Comments on: Selwyn Pullan Photography: What’s Lost

By: Selwyn Pullan’s West Coast Studio Faces Demolition | Eve Lazarus

Selwyn Pullan’s West Coast Studio Faces Demolition | Eve Lazarus — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:39:44 +0000

[…] Selwyn Pullan’s Photography […]

By: Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 23:02:01 +0000

Thanks Eve, for your amazing work. I find it very painful to see the loss of so many iconic homes and public buildings, it is almost as though Vancouver is deliberately trying to erase its own history. In 1979/80, I was a young man, and worked as a carpenter on the crew that renovated Doug Shadbolt’s home on Slocan St, and then his brother, Jack Shadbolt’s home & studio, both in Burnaby. For many decades my own family owned a fantastic heritage home on 1245 Harwood Street. The Harwood house was built by the Legg’s at the turn of the century, but was owned by the Sully & Taylor clan until my grandmother’s death in 1958. Designated a class A heritage building, but the developers still managed to whack it. More than history has been lost.

By: James hourston7

James hourston7 — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 07:09:53 +0000

For those Mid Century lovers Palm Springs and the Trousale Estate section of Beverly Hills are full of the best examples. In fact Trousdale has a one story height limit making it human scale. Pix of the ram earthed lots which are like stages or platforms with the landscape falling away are very striking. Oakridge still has a few though many gone.

By: Richard Skelly

Richard Skelly — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 06:40:09 +0000

Only Selwyn’s own residence appears, for now, to have avoided the wrecking ball. Given his recent passing, that date with a demolition crew could be imminent.

So cool to learn of his role in developing (pun intended) a different kind of architectural photography. Even creating a new type of camera in the process.

By: Doug Parks

Doug Parks — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 05:32:45 +0000

Thank you Eve for yet again highlighting another photographer. These photos and the obituaries for the homes are almost maddening. Thank God that these fabulous homes are preserved in photographs.
Its sad.

By: Skip Savage

Skip Savage — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 23:11:02 +0000

In reply to Lou McKee.

We lived in two different mid-century houses during my childhood. The first was a classic WV post and beam with an open floor plan and large windows. Bright but with cedar panelling on the walls that got darker with age. I can’t remember the ceiling heights – and I was shorter then so it wasn’t noticeable. The second house was in the Okanagan, built with a nod to FLW, low slung, embedded in the slope with wide eaves. It had the darkest hall you could imagine when the bedroom doors were closed. Could have used a skylight.

By: Loretta Houben

Loretta Houben — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 22:08:54 +0000

I love the photos of those amazing homes.
I think it’s incredibly horrifying that they’ve been demolished.
Do you think most human beings enjoy destroying beauty?
It’s so very pitiful.

By: Lou McKee

Lou McKee — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 20:40:12 +0000

What a loss! Though I think this style is appreciated in many areas of the world at this time. Traveling for a few years I did notice NW renditions quite often. My memory of the 50’s and 60’s, being inside like-homes in North and West Vancouver, was that they were often dark inside. Low-ish ceilings. Any comments on this?