, both on the day and Craftsman and Tudor Revival styles along with the behind the scenes, and to the generous donors who more daring and unusual Art Moderne. Each house support VHF. If you would like to help as a volunteer or has its story of early residents and later changes but donor, please get in touch. Together we can work for all highlight different ways that heritage homes are a positive future for heritage buildings at the heart of being retained and enjoyed. our neighbourhoods. At Vancouver Heritage Foundation, our purpose is We hope you enjoy the tour! to promote and support heritage conservation. We do this through awareness, education and grants, supporting owners and professionals in taking on and caring for historic places and seeking ways to make it easier. Retaining heritage is smart for the Judith Mosley environment, but also offers far-reaching benefits for VHF Executive Director Vancouver as a vibrant, engaging place to live, work To donate to VHF, please visit our website or stop and visit. Heritage buildings and places connect us to by our Info Booth on June 5th.

photo credit: VHF Heritage House Tour Guidelines Vancouver Heritage Foundation Houses are open from 10am - 5pm only. No latecomers or early birds. Vancouver Heritage Foundation is a registered Photography on tour properties is strictly prohibited. charity supporting the conservation of heritage buildings and structures in recognition of No children under 6 are permitted (infants in front carriers are allowed) and all attendees must have a ticket. their contribution to the city’s economy, sustainability and culture. No food, drink, pets, smoking or cell phone use on tour properties. Washroom facilities are NOT provided at tour homes. Check the map in this guide for www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org recommended public facility locations. Registered charity # 891765968 We regret the tour is not mobility device accessible. VHF reserves the right to refuse entry or ask any visitor to leave who does not adhere to these guidelines. Please be patient as line-ups at homes are possible. Enjoy the opportunity to meet other All house images provided by visitors as you already share a common interest! Martin Knowles Photo/Media unless otherwise noted Please feel free to ask questions of any of our amazing volunteers. What should I bring? This guide. It is also your ticket. Show it at each house to get inside. Appropriate shoes. You are required to remove your shoes at each home, so wear shoes that are easy to get on and off, and wear or bring socks. You may also wish to bring your own reusable bag to carry shoes. A Vancouver street map. The guidebook map is for illustrative purposes only. You will need a Vancouver street map. About VHF & Tour Guidelines 3 House 1 - 1606 E 15th Ave East of Knight St at Fleming St 4 This California-style Craftsman sitting across the house in rough shape. from Clark Park was built in 1907 for Thomas and The Bell house sat vacant for seven years until the Georgina Bell, both originally from Ontario, and current owners stepped in. There were holes in the their son Frederick. Thomas was a sheet metal walls, water damage and a yard filled with black- worker and the owner of Western Sheet Metal berry bushes, morning glory and ivy. However, the Co. on . In the early 1900s, Cedar heritage character was surprisingly intact and a long Cottage was a rural village 5km from Vancouver, restoration process has returned the charm. The a stop on the interurban line to New Westminster, unpainted dark-stained wood of the interior was with a small centre focused on nearby Commercial retained. Linoleum flooring was an enormous task Street. to remove, but the original oak and fir floors were From 1919 to 1948, the home was owned by revealed. A small renovation to the kitchen was printer Frank Smith, who willed the house to done twelve years ago while new bathrooms were his housekeeper, Pearl Dixon. When she passed added just last year. The main living spaces and the away in 1960, she left the home to the Catholic exterior are largely in original condition, including Church who converted it for use as a Catholic built-in cabinetry and fireplaces. A period-style Children’s Aid Society home. In 1911, St. Joseph’s front door was designed by the owners to replace Catholic Church had been built a block away on an institutional steel one. The owners even learned Built 1907 Fleming Street to serve the parish. The home tuckpointing to be able to start painstakingly re- First Owners/Residents Thomas and Georgina Bell was run first by the church and then later by pointingthe the home’s incredible masonry. Over the Heritage Register B provincial government until 1996. The inevitable years the owners have created new landscaping by alterations for this use, including a commercial relocating trees and plants saved from demolition grade kitchen, along with hard wear and tear left sites, completing the rehabilitation of the home. The history of this elegant home, built with its were installed. Many original windows and doors neighbour by local firm Chaytor & Ellis, reflectshad that survived and were restored while others were of many larger houses in Vancouver over the past replicated by Vintage Woodworks in Victoria. The century. It was built for the grand sum of $9,000 and cast-iron radiators and claw foot tub were still in place its early residents were businessmen including a Vice and continue in use, perhaps thanks to the difficulty President, a Funeral Director and a Bank Manager. of removing them. Each stayed for about five years. But in the 1940s, New elements were introduced and essential updates the house’s fortunes changed and it was divided made to complete the rehabilitation. The large stained into as many as eight suites with shared kitchens and glass window in the kitchen was found in an antique bathrooms, a common situation during the war years store and the lighting fixtures purchased to suit and the decades that followed. The generous porch the home. A new kitchen layout takes in an earlier was enclosed along with the sleeping porch above extension onto a rear porch. A significant new ele- to create more rentable space. Successive interior ment is the attic space, previously accessible only alterations chopped up the principal rooms, removed by a ladder. The new stair occupies what was a the hall stair and compromised the structure. small fourth bedroom, and the space also allowed With vision and determination, the current owners for a new closet in the master bedroom. bought the house in 2000 and embarked on restoring A City of Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour it to a single family home, only occasionally doubting acknowledged the significant achievement of restor- the wisdom of the plan along the way. Three failing lay- Built 1912 ing the house. Its ups and downs reflect a century of ers of roofing were replaced with new cedar shingles First Resident August Lang change in its Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. and the porches reinstated. The location of a maid’s Architect/Builder Chaytor & Ellis stair was discovered behind later additions and badly Sponsored by damaged lath and plaster, along with flooring and fragments of wainscoting. Insulation and new drywall VHF Info Booth

