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City of Vancouver Heritage Awards: 36 Years of Excellence in Conservation I t’s a little-known celebration of Vancouver’s heritage and history, a night honouring the architects, community organizations, developers and ordinary citizens who go to extraordinary lengths to preserve the unique outlook and vision that define this West Coast city. Celebrating their 36th anniversary, the City of Vancouver Heritage Awards take place every two years in spring to acknowledge special achievements in furthering the City’s heritage conservation goals. Among the 2015 cohort of winners announced last month, residential restoration made an impressive showing for sheer outside-the-box thinking and vision. Here are the highlights.
Jeff’s Residence: People’s Choice Located in Vancouver’s popular Grandview-Woodlands (aka The Drive) neighbourhood, this stately manor was once the home of Dr. Jeff, a prominent doctor and city coroner. Upon his death it was converted into a rooming house, until the 1907 structure was reimagined as six dramatic apartment homes plus a one-of-a-kind, turreted penthouse. The building was also shifted 15
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feet toward the street to allow construction of much-needed infill townhouses. As a bonus, the grand lawn that used to play host to exquisite garden parties, in the days when this neighbourhood rivalled Shaughnessy for prestige, has been restored to prominence.
Opsal by Bastion Developments: Award of Recognition Located at Quebec Street and East 2nd Avenue, Bastion garnered its award for restoring the Opsal Steel Building, originally built in 1918 for the Columbia Block and Tool Company. Once a star among Vancouver’s rising industrial presence, the barn-like structure had suffered the ravages of decades of neglect. Rather than put it under the wrecking ball, Bastion meticulously took the heritage building apart, piece by piece, numbering and documenting each component so it could be put back together and begin a new life as a social hub for the two residential towers now rising on either side. Original cladding was reused in the interior courtyard, the iconic
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exterior signage was restored, and the rare giant Douglas fir beam used to support the gantry crane has been preserved. The crane itself will become an intriguing part of the building’s public art.
Yale Hotel: Award of Honour Also proving that with careful design old and new can coexist, the revitalized Yale Hotel in downtown Vancouver is an integral part of Rize Alliance Properties’ tower residence, The Rolston. For many years one of the grand old ladies of the City’s blues and jazz scene, the hotel received an interior and exterior restoration plus extensive seismic upgrades. The Rolston too has already garnered multiple awards for its distinctive, playful architecture and innovative design.
662-668 Union Street: Award of Recognition Two Strathcona heritage homes were reborn as showcases of modern-day energy efficiency and gentle densification, with townhouse and coach house additions. All seven homes maximize passive solar oppor-
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tunities through state-of-the-art sustainability features, including solar hot water and a drainwater heat-recovery system. The two residences were repositioned 60 feet further back on the site and now have new foundations and a basement. Although the homes were never planned for presale, response was so positive that all units were accounted for prior to completion.
Prefontaine House: Award of Recognition Built in 1902, this early example of residential growth in the South Cambie neighbourhood was designed in the Edwardianera architectural style and built primarily from local, easily obtained materials. This in-situ restoration preserved this house’s character and much of its original integrity. A welcome surprise came when the asbestos cladding from an earlier renovation was removed to reveal most of the original wood siding could be restored and retained. Now fully restored, this house presents a historically accurate example of early residential architecture in Vancouver.
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