The Villa Maris, a pink beacon in the skies of West Vancouver, is one of the most iconic modernist apartment buildings in the Lower Mainland and is a rare Canadian example of New Sensualism, a Miami Beach offshoot of Modernism. From the outside, it screams Miami Modern with its curved wall of parabolic arches and hot pink colour! But what most people don’t know is that the inside is even more “wow”, with many of its original features including a lobby, staircase and pool that was influenced by the Hollywood Regency and Miami Modernism Styles. It’s easy to envision Elizabeth Taylor or Cary Grant sashaying through the lobby, posing by the pool or theatrically descending the staircase! Join us for a virtual walk through the interior!
The Kilbys of Caulfeild
Our guest blogger, Paul Hundal, recently had the pleasure of attending the Centenary Tour of one of the Kilby Houses of Caulfield built 100 years ago in 1924. This event was made possible by the West Vancouver Foundation which supports community-building activities. The house and property have been beautifully maintained in the old English cottage garden style that would have made Francis Caulfeild, the original designer of Caulfeild Cove, proud. The Kilbys themselves are inextricably woven into the social fabric of Olde Caulfeild as one of the original purchasers in 1909 when they built their first cottage as a summer residence.
Beautiful Blackadder Buildings
Take an armchair tour with North Shore Heritage as we look at some of the beautiful buildings in North Vancouver designed by early 20th century architect, Henry Blackadder, as well as his architectural firm with Alexander MacKay, “Blackadder and Mackay”. We’ll look at photos of homes, both large and small and also institutions such as schools and a drill hall, and learn some key points about who lived and worked there as well as design features that make the buildings classic “Blackadder” and “Blackadder and Mackay” designs.
Blackadder Goes Forth. Not ‘Edmund’, but Henry!
Mention the name ‘Blackadder’ and people think of Rowan Atkinson’s character in the BBC comedy series. The final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth, is known for its final scene, called “Goodbyeee,” which sees ‘Captain Blackadder’ and his side-kick, ‘Baldrick’ going “over the top” into the smoke filled no man’s land of the First World War trenches, presumably to their deaths. Crazy as that sounds, there was a real Captain Blackadder from Dundee, Scotland, who was awarded the Military Cross and whose older brother Henry had a very special connection to North Vancouver.
Breeze Block Bandwagon
Breeze Blocks. Screen Blocks. Ornamental Wall Blocks. Call them what you will but these simply designed concrete blocks, when stacked together, create some of most visually impactful patterns which became a signature feature of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Geometric Genius! Luckily, there are still some amazing examples of Screen Block walls today on the North Shore! So, jump on the Breeze Block Bandwagon as we explore its origins, learn about the North American design craze and take an armchair tour of Mid-Century Modern apartment towers in West Vancouver.
185 E. Keith Rd: Classically Beautiful
185 E. Keith Rd in North Vancouver is a unique and beautiful building in the Victoria Park area with Classical architectural features. Built in 1925, its design embodies the Classical ideas of durability, strength and symmetry, and these qualities, paired with its beauty, have made it a heritage landmark in the area for nearly 100 years. This ancient design aesthetic paired well with the Christian Science faith, but is also timeless and without denomination, and can be appreciated by anyone. Learn more about this building and other similar local Christian Science churches as well as a little about the faith that built them.
Putting the Grand in Grand Boulevard!
The Ellis Residence at 800 Grand Boulevard is one of the nicest heritage homes I’ve ever seen! It definitely puts the “Grand” into Grand Boulevard! And this was exactly the goal of the North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company when they first proposed the Grand Boulevard development in 1906. Grand Boulevard was marketed as a high-class residential neighbourhood, with a required minimum building cost of $4000, to ensure a certain size and quality of home. The original homes were mostly built in the arts and crafts style including 800 Grand, which was designed by the architectural firm of Maclure and Fox in a traditional half-timbered Arts and Crafts style. Jenny Morgan, my fellow blog writer, and I were privileged to get a tour of this house earlier this year and after our tour, as we walked back to our cars, she told me this is her “dream” house! I then asked her how we might get ourselves adopted by the current owners, Ken and Jenny Tekano, so we could live there too! The house is stunning, from the first glimpse through the pergola and in every room throughout the house. Read on to see why we fell in love with this home, learn more about the restoration work the Tekanos did (in their own words) and learn about the 15 families who came before them.
The Evolution of the Corner Store
Independent Corner Stores, once familiar features of local life, are gradually fading from our street corners. Owning a corner store often gave newcomers not only a livelihood, but also a roof over their heads and, for many, they served as a gateway business to move up the socio-economic ladder. Although many of the original corner stores are gone, a few still exist as corner stores, while many of them have been re-invented as coffee shops and sandwich shops, which still thankfully serve as local gathering spots.