House 2 - 3118 Alberta St One block north of W 16th Ave 5 Crown Street: A Small Dispute Over Streetcars and Real Estate By John Atkin 6 End, brought building activity to a dormant Hastings was a hot topic. While real estate agents wanted to Townsite and opened up suburban land to the south. see rail lines constructed near their offerings, the Where the rails went development followed. municipality was trying to do some proper trans- The BC Electric Railway (BCER), a London-based portation planning. In 1912, the big debate for syndicate created from the assets of the failed residents in the north of Point Grey was all about street and interurban companies, built and oper- a six-block long streetcar line proposed for Crown ated the city and region’s transit system until the Street. 1950s. The rail lines laid by the company provided The disputed route came about as a result of C.T. the foundation on which the city was built. Dunbar’s efforts to sell his Dunbar Heights sub- The streetcar followed the property developers division. Apart from the advertisements in local and builders into the forest as they carved out papers extolling the healthful virtues of the cool new neighbourhoods; agreements between and refreshing “salt tang” of the sea breezes from the BCER and real estate men often saw the Burrard Inlet, Dunbar hedged his bets and paid the company paid to lay a line out to a new property BCER a large sum to provide train service through and special trains were hired to bring prospec- his property along Crown Street between 16th tive buyers out to view these new “estates”. and 10th Avenues. Point Grey municipality officials Every proposed or rumoured line that came even thought the Crown Street route inefficient and not Streetcar No. 1309 191-. CVA LGN 1233 remotely close to a new subdivision was heavily serving the larger population of the district well. promoted in advertisements to potential buyers. They wanted to see a route straight up Alma to For the city of Vancouver an expanding street- provide a direct connection to 4th Avenue. car network was important for development and On the west side of the city in the former growth. New rail lines drew people into the West municipality of Point Grey, streetcar service The promise of the streetcar line, pitched in numerous advertisements beginning in 1911, sold hundreds of lots in Dunbar Heights. So when the Dunbar Heights, with the approval of the streetcar municipal council pushed to have the line moved line building activity, saw a number of houses un- LISTED OR DESIGNATED: east to Alma there was considerable opposition. A der construction before the 1913 depression and KEY TO HERITAGE PROTECTIONS AND public meeting called on the matter was attended World War I intervened. Development picked up RECOGNITION by residents and heavyweights such as Alvo von again in the 1920s with handsome English Revival- Heritage buildings can be listed on Vancouver’s Alvensleben, W.R. Arnold of Dominion Trust and style homes filling in many of the remaining lots. Heritage Register (VHR) as well as municipally, Dunbar, who argued that moving the line would The end of the war also brought the streetcar provincially or federally designated. Designa- create considerable hardship for those who had route back for discussion. tion offers protection from alteration or demoli- already invested based on the promise of the Interestingly, by this time the Crown Street route tion whereas listing on the Vancouver Register streetcar. was now considered an inconvenient detour for offers options for retention, but homes can still Others argued over the unsuitability of Alma Street both residents and passengers, and the planners be demolished. Designations can also be used with its steep grades and pointed to the amount of began pushing for a more direct route up the to protect interior elements or landscaping. work it would take to make the street suitable for hill from 10th Avenue. Plans for the new route streetcars. Mr. Arnold pointed out that the property received the endorsement of local residents and Classifications found in this brochure: owners would be negatively impacted financially construction began in 1923. The Dunbar Diversion with any such work. In the end, the Crown street- would wind its way up to 16th Avenue and Dunbar A - Primary Significance (VHR) car line was built, connecting residents to down- leaving Crown to become a quiet tree-lined B - Significant (VHR) town Vancouver via 10th Avenue, Alma Street and residential street. C - Contextual (VHR) 4th Avenue. To the south, the streetcar line ran M - Legally designated by the City of along 16th Avenue to Dunbar Street, south to 41st Avenue and then along 41st Avenue to connect Vancouver with the interurban trains to Steveston.

