214 West 6th Street, North Vancouver

OTTAWA GARDENS SHOW HOME

The distinctive heritage home that anchors the east end of Ottawa Gardens was built in 1907 as a show home by the North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company for its Ottawa Gardens development.

Ottawa Gardens is a Heritage Conservation Area located in the City of North Vancouver (CNV) in the 200 to 300 block of West 6th Street between Chesterfield and Jones Avenue. This historic garden subdivision bordering a boulevard is also home to 16 heritage buildings listed on the CNV’s Heritage Register including 214 W 6th St. Ottawa Gardens was designed by the North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company in 1906 to attract affluent and prominent families to the North Shore. Prestige was guaranteed by setting minimum construction cost requirements and restrictions on buildings and landscaping

The North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company, incorporated in 1891, was North Vancouver’s foremost real estate company. The primary shareholders were J. Mahon of England whose brother, Edward, was sent out to be the company’s president, J. Balfour Ker and James Keith. After the company developed Ottawa Gardens, they set their sites on a bigger development and, in 1908, started clearing Grand Boulevard.

The show home at 214 W 6th Street displays an unusual influence of the Italian Renaissance Revival style which was rarely used in the Lower Mainland.  Unique architectural features include a prominent three-storey tower at the entry, exaggerated proportions, and multiple low-pitched rooflines. A decorative 1907 date plaque can be found on the west façade. When constructing 214 W 6th Street, the company hoped the unusual architecture of the home would attract attention to the new neighbourhood and create an example of the grand scale of development that was intended for the area.

Although initially used as a family residence, by 1913, it was being used as the Lynn College for Boys, a boarding and day school, that claimed to provide ‘special attention to morals, conduct and discipline.’ By 1921, it was back to being a family home and the residents were William John Eades and his wife, Hannah Ann. For many years, this A-listed heritage home lay in disrepair hidden behind a large cedar tree and overgrown bushes, and was thought by the neighbourhood kids to be haunted.

In 2013, the house was sold to a developer who wanted to negotiate a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA) with the CNV in order to maximize the building potential on the duplex-zoned lot while also restoring and protecting the heritage house. Unfortunately, after two years of discussions, they could not come to an agreement and the house was sold again. The new owner continued discussions with the CNV and was able to come to mutually agreeable terms in the HRA. In exchange for legally protecting and restoring the heritage house, the CNV allowed a duplex to be built at the rear and a legal suite to be built in the house.

The house was moved forward to make room for the duplex, the trees and bushes obscuring the house were removed, and the wrap around porch that was not original to the house was removed to expose original window details hidden for so many years.

This stunning heritage home now stands proud as it did in the past and serves as a landmark for the historic Ottawa Gardens neighbourhood. It is also an excellent example of creative development solutions that protect a community’s heritage assets while also increasing density and creating more affordable housing options. Instead of a large, fully restored home on a full-size lot that would be unaffordable for most families, there are now 4 families living in the neighbourhood. Another win for heritage protection in the City of North Vancouver!