620 West 15th Street, North Vancouver

Vance residence

The Vance Residence, built in 1910, is a two-and -a-half storey, wood-frame house, located at the end of a cul-de-sac adjacent to Mahon ravine.

The Vance Residence is significant for its Edwardian era architecture which includes the tall prominent side-gable roofline, the front facing gable and the wrap-around verandah. The house typifies the transition from a more ornate Victorian residential style to Edwardian.

The heritage value of the Vance Residence is associated with its first resident, George Washington Vance, and his family. Vance served as an Alderman, Mayor and Commissioner of the City and District of North Vancouver. Before entering politics, Vance was active in real estate and had an office at 8th and Lonsdale. Members of the Vance family lived in the house until 1987.

In 1988, the City of North Vancouver approved rezoning of the property to allow a five-unit townhome development. This included the original Vance Residence and four new infill townhomes with exteriors designed to reflect the Edwardian exterior of the heritage home. In return, the Vance Residence received legal protection in the form of a Heritage Designation. It is now also listed in the Canadian Register: 2005/03/10 as an A-ranked building http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2416