Crown Street: A Small Dispute Over Streetcars and Real Estate By John Atkin 7 House 3 - 1337 The Crescent Between McRae and Tecumseh Avenues 8 Built 1912 An address on The Crescent had cachet in 1912 as it does today. Moving here from the West End, John William First Owner J.W. Fordham Johnson Fordham Johnson joined others of Vancouver’s social and Architect Kennerly J. Bryan (1912); business elite in moving away from the industry of Burrard John Hollifield (1989) Inlet and up to the manicured landscapes and winding avenues of Shaughnessy. When the house was featured in Builder Meese & Co the Saturday Sunset in January 1914, its elevated position Heritage Register B with commanding views of mountains and ocean were noted alongside its gardens and all modern conveniences Sponsored by for “heating, lighting and ventilation”. The plans were approved in 1911 by the CPR and the house completed in 1912, costing $15,000 to build. J.W. Fordham Johnson (1866-1938) commissioned his home on The Crescent and lived here for five years, joined by his wife Adelaide in 1916. At the time, he was Secretary of BC Sugar. Born in England and trained as a bookkeeper, he had emigrated first to Oregon, then to Vancouver. In 1900, he started at BC Sugar, rising through the ranks to become President in 1920 follow- ing the death of B.T. Rogers’ eldest son Blythe. The Fordham Johnsons later purchased Rosemary at 3689 Selkirk Street, one of Shaughnessy’s most elaborate mansions, after the death of Albert Tulk in 1922, stay- ing until 1931 when Fordham Johnson became the 14th Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. single-family homes. Architect John Hollifield fully THE CRESCENT The choice of Kennerly Bryan as architect for his reconfigured and refitted the interior of the main house was likely due to Bryan’s work designing house to accommodate three generous homes, houses, apartments and industrial buildings for each with an elevator, unusual at the time. The BC Sugar. Bryan trained as a civil engineer in New Tudor Revival character of the exterior and the York and moved to Vancouver around 1908. He is garden setting were largely retained. credited with co-designing the Royal Vancouver Purchasing in 2012, the current owners returned Yacht Club in Stanley Park (1910). He then teamed to a neighbourhood they knew well, but were up with architect William C.F. Gillam from 1912 on. particularly drawn to the combination of historic Their most well-known work is the Kee building and contemporary, rural and urban. They have (1913) in Chinatown, celebrated as “The Thinnest made a few changes of their own to expand the Building in the World” at just 6 feet wide. kitchen and dining spaces, and further connect Shaughnessy Heights was designed by Frederick Later owners were Otto and Katharine Pick, parents them to the living areas. They have also updated Gage Todd (1876-1948), one of Canada’s leading of John Prentice who with Leopold (Poldi) Bentley finishes and enhanced the roof deck. The vision landscape architects and urban planners in the founded Pacific Veneer which later became Canadianof the original designers for The Crescent at the early 20th century. Based on the Garden City Forest Products (Canfor). Otto Pick was President of heart of Shaughnessy and above the growing concept, its layout contrasts to the usual grid the company during the 1940s. The Bentleys lived just city can be fully appreciated. Principal rooms on system of Vancouver, with curving leafy streets, the second floor take advantage of the mature massive lots, generous setbacks and connected a few houses away at 1402 McRae Avenue. arboretum of Shaughnessy Park, while the upper park spaces, including, at its heart, The Crescent, The most recent chapter for this house began in floor has the wide-reaching views that Fordham on a high point above the city. 1989 when it was converted to three strata units, Johnson enjoyed. Photo credit: The Crescent, 1934. CVA Bu P690 (edit) with a fourth built on the grounds. This was an early *Please note only unit 1337 is open on the tour. conversion of this type in First Shaughnessy, done Accessed through the central doorway, the suite at a time when there was less appetite for large is on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

House 3 - 1337 The Crescent Between McRae and Tecumseh Avenues 9 House 4 - 3707 W 2nd Ave At Alma St 10 In its prominent position on Alma Street it is easy bookshelves on the lower stairwell. Manson’s widow, to imagine the social role this house has had in its Elizabeth and the family continued at the house for neighbourhood over the years. It was built in 1914 several years. During the 1960s and 70s, it became by John Morley, but the first occupants were Morrisa rooming house before reverting to a family home. Schaefer and his sister. Schaefer was the principal One of many subsequent residents was the celebrated at Sir William Van Horne Elementary School, which cook, the “Urban Peasant”, James Barber. celebrated its centenary in 2011. One of just a few houses on the block at that time, it was part of a The current owners found the house largely intact cluster of development at the foot of Dunbar Street aside from a few signs of its days as a rooming house. The porch had previously been enclosed to prompted by the 4th Avenue streetcar. extend the living room but the hall and principal The Schaefers were followed in 1925 by Captain rooms retained their unpainted wainscoting, coffered Thomas Manson (1874-1946) and his family. Captain ceilings and broad staircase. They have added some Manson, Master Mariner and Coastal Pilot, came to modern touches including some double-glazing, pot Canada in 1892 from the Shetland Islands in Scotland. lights and a gas fireplace. The dining room fixture A well-liked, jovial man, he enjoyed hosting friends at came from a courthouse in Seattle. A new kitchen the house, particularly for games of bridge and com- includes an eating nook, reconfiguring changes made munity dances held in the basement. On his death, by earlier owners. The biggest change has been to Built 1914-15 his ashes were committed to the sea at what is known add a basement level bathroom and enlarge the First Owner Morris Schaefer as Manson’s Deep, one of the deepest points at the upstairs bathroom, taking space from the landing. Builder John Morley entrance to Howe Sound. He proposed the idea to have a place in the local waters where mariners could “This position shall henceforth and forever be known as, Heritage Register B and called ‘Manson’s Deep’, in honor of our illustrious Sponsored by be buried at sea and many such burials have taken and honorable comrade and friend Thomas Manson, place there. Captain Manson is believed to have left Master Mariner and B.C. Pilot.” a nautical touch on the house with the ship-shape -words spoken at the burial of Captain Manson. This unusual home is remarkable as the earliest known The Barbers stayed until 1943. Later owners divided the use of exposed concrete in residential architecture house for tenants. When current owner and architect in Vancouver as well as one of the best examples of Robert Lemon and interior designer Robert Ledingham early Modern architecture in the city. Built in the Art saw the property in 1988, it was on the Heritage Moderne style, it draws on thought-leading design of Register but at real risk of being lost, particularly the day emerging in Europe and America, and was a real as it straddled two lots. An innovative solution saw departure from the mainstream. The shift to Modernism the house protected and restored as a single-family in residential architecture on the west coast began in home, and a full-sized infill house in complementary the 1930s but really took hold after World War II. Most design added in the rear with a strata arrangement homes of the era continued to be built in more traditional for the two homes. styles. Moderne stripped away the decoration of Art Deco, responding to the economic realities of the period The interior was reconfigured and updated, - mov and a fascination with rapidly changing technology. ing the bedrooms to the ground floor but retaining the living room on the upper floor and adding the As a civil engineer, it is perhaps not surprising that dining room and kitchen there as well. A roof deck Horace Barber was drawn to this new aesthetic form. was created to further enjoy the views. A palette of Constructed with a steel frame of train rails two storeys 1930s-era materials was used to bring the interior to Built 1936 high and poured-in-place concrete, the punched win- life, including exotic avodire wood veneers, mirror, First Owner H.G. and E.M. Barber dows, horizontal railings and vertical elements embody polished plaster and lacquer. A sensitive approach Architect Ross A. Lort (1936); Robert the style. The innovative design and materials highlight retained original openings and wood windows as well Lemon Architect Inc./Ledingham Design the versatility of architect Ross Lort (1889-1968) who, as interior details, hardware and light fixtures where Consultants (1990) during a career spanning sixty years, made a prolificthey had survived. Now celebrating its 80th anni- Heritage Register A (M) contribution of distinctive designs in many building versary, the remarkable Barber Residence continues types across BC. His best-known residential work, Sponsored by to be a landmark in the Point Grey neighbourhood, Casa Mia, was completed four years earlier in opulent and a significant feature in Vancouver’s architectural Spanish Colonial Revival style. tapestry.

