The Secrets Behind Vancouver’s Most Interesting Buildings

Eugenia Place, the Burrard Bridge, "hobbit houses" and more Vancouver architectural mysteries.

The mountains and ocean views are nice and all, but there are certain buildings and structures here in Vancouver that are so intriguing that they distract from the West Coast’s natural beauty all together: a house with a curiously wavy thatched roof, say, or a building by the beach topped with a towering oak tree. These are architectural delights that stop you in your tracks and prompt an awful lot of questions. Luckily, our intrepid City Informer is here to answer every nagging one.

Illustration: Byron Eggenschwiler

Where did Vancouver’s hobbit houses come from?

The short answer: a creative architect-builder duo trying their hand at Tudor architecture in 1940. Read the long answer here.

 

Illustration: Byron Eggenschwiler

Did Leonard Nimoy live in that tree-topped building in the West End?

The short answer: No, Leonard Nimoy never lived at Eugenia Place. Read the long answer here.

Illustration: Byron Eggenschwiler

What’s in that secret room on top of the Burrard Bridge?

The short answer: A steel truss, and not, unfortunately, a great studio apartment. Read the long answer here.

Illustration: Byron Eggenschwiler

What’s the history of the Vancouver Special?

The short answer: It was cheap and easy and efficient to approve. Read the long answer here.