In the post-war years of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, architects pioneering a new kind of modernism unique to the West Coast chose the North Shore as a place to build their family homes.
They included people like BC Binning, who built his own home in West Vancouver. With a flat roof and floor-to-ceiling windows that embrace the outside environment, it was regarded by many as the first Modern style home in Western Canada.
Contemporaries included emerging architects such as Ron Thom and Arthur Erickson.
The homes celebrate their environments of dense rainforest and rocky promontories. Floor plans were designed around the natural terrain. Post and beam structures allowed for construction of difficult sites.
“They were a little bit more experimental in these projects than they would have been in commercial projects. And so there started to be this kind of like-minded community of artists, designers, and architects,” said Hilary Letwin, administrative curator at the West Vancouver Art Museum.
West Coast Modern has roots in West Vancouver
“Really the tradition of West Coast Modern residential design took off from there, here in West Vancouver,” said Letwin.
Next week, the art museum’s annual West Coast Modern Week events will again celebrate the role that West Vancouver has played in this design tradition.
Organizers also hope that by showcasing some of the best local examples of the tradition, it will spur public interest in preserving this heritage.
Home tour is highlight
Now in its 17th year, the highlight of the week’s events is Saturday’s West Coast Modern Home Tour happening July 8. Since 2006, the event has opened more than 60 architectural showpieces to the public, ranging from original mid-century modern homes to contemporary interpretations .
Starting in 2006 with a 25-seat mini-bus, the tour has now grown to sell out its 150 tickets every year.
“We tried to find a really good balance,” says Letwin – of older properties, renovated homes and new architecturally designed homes that take their cues from West Coast Modernism.
This year, as in past years, architects who have been part of heritage renovations will also be on hand to answer questions at some of the properties.
Ron Thom’s Carmichael House among those featured this year
Among the featured homes this year are Ron Thom’s 1957 Carmichael House, showcasing the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright in its hexagonal plan, and Wolfgang Gerson’s 1967 Itzinger-Meuldyk House showcasing the connection between natural and built environments and Arthur Mudry’s 1989 Chun House, featuring panoramic views.
It also includes Donald Manning’s 1955 McGee House, a small single-storey home set in a private forested corner of West Vancouver.
Paul Merrick’s penthouse apartment and boathouse space in the new Sewell’s Landing development at Horseshoe Bay provides a modern take on the aesthetic. That is also the first apartment to be featured on the home tour, says Letwin.
Over the years it’s been hosted, the home tour has grown wildly popular, attracting repeat customers from as far away as Portland and Seattle.
The popularity of the event was the basis for expanding the week last year to offer other programming, he said, in a manner that echoes Palm Springs’ annual Modernism Week.
This year, Sidney Williams, former curator of architecture and design at the Palm Springs Art Museum, will discuss the similarities and differences between the desert modernism of the Palm Springs area and the North Shore’s west coast take on the style in a lecture July 4.
Walking tour of Ambleside’s iconic apartment buildings new this year
New this year is a walking tour of some of West Vancouver’s iconic Ambleside apartment buildings. Over the course of two hours, the tour will touch on the evolution of the neighborhood from an area of weekend cottages to the construction of high-rise apartments in the 1950s through the 1970s. Villa Maris, also known as the “Pink Palace”, the nearby Shorelands and The Crescent are among the stops.
A panel discussion at The Polygon on restoration of older modern homes on the evening of July 5 and a free concert by the Itamar Erez Quartet bringing bossa nova vibes to the West Vancouver Memorial Library July 6 round out the week’s events.
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