House 5 - 3846 W 10th Ave: Barber Residence One block west of Alma St 11 Craftsman Architecture by Michael Kluckner 12 In the language of architectural styles, words like “Modern” and “Craftsman” mean something quite different from their usual dictionary definitions. Even though “Modern” is a 75-year-old style, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it is contemporary, and even though “Craftsman” is ubiquitous – from bungalow masterpieces of a century ago to poorly-built recent townhouses – you can’t help but feel that they are hand-built by gnarled old men clutching vintage tools. Crafts- man is an “architecture of abundance”, of oversized beams and posts and deep eaves, of structural decoration sticking out from every intersection of walls with roofs – exposed rafter tails, carved fascia boards, and the distinctive knee brackets attached to the walls that “support” the fascia boards. It is also an architecture of texture: shingles, rough clinker bricks or granite for chimneys and porch piers, squared columns rather than smoothly finished turned ones. In some houses, half-timbering in a gable is contrasted with roughcast stucco. It is the American Arts & Crafts style, dating from the great bungalow boom in Los Angeles in the early years of the 20th century. Compare it in your mind with a Vancouver Special – an “architecture of parsimony” with shallow eaves, a simple stucco skin and spare interiors. Craftsman houses often feature lavish interiors, with pocket doors, colonnades and built-in cabinetry. The second is a hulking, side-gabled “Swiss Cottage” with a very prominent roof that often INTERESTED IN VANCOUVER’S There are two classic Craftsman house types. One has a gabled dormer above the integral porch. ARCHITECTURAL STYLES? is a front-gabled bungalow with a low-pitched House #2 on Alberta Street is an excellent ex- roof that extends over an integral porch. The well- ample. The more modest home at 2744 Dunbar known row of these “California Bungalows” on 5th (House #6) has the same architectural charac- Avenue west of Bayswater, all built around 1920, teristics as its grand Alberta Street cousin. are this type. Other variations of Craftsman bun- galows include the side-gabled one with a promi- A third type, distinctive to Vancouver’s narrow nent, asymmetrical porch bay such as House #1 at lots, adds Craftsman decorative features onto 1606 East 15th Avenue (pictured below). a front-gabled boxy structure with an attached front porch. It is an updating of the old gabled Find out more about our city’s architecture vernacular style, which had begun to look dated with our Vancouver House Styles web tool. by 1910. House #4 at 3707 West 2nd looks like Explore the common housing styles found a Craftsman because of its brackets; House #7 around our city including defining elements, at 2967 West 42nd has the knee brackets and materials commonly used and the era they exposed rafter tails, but its hipped roof and the were built. Photographic examples make it arches supporting its integral porch make it more easy to identify styles when out in the field. an example of the Arts & Crafts style. Explore the web tool at vancouverheritage- foundation.org/house-styles/ It can become very complex to sort out which house is which style. A “Vancouver Craftsman” is, like much of the city’s housing, something of a hybrid.

