Looking for a mansion on the right side of town? 3390 The Crescent is on the market for $31.9 million. I’m guessing the owners are receptive to a lower bid, since as John Mackie points out, it was up for sale last year for only $17.9 million.
Wondering what one gets for $30 odd million in Vancouver? According to the real estate blurb that would be 10,000+ square feet of house nestled on an acre of land with the obligatory grand entry and sweeping staircase, as well as massive living room, five fireplaces, a master bedroom with not one, but three dressing rooms and quarters for the staff, who you’ll need to cook, clean, mow and provide maps to find your way to the games room, gym and cellar.
What it doesn’t say is that the stately mansion has a great story.
I wrote about this house and the Grauer family in At Home with History. The house was built in 1922 for Misak Yremavitch Aviazoff, a local money man and arts lover, and his wife Aileen. The Aivazoff’s loved to entertain and counted Grand Duke Alexander, Serge Rachmanioff, Prince Obelinsky among their guests.
Aviazoff, who is listed in the city directories as president of New Method Coal and Supplies, did not do well in the Depression. He and Aileen bumped around to different Shaughnessy addresses, likely short-term rentals, and by 1938 Aileen is a landlady at a West End apartment building.
H.A. Wallace, the ship builder bought the house from the Aivazoffs and lived there until 1946, when it changed hands again and BC Electric became the owner and Albert Edward (Dal) Grauer, head of the company and his family moved in.
Sherry Grauer was eight when she and three siblings moved into the house, which she describes as “Mediterranean”. Sherry, now an artist living on Vancouver Island, says the house only had three bedrooms (it now has six), so her father built an addition on the back and a pool with a cabana designed by family friend Arthur Erickson.
Sherry’s mother painted portraits and flowers and she remembers going upstairs to bed while her father played Chopin or Schubert on the piano.
By 1961, Dal Grauer, dying with leukemia, continued to battle the BC Government over its decision to take over the company (now BC Hydro). The government announced the takeover the day of Grauer’s funeral. Still, he managed to kick back from the grave. Sherry says her father incorporated his $2 million plus estate into a family company in another province and legally stiffed the government for estate taxes. “And that made Wacky Bennett very cross,” she said. Dal also left his stamp on the BC Electric Building (now the Elektra), built in 1957, and the Dal Grauer Substation.
John Mackie’s article: https://www.vancouversun.com/news/Vancouver+mansion+sale+million/5735598/story.html
See realtor’s listing at https://www.ecorealtyinc.ca/listing?id=259090654
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1 comment on “Villa Russe”
Oh dear, You left out the most colourfull owner who doubled the size of the home and took one of the 6 bedrooms into a en suite in pink marble to the tune of 125,000. Beverly Louise Jones Ogilvy. McCarville, O.Toole, McWilliams was BCs greatest industrialist Harold A Jones only child. His will left 10 companies, one Vancouver Tug was sold in 1970 for in todays money $280,000,000.00 . She got the first Eldorado in Canada and grew up on a 3 acre estate at the foot of Tomle. She had dogs. Villa Russe Kennels sold tea cup poodles and harliquin Great Danes. Halloween was epic as you were allowed up the side entrance into the kitchen for hot dogs, soft drink and a large size choclate bar. The family room had a pool table, ping pong, tv area with couches fireplace and THE bar. pop and hooch on guns, a giant fridge with Champagne ect. Tired of it she moved briefly to SWMD. house up for sale, she moved back ripping out the servants qts and extending the kit to 90 feet with elevators for fire wood and grocs. From, upstairs one could see |MT Baker and the harbour, Two baby grands graced the front to back LR. Her and Jeannie MacMillan Southgham had a spat as Jeannie would go down the wrong way on Angus to her driveway. Her in her Buick Electra 225 with phone and Bev in the Eldo. luckily Angus is a 4 lane street. She ruled over RVYC and at XMas had life size reindeer down the driveway and a sled on the roof. The home furnished with the best. $250,000.00 Chandi over the dining room table. A jewlery room off one dressing room . She woke up with 70K on. One 25 marquise cut. a 10 and 15 Emerald and roung plus 10 earings.
Cantankerous her humour was like commedin Nancy Walker. crusty