Pemberton Ave: A Mid-Century Celebration of Colour and Walkability
Walking down Pemberton Ave in North Vancouver you could be easily fooled into thinking you’re back in the 1950s or 1960s if you ignore the modern cars lining the street. Just like the nearby Norgate Park subdivision, whose houses were originally painted every colour of the rainbow, many businesses on Pemberton Ave have continued the mid-century tradition of bright colours to this day. Join us on a virtual tour of this colourful and historic North Vancouver commercial district and also learn why it gets such a great “walk score” from its neighbouring communities.
Lewis Through The Decades
After the publication of my previous blog on Bob Lewis (My Bob Lewis Odyssey), Steve Gairns (my partner in the Lewis Research Project) and I received a lot of emails from owners of Lewis houses who were keen to show off their homes. Visiting these homes has been an odyssey of its own! And what I’ve learned is that the post and beam construction style which was embraced by Bob Lewis for its simplicity and inexpensive building costs, is so functional and versatile that it has allowed homeowners to easily adapt and personalize their homes to styles and standards which suit their lifestyles. Join me as we journey through the decades from an Original Lewis to a Brutalist adaptation.
"Hello?....It's For You"
The small, one story commercial heritage building at 117 W. 1st st. has so many beautiful, decorative features that you’d never guess it started out as one of B.C. Telephone’s North Vancouver offices. Having had many varied uses over its nearly one hundred years of existence, the building currently houses a sushi restaurant, and I was amazed at how nearly all of its original features are still intact and in good shape. Explore this beautiful building with me and learn some history about the telephone boom as well as about the company that helped to make the phone more than just a passing fancy in North Vancouver and the rest of B.C.
Bungalow Love
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘bungalow’? A single-storey home that was hastily constructed to accommodate shipyard workers during WWII? A small non-descript home constructed during the 1950’s and 1960’s? As it turns out, the word ‘bungalow’ and its structure have evolved over hundreds of years, with its most handsome and everlasting version in the form of the Craftsman bungalow. And guess what? We do not need to look any further than the City of North Vancouver to see an amazing collection of these spectacular homes! So, stick with me as I give you a brief history, highlight some of the architectural features and then showcase the bungalows of the City of North Vancouver. And afterwards, I’d be willing to bet that you too might be afflicted with a case of Bungalow Love!
The Bent House has a Story to Tell!
Happy Holidays!
As 2022 comes to a close, we would like to thank you for following our blog!
We hope you have enjoyed the topics we covered in 2022 and that you learned something along the way.
We are always looking for new ideas so if you have any blog topic suggestions that relate to North Shore heritage buildings, landscapes or neighbourhoods, please leave us a comment here.
Enjoy these photos of some gorgeous North Shore heritage buildings taken in last year’s winter wonderland!
Spuraway Heritage Gem!
Jenny Morgan, one of our North Shore Heritage bloggers, and myself share more than a name. We also love old buildings, photography, gardening and on June 21, 2022, we both independently “discovered” Spuraway Gardens at 235 Keith Road in West Vancouver. We missed each other by a few hours but were both super excited to have found this Heritage Gem! Spuraway Gardens is a townhouse development in West Vancouver that was part of the 1960’s “Garden Apartment” urban development trend. But when the developers bought the property, it came with an even older piece of history – Spuraway Lodge, a 1911 log cabin with an impressive list of famous owners/local socialites, who contributed to the development of the North Shore and the lodge itself. If only those walls could talk!
Tudor Revival Style of Architecture
Have you ever found yourself wandering the streets of your neighbourhood, admiring the homes, both old and new, only to wonder what style of architecture a certain home might be? Well, we at the North Shore Heritage Society are here to help! In the next part of our architecture series, we will be looking at the Tudor Revival style.
Ice Cream, Strawberries and Piano Music: A Celebration of the Front Porch on Vancouver’s North Shore
Homes all over the North Shore have front porches and verandahs, but what are these vestiges from the past really about and why were they so important in building community on the North Shore? Find out the answers to these questions as well as read about some of the many wonderful things that took place on these structures on the North Shore in the early 1900s, learn where the idea for the verandah comes from, and discover why they are still so iconic today.
There's No Place Like Gnome: The Story Behind the Storybook Housing Style
Once upon a time in a far away land called Los Angeles, in a time called the 1920s, a new style of house was born. It had many names including Storybook, Hansel and Gretel, and Fairytale, and brought magic and whimsy to the architectural landscape of North America. Join us for this segment of our ongoing architectural series and learn the story behind the Storybook housing style and how it came to the North Shore all the way from Hollywood.
Co-Ownership Saves Historic Horseshoe Bay Cottages
Hip to be Square: The American Foursquare Housing Style on the North Shore
Have you ever wondered about the tall, boxy homes with the unusual roofs on the North Shore? Join us in exploring the ‘American Foursquare’ for Part 3 of our architecture series. Learn why this now old-fashioned looking housing style was considered modern in its day, how it came to be a popular housing style across North America and where to find some examples on the North Shore.