Craftsman Architecture By Michael Kluckner 13 House 6 - 2744 Dunbar St At W 12th Ave 14

When Thomas Lees built this house in 1913, he light fixtures in the front rooms. The small den was living next door with his family in a very off the front hall retains its green wallpaper similar home he built just the year before. with a trompe l’oeil tufted design and offers a A carpenter by trade, he built several other favourite place by the fire. houses in the area at a time when it was just The hand-built feel of the home has inspired beginning to develop and an open stream still the owners to introduce special items that flowed nearby. He was helped with the build by reflect their shared interest in travel. Rather than his brother-in-law, Joseph Pritchard. By 1914, seek out period-matched furnishings, they have Thomas and his wife, Lillian had moved their added African and Asian pieces. Hand-crafted children into this house where generations of quilts from family also add their own story to the family would stay for over eighty years. the house while Edison-style light bulbs in the The house is little changed since Thomas and kitchen offer a modern reminder of the newness Lillian’s day. The current owners purchased it of electricity in homes when the house was built. in 1997 from the great-granddaughter of the Wrapped by garden on all sides, the Lees original owners and have used a light touch House has a special feel to it. A clever and in making it their own, adapting it gently and graceful entry sequence of hedges and steps adding modern accents. They were drawn to the connects the house and its landscape, and new house for its many original details with few signs work in the south garden will augment that. Built 1913 of renovation or attempts at modernization. The There is also thought to be a ghost which only First Owner/Builder Thomas Lees interior wood finishes had never been painted adds to the current owners’ sense of being Heritage Register C while built-ins and the original windows have custodians of this well-preserved gem. Sponsored by all been retained. The cast-iron radiators still heat the house and other details are treasured including push-button light switches and the VHF Info Booth With the establishment of the municipality of Point protection from demolition, and a sympathetically- Grey in 1908 and the opening of its first school, designed three-bedroom coach house by architect now Kerrisdale School, that same year, residential Allan Diamond was added in 1990, an early example development of the area got underway. This sub- of this type of development. stantial family home was built by 1912 and accoun- Over the years, a variety of alterations had been made, tant, Ernest Munton, his wife, Frances and their but stepping in through the front door today, the three children were the first known residents who original design is strongly in evidence. New owners, stayed until the mid-1920s. English-born Ernest working with Smallworks, have carefully revealed the Munton came to Canada around 1908 and worked historic character and fabric. The second floor balcony, downtown at Johnston Brothers then later at previously enclosed, has been restored and stained Malkins grocers, perhaps taking advantage of the glass windows in the kitchen, found in the attic, have streetcar service on 41st Avenue and the interur- been reinstated. The kitchen has been updated within ban along the Arbutus Corridor for his commute. the same footprint as have the bathrooms, replacing Planned before the First World War, the house has 1960s era renovations. Family-made heirloom furniture both a principal staircase and a back service stair mingles with vintage and modern pieces, including leading up to the attic, suggesting it was built with antique light fixtures sourced on the west coast. The the expectation of domestic live-in help. dramatic dining table was made by the owner’s grand- More recent owners were Peter and Mary Stovell father who salvaged the timbers from the sunken 19th Built c. 1912 who lived here from 1965 for nearly fifty years.century A ship the Euphemia which served temporarily as a floating jail for the City of San Francisco. First Owners Ernest and Frances Munton UBC Professor and veterinarian, in his retirement Heritage Register B (M) years Peter Stovell contributed significant research inAlong with restoration and renewal, a spacious self- Sponsored by composting methods and was known affectionately contained basement suite was created, featuring the SMALLWORKS as the “Compost King of Kerrisdale”. During the exposed masonry walls of the foundation. Now three We build beautiful small homes Stovell tenure, the house was designated, providing households enjoy this historic Kerrisdale home.

House 7 - 2967 W 42nd Ave Also 2961, Between MacKenzie and Carnarvon Streets 15 House 8 - 2610 Marine Cres Just south of W 49th Ave 16 Built 1927 This large Tudor Revival style house was built for First Owner F.R. Arkell Frank Reginald Arkell and his wife. The Welsh-born accountant married Winnifred Fraser in 1907, one Architect B.C. Palmer of ten children of a pioneer family, born in 1880 on Builder Dominion Construction Co. Carrall Street, then in the Townsite of Granville. By 1927, Arkell was doing well enough to have Heritage Register B this impressive home designed and built for Sponsored by his family, commissioning a well-known architect, Bernard Cuddon Palmer, with the construction said to have been overseen by Charles Bentall himself, President of Dominion Construction. At the time, this enclave in the municipality of Point Grey was a fashionable location for a new home, away from the growing city and with far-reaching views to the south and west. However, the Arkells did not stay long. Frank Arkell was reportedly not happy with the view, or perhaps it was the smell of Mr. McCleery’s dairy barns nearby, and he moved his family to West 35th Avenue in South Shaughnessy. He later became Vice President and General Manager of Kelly Douglas Co., a large wholesaler. By 1930, the Arkells had sold to George and Juliet Thompson who loved the property and stayed for two made this their family home for forty years now and decades. The extensive gardens, unusual now in this have carefully retained its historic character. suburban context, are a significant feature of the home. Various details indicate the wealthy lifestyle it was The Thompsons introduced much of the landscaping designed for, including a call system for the staff, a including the formal sundial-plan rose garden, importing service stair and a former chauffeur’s suite, dressing varieties from England. Many of their plantings still rooms rather than closets, and cedar cupboards in survive today. A grass tennis court was fitted in on the basement to store furs. A suite that had been the only flat area behind the house. Paved walkways added on the main floor, extending into the garden, were laid when Mrs. Thompson became confined to a was removed. After two kitchen renovations, a new wheelchair so she could continue to enjoy her beloved addition has created a generous open plan kitchen gardens. In the early 1950s, Sydney Smith, a retired and family room that takes in the former butler’s Vice President of MacMillan Bloedel Lumber Company pantry. The sensitive design delivers the space and and his wife Hannah purchased the house, staying until convenience they need to entertain visiting family 1975. They are thought to have had the dining room and grandchildren, while preserving the more formal murals painted by local artist Henry Furtch in the early principal rooms of this estate home. 1960s. In 1975, the current owners were settled in a lovely new home in Burnaby and had no plan to move. But that all changed after they viewed the house on a June afternoon with a realtor friend, “just for the fun of it”. Other offers had been made on the property that F.R. Arkell, 190-. COV Archives Port P1820 would have seen it redeveloped. Instead, they have

