Heritage Vancouver released its annual top 10 endangered site list today and it spells more bad news for the last of the West End mansions.
The heritage conservation organization has flagged three properties: the Legg Residence at 1245 Harwood Street, Gabriola Mansion at 1531 Davie Street, and three houses that sit side by side at 1301, 1309 and 1315 Davie Street.
I wrote about Vancouver’s West End mansions at the turn-of-the-century in At Home with History: the secrets of Greater Vancouver’s heritage homes. Back then the West End was the place where the wealthy flittered from manor to manor, presenting calling cards, and sipping on lemonade while playing croquet and badminton on manicured lawns.
In 1908 a book with the unlikely title of the Vancouver Elite Directory, reported that 86% of those who rated a listing lived in the West End, while 6% lived downtown and the rest were scattered throughout Point Grey, Kitsilano and Fairview, with a few holdouts still in the East End.
The Abbott House at 720 Jervis was saved when the city gave developers the go-ahead to build two extra floors on each tower as a heritage density bonus in exchange for saving and renovating the old mansion. Unfortunately, the heritage density transfer, which could help save the West End, is a distant memory.
Gordon T. Legg, the managing director of the Union Steamship Company lived at 1245 Harwood, a gorgeous arts and crafts house built in 1899, and right next door to the largest known Tulip tree in the city. Originally the city did a deal with the devil, where the house would be saved in return for a 18-storey tower. It wasn’t a bad compromise, but the pending loss of the 100-year-old Tulip tree upset the neighbours, and in the latest bizarre scenario, we are saving a tree to sacrifice the century-old mansion.
It is a tragic loss to the West End, which as Heritage Vancouver points out, is one of only three estate homes that remain from the turn of the last century, the others are three heritage homes on Davie Street, and the one that I’m most upset about–Gabriola at 1523 Davie.
Most people remember Gabriola as a Hy’s Mansion or a Romano’s Macaroni Grill, but it was originally designed in 1900 by Samuel Maclure for Benjamin Tingley Rogers, the Sugar King. At one time the mansion occupied the entire block with stables, outbuildings and greenhouses. Stained glass was created by the Bloomfields, it had 18 fireplaces, and got its name from the green sandstone on the outside that was quarried on Gabriola Island.
The mansion has been boarded up for several years. Keg Restaurants bought it and announced plans for a restaurant back in 2011. But Gabriola still sits vacant, a target for vandals and a wet dream for developers.
For more on the West End see:
- Our Missing West End Heritage: What were we thinking?
- The West End Guest House: one of the last ones standing
- The Former Houses of Beach Avenue
- The Life and Death of the Englesea Lodge
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all blog content copyright Eve Lazarus.
14 comments on “The Last of the West End Mansions”
The mansion for the Rogers family was designed by Samuel Maclure, a well known residential architect at the time and was built from stone brought from Gabriola Island – hence its original name. The mansion was sold in 1918 after Benjamin died and his widow moved into Shannon, a new mansion in Shaughnessy, the now fashionable area for the rich. Gabriola was then converted into apartments with over 50 suites, eventually turning into a series of restaurants, as it stands today.
I seem to recall that there was an apartment building built onto the English Bay side of the Rogers house and one entered through the Rogers house apt. entrance to access the attached apartments which is where my grandparents lived at one time. Any info about this?
50! not likey as only was a 10,000 sqft home. 200 sqft rooms? I remember when old MR Bentall lived there by himself. David being an old friend we would go and ramble about. 50!!! no way, who told you that?
There was a building at the corner of Davie and Cardero it burnt in 1980 or 81. It was attached to the Mansion
The owners of two of the three West End mansions, the Abbott House at 720 Jervis Street and the Roger’s Gabriola Mansion on Davie restored their buildings using City of Vancouver incentives to cover the cost of the restoration.
These look stunning, I really hope such fine examples of architecture are preserved, poor Gabriola (sigh) thank you for making more people aware of what is going on.
I love this property. I would love to resurrect it as a wedding venue or other high end and beautiful site. Any chance the Keg would sell it to me?? Desperate to renew this gem!
Hi Evan: please do buy this building. I’m sure, given enough millions the Keg will be happy to sell…..
http://s.lnimg.com/attachments/EC587CF8-37D9-4BEF-8DAE-D2E5B6E8EF43.pdf
It could be yours. The sales brochure is at this link.
Yes, Even… as a future bride, I’d totally get married there!! 🙂
I lived in rose garden place, Bute & Harwood Streets. In the early 1960s. Stained glass windows Latin inscriptions and a beautiful ballroom with a balcony overlooking where an organ was played. Do you have any info re this house? It had been converted to rental rooms when I lived there. I had the library.
Sounds gorgeous Chris! If you have an address I’ll take a look – there were a couple of houses on Harwood that I was researching for a book.
Thank you Eve for your Time in finding these Wonderful Gems of History
I did a dj event back at Hy’s Mansion in 1981. The Building was Majestic It was well maintained and Elegant. It is a Shame what has become to it.
I had hoped someone would have done some Justice for it but seems The Developer is all about the R.O.I….$
Where is Heritage Vancouver ?
Would you have any photos 1960 or much older of Thurlow and Beach .Thank You Eve.
Hi Christopher: thanks for your kind words. If you check West End posts on my blog there may be more photos of Beach and Thurlow, but you would have more selection at Vancouver Archives or Special Collections at the VPL. Both are online. Good luck with your search!