Henry Switzer’s shocking pink house sat at Mathers and Taylor Way in West Vancouver. It was designed one Sunday and received attention from all over the world.
Local Landmark:
A few years ago, I wrote a story about a West Vancouver house that became a local landmark. Readers told me that they fondly remembered the pink house on the hill as the “airplane house,” the “Jetsons House,” the “windmill house,” and the “helicopter house,” because it appeared to have wings. Legend has it that Henry Switzer designed the house in an afternoon.
Unfortunately, Henry’s home only lasted for 11 years. In 1971, it was expropriated along with 50 or so other houses between Taylor Way and Horseshoe Bay to make way for the widening of the Upper Levels Highway.
Switzer House:
Henry’s great nephew Daryl Parsons recently sent me a photo of the 1,600 sq.ft house. He put me in touch with his uncle Garth Switzer, who helped Henry build his house in 1960.
Garth says the house was designed for the California hills. “One arm was the kitchen eating area, one arm was the living area and the other two were bedrooms and bathrooms,” he says. “I’m told it took about two months to knock it down because there was so much rebar and all sorts of high-density concrete.”
Curly Switzer:
But Henry was much more than his house. He was born in Bells Corner, Ottawa in 1904, and was the youngest of 15 children. During the 1940s and ‘50s he was the Superintendent at Marwell Construction, one of the largest construction companies in Western Canada. Henry worked on the city hall and the high school in Rossland, on the Fernie General Hospital, and the courthouse in Chilliwack. Later, he formed his own company. “I have very fond memories of his house, his gold teeth, his pink Cadillacs and his band—Curly Switzer and the Red Mountain Boys,” says Daryl. “He was a very charismatic, charming and entertaining guy.”
Henry or Curly as he was known, was a musician and a composer. His songs include “High on Grouse Mountain,” “Wigwam Inn,” and “The Malibu.” Henry’s wife Eleanor was a noted pianist, and Garth tells me that Peter Cowan, co-owner of Harbour Navigation and the Wigwam Inn, played the bass fiddle in the band in the early 1950s. “We had our Christmas dinner at the Wigwam Inn. Curly organized it and the band played. He was dressed up in his black cowboy shirt and pants, stetson hat and a couple of 45s on a holster,” says Garth. “He played a steel slide guitar, and he had a pretty decent voice.”
Shortly after this, the Wigman Inn became known for more nefarious activities. But if anyone has one of Curly Switzer’s albums I would very much like to hear it!
Henry died in 1976.
Related Stories:
- The Wigwam Inn on Indian Arm
- Switzer House (1960-1971)
- Department of Highways film 1966 – Horseshoe Bay to Burnaby
© Eve Lazarus, 2022
31 comments on “Henry Switzer and his Shocking Pink House”
I remember that house so well as a kid when we drove to Horseshoe Bay. It was the highlight of the drive!
Always wondered who owned it, thanks for filling in the blanks!
What a joy to see a photo of this house, which I also remember seeing from the backseat of the family car, on our way to Horseshoe Bay. A real bonus to learn about the owner and his interesting life.
Was just thinking the same thing. Would have loved to have seen the inside.
Great little story
I love how everyone has a story behind them, and I love how you bring out all the stories. It’s fascinating. I don’t remember this house at all, though. What a shame it only lasted 11 years.
I remember that house , many years ago….nice learning more about it..
Definitely the “Jetsons'” house for us (although I was more of a Trekkie as a late 60s kid), and I remember it sitting forlornly by its pink and white self after all the other houses around it had been demolished … thanks for the story — I’m sure my North Van grands or greats would have known of the Switzers, but I did not …
So very interesting that you were able to connect with Daryl and learn so much more about your previous blog. I remember seeing the house when I was a child on our way to see my God Mother in West Van.
It was expropriated in 1971, but was it torn down right away? I might have false memory, but I could swear it was still standing during the summer of 1972 before we moved away from Vancouver for a few years. When we returned in 1975 I was devastated to see it was gone… I also recall the car parked under one of the wings was also pink to match the house… but was that false memory too???
That’s a good question, I’m not sure exactly when it was torn down. Daryl says his uncle Henry loved pink caddy’s so I’m guessing that’s a pink car in the carport
I loved that house. I made a clay “sculpture” of it with a giant rabbit in front of it for fathers’ day when I was in kindergarten, and then made a balsa wood model of it in grade 4 or 5 for an art class project. So sad it got torn down.
I sure hope you kept the model!
So interesting.
YES! One of my favorite memories from my childhood. We lived in the Properties and often tried to talk Mum into taking a detour off Taylor Way to drive past the house because it was so unique. Sometimes she caved in to our requests and detoured but then we had to be on our best behavior for the rest of the day. I was so sad to see it torn down to widen the Upper Levels Highway.
I remember it as the Switzer House!
The view of the old Upper Levels Highway shows what a standard B.C. Department of Highways road looked like in 1966, even in an urban area. The centre double line is painted white instead of yellow, and the shoulder is made of crushed gravel. Passing lane westbound, single lane eastbound.
I still can’t believe you found the house!
I remember the house as we drove up Taylor Way to the Properties. I was a young gril and couldn’t understand why those wings (or arms) didn’t fall down. My Dad tried to explain what artchitects can do but I never really understood. Ha! Thank you for this walk down memory lane.
My dad worked with Henry at Marwell Construction. Our family went to their place often. The house certainly was strange inside and out. I called it the Jestons’ House.
Wow! what a blast from the past we went by the helicopter house daily as we lived towards Horseshoe Bay. It was an amazing artistic accomplishment and I do remember when it was demolished it was very sad for the North Shore 😢
Thank you for posting
I Think There May Have Been Another Very Similar House Near The Westview Shopping Centre On The South Side Of The Highway.
I use to work @ the West Vancouver Ferry Terminal back in the 70’s….thanks for jogging my memory. I drove by the Switzer house everyday I worked. It was so futuristic looking for it’s time!!
Peter Cowan was my great uncle, and I remember going to the Switzer house as a young boy. Thanks so much for bringing back those memories.
Your great uncle sounds pretty fascinating, would love to do a story about him and Harbour Navigation if you’d ever like to chat! You can reach me at eve@evelazarus.com
I recall it was expropriated and torn down much earlier than 1971. I also remember a few other homes went with it when they widened the highway sometime between 1964 and 1967
There was a similar house in Disneyland and I believe he wanted to recreate it for himself in West Vancouver
I lived in Bells Corners in Ottawa LOL!
Thanks for the memories.
As Young boy, I often travelled with my parents from their resort at Sproat Lake via the Horseshie Bay Black Ball ferry then along the Upper Level highway to my Aunt and Uncle, Bonnie and John Melville’s (who also had a band and was the pianist) home on Grand Boulevard or to one of my dad’s other enterprises; The Hollyburn Grill, The Black Cat Cafe and the 2855 on West Broadway.
Seeing that ultra modern house was a highlight of the long car ride from the Island.
I too was always thrilled to see that house during my first decade of life! Our family called it the Mushroom House 🍄. I was very perplexed when it disappeared and have often told my children about this string memory!
I remember it well too. Seems clear to me that the “Home of the Future” (1957) in Disney’s World–3 years before Schwiter’s–was very important for Switzer, but on a more modest budget. only a few years later. The same plan, the same 4-spoke elevation and my guess is the same floor plan given the options, work. Switzer’s token shutters around the windows are nostalgic when you compare to the all plastic all modern Monsanto marvel. https://www.iconichouses.org/icons-at-risk/monsanto-house-of-the-future
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