House 8 - 2610 Marine Cres Just south of W 49th Ave 17 The Estate Homes of South West Marine Drive By Donald Luxton 18 wealthy, and the southern reaches of Point Grey – Dr, B.C. Palmer, 1918-19). As the economy im- originally farms and industrial land – proved ideal proved throughout the mid-1920s, many other for the development of grand estate homes. In grand estates were developed, such as WilMar 1912, Benjamin Rogers drove Charles Bentall “out (2050 SW Marine Dr, Benzie & Bow, 1924-25) to the country” to show him the remote farmland and the Buckerfield Residence (2040 SW Marine he had purchased at and 57th Dr, Townley & Matheson, 1926). Avenue; his grand estate home, Shannon, was After the Crash in 1929, capital was still concen- designed by architects Somervell & Putnam, and trated in the hands of wealthy individuals who would not be completed until 1925. Other es- used the downturn in the economy, and the sub- tates built at this time included Oakhurst (950 W sequent deflation in labour and material costs, 58th Ave, R. Mackay Fripp, 1912), the Arthur J. Welch Residence (2280 SW Marine Dr, J.P. Mathe- son & Son, 1912) and the Barton Residence (2194 SW Marine Dr, Maclure & Fox, 1913). Significantly, these estates included large detached garages, usually with quarters for the chauffeur. One of the most desirable places for these grand estates was the escarpment along South West Marine Drive WilMar, 1929. Leonard Frank. VPL 5068 that overlooked the Fraser River, with land that As the economy boomed during the Edwardian era, sloped down to the riverfront. the elite who had moved originally to Shaughnessy The outbreak of war in 1914 stalled domestic con- Heights looked even farther afield to build even struction, but more mansions began to spring up grander estates on huge “country” properties. right after Armistice, including the majestic Blythe Automobiles were now available to Vancouver’s and Alix Rogers residence, Knole (2206 SW Marine Buckerfield Residence, 1936. Leonard Frank. VPL 16094 to build their estates. Two of the grandest and expensive white Cord automobile. By mansions were commissioned by the Reifel 1923, Benzie had formed a partnership with Brothers, Rio Vista (2170 SW Marine Dr, B.C. William Bow (1882-1956). Benzie was more Palmer, 1929-30) and Casa Mia (1920 SW outgoing than Bow, and had the right social Marine Dr, Ross Lort, 1932). Casa Mia was connections to bring in the business; their one of the largest and most lavish houses practice flourished until Benzie’s premature ever built in Vancouver, and George Reifel death in 1930. Seeking a new partner, Bow paid for everything in cash. Lort supervised was naturally drawn to the outgoing Bernard the construction, and one Friday, Reifel, who Cuddon Palmer (1875-1936). Well-connected hadn’t paid the architect for a while, peeled to the cream of Vancouver society, and a $1,000 banknote off a huge roll of bills and eminently suited to the role of business handed it to Lort, who took it home, and hid promoter and “front man”, Palmer had pre- it under the bedroom carpet under one leg viously worked for Maclure & Fox on many of the bed. He and his wife took turns sitting of their grand Edwardian-era commissions. on the bed until Monday when he could take Other architects who designed grand estate it to the bank. No one at the bank had ever houses included the supremely talented Ross seen one before. Lort (1889-1968), and the prolific practices of Sharp & Thompson and Townley & Matheson. The years between the two world wars were Collectively these grand estate houses of a time of traditionalism in domestic archi- the early 20th century represent the power tecture, and it was considered the height of and wealth of Vancouver’s elite, but also the good taste to commission estate homes in Marine Drive near the Fraser River, 1918. COV Archives Str P334 height of sophisticated architecture, fine historical styles. The best architects in the city craftsmanship, grand landscapes and the use were hired, including the flamboyant James of superb materials. A. Benzie (1881-1930), who drove a flashy

The Estate Homes of South West Marine Drive By Donald Luxton 19 House 9 - 2050 SW Marine Dr: WilMar at W 63rd Ave 20 WilMar has been empty for nine years and is unfur- two of their daughters, then by their granddaughter, nished. This is a rare opportunity to see the house Judith Jardine, daughter of their youngest, Gladys before any updating and restoration takes place. who was one of Vancouver’s first female barristers. This large estate home was built for Willard and Judith was the only grandchild and remained at Mary Kitchen on the bluff at the edge of the city. WilMar until her death in 2006. Having led a quiet As Vancouver grew, they joined other wealthy life, in her will she provided a remarkable gift of the Vancouverites seeking a more rural setting and house and the family fortune of $40 million primar- moved here from Shaughnessy with their four ily to the Vancouver Foundation.This is the largest children. Willard Kitchen (1860-1937) was a direc- gift ever received by the Foundation and one of tor of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway whichthe later largest in BC history. became BC Rail. An engineer from New Brunswick, In over eighty years, few changes were made to he built a successful career as a contractor on the WilMar. The original layout remains along with railways, taking on large-scale projects across the built-in cabinetry, leaded glass, panelling, tile work country and landing in Vancouver by 1914. Kitchen and an early telephone and intercom system. Af- commissioned important local architects James A. ter World War I, interiors were more restrained in Benzie and William Bow to design the Tudor Revival decoration, reflecting changing economic -condi style house and grounds. The design made use of tions and less domestic help, and this can be seen quality local materials and craftsmanship, includ- photo credit: VHF here. However, at 9,000 square feet on two acres, ing patterned brickwork and interior panelling in it is a fine house and remains largely intact today. Built 1924-25 exotic wood. A separate matching coach house was Since 2006, the house has sat empty, awaiting a First Owner Willard Kitchen designed to accommodate car and chauffeur, an im- plan for renewal and restoration. A new owner is Architect Benzie & Bow portant new requirement for the rural estate location. now moving forward with plans to restore WilMar Builder W.W. Bailey Three generations of the Kitchen family lived in the as two dwellings and add single-family houses on Heritage Register B house beginning with Willard and Mary, followed by the grounds.

