Vancouver uses new power to protect 94-year-old house from demolition

VANCOUVER – The City of Vancouver is using a new tool to protect some of its oldest properties.

A heritage inspection has been ordered for a 94-year-old Tudor-style home on the city’s west side.

It’s the first such order by the director of planning, who is using new powers approved by councillors last fall to protect heritage and character properties.

The house built in 1922 by the same architects who designed city hall was originally constructed as a show home that was “wired for electricity.”

The property in the tony Shaughnessy area was listed for $7.4 million but was taken off the market, and Mayor Gregor Robertson says the city intervened when a demolition permit was requested.

The home cannot be altered, moved or damaged while under the 30-day heritage inspection order.

“Granting temporary heritage protection to this property is an important first step that gives the city time to properly assess its heritage value and character, and I look forward to staff reporting back later this month on next steps,” Robertson says.

“We heard very clearly from the public their concerns regarding the potential loss of the historic (house),” he says in a news release.

The property is not listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register, but is one of the sites nominated as part of the register’s upgrade currently underway.

The city says consultants and staff are reviewing options to encourage the retention of heritage and character homes and will begin public consultation starting in June and continuing through the fall.