HOUSING

HOUSING Music icon’s former home approved for heritage status

by Carlito Pablo

The Vancouver Heritage Commission, which advises city council, gave the green light to an application to designate a home formerly owned by Doug Bennett as a protected heritage site.

Apiece of Canadian rock ’n’ roll history is one step closer to being preserved in Vancouver. e owners of 2146 Semlin Drive applied to Vancouver City Hall to designate the single-family home as a protected heritage property. In exchange for conserving the residence, owners Mike Walker and Adrienne Tanner proposed to subdivide the lot, create two parcels, and develop a new detached home with a secondary suite on the non-heritage parcel. e seven-bedroom home has a 2021 assessment of $2,623,000. Based on tracking by real-estate site Red n, 2146 Semlin Drive was last sold for $1,450,000 on September 2, 2010.

On October 18, Walker and Tanner’s application was approved by the Vancouver Heritage Commission, which makes recommendations to city council.

Formally known as the Kilpin Residence, the property is famously associated with the late singer and songwriter Doug Bennett. e Ontario-born musician and former Georgia Straight art director was cofounder and frontman of the Vancouver-grown rock and roll band, Doug and the Slugs. e band scored radio hits, including “Too Bad”, “Day by Day”, and “Making It Work”.

Bennett passed away in 2004. Ted Okos has taken his place in the group.

Doug and the Slugs cofounder John Burton recalls on the band’s website that he met Bennett at a party in Kitsilano in early 1977. e two went on to create music together.

“I think Doug was one of the best Canadian songwriters of the last 40 years, if not of all time,” Burton wrote. “He wrote about the Canadian experience as only few Canadians could have, or ever did, and deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments along with artists like Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen.” e home was among the properties featured in a 2011 house tour by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

In a guide for the tour, the VHF related that the 1911-era residence was rst owned and built by English-born cra sman George Kilpin. e home sits at a “strategic corner location at the brow of the hill”, commanding mountain and city views. e Kilpin family lived there until 1920.

Other long-term occupants were shoestore owner Harry Wilson and wife Susie. ey were followed by the Scacchi and Fera families.

“In 1987 the house came into the possession of its best known owner and resident, Doug Bennett, the lead singer of the very popular Vancouver group Doug & e Slugs,” the foundation recalled.

“It is said that during the decade that Doug and Nancy Bennett lived here, the dining room walls featured a mural depicting the band’s perspective on the history of Canada,” the VHF continued.

Without mentioning names, the foundation also related that the “current owners had lived in a bungalow in the neighbourhood for 10 years, and were drawn to this house for its generous room size, its panoramic views and the luxury of its private setting”.

“ ey also admired the major rehabilitation conducted by the owners before them, which included the preservation of the home’s comfortable and e cient layout while introducing a few modern improvements,” the VHF stated.

Moreover, “With its amazing setting, and surrounded by granite garden walls, it feels like the kind of home many would aspire to end up in; de nitely a standing testament to the grand homes of Grandview.” g

I think Doug was one of the best Canadian songwriters of the last 40 years…

– John Burton October 21 -28 / 2021

4 COVER

Are there any housing deals left in Metro Vancouver? Find out where to find the lowest prices in several municipalities. By Carlito Pablo Cover illustration by Shayne Letain

7 NEWS

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16 MUSIC

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e Start Here 13 ARTS 18 CLASSIFIED ADS 12 DANCE 8 FESTIVALS 6 FOOD 2 HOUSING 10 JAZZ 15 MOVIE REVIEW 17 SAVAGE LOVE 15 TELEVISION

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