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2700 – 700 W Georgia St Vancouver V7Y 1B8 Dunbar - 3601 W 16th Ave 604 244 0421 Point Grey - 3707 W 10th Ave 604 733 3000 1662 W 75th Ave Vancouver V6P 6G2 604 484 1700 - 1838 W Broadway 604 734 4131 South Granville - 1586 W Broadway 604 734 7722 604 261 5619 www.ahbl.ca Clark Drive - 1073 Clark Dr 604 255 1800 - 932 W King Edward Ave 604 734 3224 [email protected] Kerrisdale - 6111 West Blvd 604 264 9255 Dunbar Street - 4446 Dunbar St 604 736 8855 www.jakobsenassociates.com Main St - 4464 Main Street 604 872 5275 Southlands - 5540 Dunbar St 604 266 5433 Boundary Rd - 1747 Boundary Road 604 299 1860 Main Street - 4226 Main St Coming Soon! www.benjaminmoore.com www.buntaininsurance.com

Sponsors Thank you for supporting the 2016 Heritage House Tour 21 Sponsors Thank you for supporting the 2016 Heritage House Tour 22

Local Sponsor SMALLWORKS Vintage Woodworks We build beautiful small homes 6701 Oldfield Rd, Saanichton BC, V8M 2A1 778 351 3151 www.vintagewoodworks.ca

Investing for Generations We Build Beautiful Small Homes Independent. Local. Personal. Resources For over 90 years, Odlum Brown Smallworks is Vancouver’s premier Meaning “only” in Latin, our name British Columbia City Directories Limited has been offering investment laneway home builder. Utilizing our Solus reflects that we provide only 1860-1955: Vancouver Public Library solutions and guidance to help our more than 10 years of design and customized, personal trust and vpl.ca/bccd clients achieve their goals. We provide build experience, we craft custom estate services to British Columbians. Biographical Dictionary of Architects disciplined advice and objective value- small homes as well as laneway Whether it is in an Executor, Trustee, in Canada, 1800-1950 (online) based research with a singular focus houses, personalized to each or Power of Attorney role, we are a on clients; a full range of investment homeowner’s needs, tastes and truly independent trust company. City of Vancouver Archives products; and financial, retirement and lifestyle. Luxton, Donald, Ed. Building the West: estate planning services through our The Early Architects of British Columbia. wholly-owned subsidiary, Odlum Brown Talonbooks, Vancouver, 2003 Financial Services Limited. For all your investment needs, call us today. Royal BC Museum, BC Archives: Genealogy royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Vancouver House Styles 1100 - 250 Howe St Vancouver V6C 3S9 2 - 116 W 8th Ave Vancouver V5Y 1N2 1201 – 510 W Hastings St Vancouver V6B 1L8 www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/ 604 669 1600 604 264 8837 604 683 5949 house-styles www.odlumbrown.com www.smallworks.ca www.solustrust.com [email protected] [email protected] VanMap: 1912 Goad’s Fire Insurance Map vancouver.ca/vanmap HERITAGE SITE FINDER WALKING TOURS Discover the heritage found in your own neighbourhood April 23 to October 15, 2016 Many of the homes on the 2016 $15/each inc. tax HERITAGE SITE FINDER Heritage House Tour are listed on the Join an experienced guide for a walk through interactive map Vancouver Heritage Register. You can Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and architecture. find out more about these sites, and Learn about the social history that shaped all of the over 2,200 sites listed on the neighbourhoods or hear how art movements, Register, using our interactive map, zoning and city planning shaped the look and the Heritage Site Finder. Over a year feel of our city. photo credit: VHF VANCOUVER HERITAGE FOUNDATION of development and a dedicated team of volunteers have made this project possible, with new images and research added all the time. The map is also mobile friendly. ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE SALE June 18, 2016 Visit the map at vancouverheritagefoundation.org/map Come see the many architectural antiques and VHF Info Booths June 5th ONLY salvaged items we have for sale! We will have a 9am - 3pm large collection including lighting fixtures, wood Both Info Booth locations will offer ticket sales, pre-purchased ticket doors and windows, metal hardware and various pick-up and information on June 5th. fixtures and fittings. All proceeds support VHF’s educational programming. Booth 1 - 3118 Alberta St Booth 2 - 2744 Dunbar St photo credit: VHF

