A historic Vancouver house has been given temporary heritage protection while the city determines whether it merits conservation.
Built in 1922, the “Electric Model Home” has been vacant for three years and awaiting demolition, but the city’s planning director has ordered a heritage inspection of the property at 1550 West 29th Ave.
It is the first time the city has ordered a heritage inspection, which is a new option under a bylaw approved last September.
“We heard very clearly from the public their concerns regarding the potential loss of the historic Electric House,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a press release on Friday.
The order remains in effect for a maximum of 30 days, and the results of the inspection are to be reported to city council on May 31. During that time, the house can’t be altered, damaged or moved.
The Shaughnessy home is one of the original houses designed by Townley Matheson, the architectural firm that designed Vancouver city hall as well as Point Grey Secondary and the Columbia Theatre in New Westminster. The English Tudor house was a show home for electricity and appliances and other electrical “wizardry” of its day, which was “used to reduce to an almost negligible minimum the drudgery of housekeeping,” according to the Vancouver Daily World newspaper at the time.
The house was listed on this year’s “Top 10 Watch List” by Heritage Vancouver. It is not currently listed on the city’s heritage register.
The home was listed for sale last February for $7.38 million and the listing included plans for a 6,700 square-foot luxury home to replace it. The real estate agent posted a YouTube video to advertise the property:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