Upcoming Events 23 Thanks 24 The Heritage House Tour takes a large team 2016 HERITAGE HOUSE TOUR VOLUNTEERS Deb McGerrigle Karen Russell of people to organize and put on each year. as of April 29, 2016 Stephanie McWilliams Yuko Sakata This year’s tour has involved the efforts of over Tom Mills Lindsay Salt 180 volunteers. A big thank you to our 2016 Jack & Debbie Allen Betty Fussell Elizabeth Minish Mary Lou Schootman homeowners for welcoming us into their homes! Sharon Annesley Bonnie Gabel Craig & Jill Moberg Roel Schootman Faran Asgharpour Miri Garaway Karly Morgan House Searchers: Jo Scott B Carol Attenborrow Iryna German Patricia Morris Heather and Richard Keate, Robert Lemon, Karen Seaboyer Megan Balmer Susan Gifford Corry-Ann Neilands Mollie Massie, Beth Seaton, Barbara Vanderburgh, Nancy Singbeil Don Bishop Sarah Gillies Mark Newman Elana Zysblat and VHF Staff Ann-Marie Spicer Jessica Blesch John Godfreyson Sandra North Ellen Stewart House Researchers: Christiane Bouchard Carol Gordon Adele Oliver Tunde Szoke VHF Staff with the COV Archives, Gerry Boyce Sharon Griffin-West Christine Pearce Hillary Taylor www.vancouver.ca/archives Christine Bowers Alice Guo Bruce Pedersen Melania Taylor Kevin Bowers Imbi & Phillip Harding Guidebook: Chris Petty David Toole Adrienne Brown June Harrison Barbara Radlgruber April Underwood Writing, Editing and Design unless otherwise Carol Bruce noted: Paul Hayes Kathy Reichert Dorothy Watters Jan Bruno VHF Staff James Higgs Elizabeth Reilly Lindsay Wilkinson Gloria Burgess Sheila Hill Sandra Riddell Copy Editing: Claire Williams Sheila Butt Jo-ann Hilton Eleanore Robinson Jana Tyner Evelyn Wong Anna Camporese Jeannette Hlavach Steve Robinson Helen Wood Photography: Martin Knowles Photo/Media Christine Cassidy Susanna Houwen Trenton Rodney Rai Yasir www.mkphotomedia.com Miguel Castillo Philip Howden Steve Rom Stanley Zhao Carrie Chan Livia Huang Jim Ross Daren Zuk Paper: RR Donnelley Sharon Cheney Kelvin Huget VHF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Victor Chow Heidi Hunchak Research Consultants and Contributors: Stacy Bhola-Reebye John Quinton Laurel Coghlin-Newman Heather Hyde John Atkin, Allan Diamond, Patrick Gunn, *Elisabeth Donnelley Brian Roche Nicki Collingwood Joanne Ingledew James Johnstone, Michael Kluckner, Donald David Dove Jim Ross Ada Con Cristina Jacob Luxton, Hugh McLean and Judy Oberlander *Marta Farevaag Karen Russell Wanda Cottrell Jan Johnston **Chris Gorczynski **Eleonora Sermoneta Joan Coughlin Barbara Jones Marketing Distribution: Heather Keate **Rick Stonehouse Michael Croteau Misty Jorgensen Harry Wong Robert Lemon Barbara Vanderburgh Alan Deeth Tamara Kabakova Michael MacLean House Sign Sponsor: Brenda Draney Marcia Kawaguchi Rima Martinez-Bakich Dexter Realty Colleen Eaton Alison Keenan Daryl F. Nelson Zelma Edgar Diana Kilgour Bob Elwin Gay Kuchta *Retired April 2016 Lexie Evers Desiree La Cas **Appointed April 2016 Marta Farevaag Chi Le Martin Ferries Judith Levy VHF STAFF Linda Fleck Anne Lidstone Judith Mosley Executive Director Dal Fleischer Bonnie Low Rebecca Bishop Programming Manager Carol Flynn Ursula MacLeod Barbara Fousek Sue Magnan Kathryn Morrow Communications Manager Pamela Francis Kathy Mair Lisa Wilson Special Projects Coordinator Connie Frederiksen Val Mayne Caili Bell Administrative Assistant photo credit: VHF Yvonne Furano Kim McCarthy Thanks 25 Map 26

THIS MAP IS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY

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5 6 3 2 1 7 LEGEND SUGGESTED WASHROOM FOOD STOPS LOCATIONS Roads VHF will have cold drinks 8 Trout Lake Community Centre and snacks available for Recognized Bike 3360 Victoria Dr purchase at both Info Booths Routes while supplies last, including Suggested bike Vancouver Public Library: Kitsilano a selection of donuts from connector route 2425 Macdonald St Cartems Donuterie.

Tour Houses Kerrisdale Community Centre 5851 West Blvd VHF Info Booth 9 VHF INFO BOOTHS (pg 23) smiles. conversations. donuts. Suggested Washrooms 3118 Alberta St (House #2) 2744 Dunbar St (House #6) Food stops Map 27 402 - 510 W Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6B 1L8 vancouverheritagefoundation.org [email protected] 604 264 9642 1 1606 E 15th Ave 4 3707 W 2nd Ave 7 2967 W 42nd Ave Registered Charity # 891765968 THANK YOU TO OUR 2016 SPONSORS

SMALLWORKS We build beautiful small homes 3118 Alberta St 3846 W 10th Ave - 2610 Marine Cres 2 5 Barber Residence 8

This guidebook is 1337 The Crescent 2744 Dunbar St 2050 SW Marine Dr - your ticket 3 6 9 WilMar