Vancouver Special

Vancouver Special is a term used to refer to houses built in a particular architectural style in the period from roughly 1965 to 1985 in Vancouver. They are characterised by their “box-like” structure, low-pitched roofs, balconies across the front of the house, and brick or stone finishes on the ground floor level of the facade with stucco elsewhere. Vancouver Specials have similar floor plans with the main living quarters on the upper floor and secondary bedrooms on the bottom, making them ideal for secondary suites. These homes were favoured by new Canadians, often from Hong Kong and Italy, for their spaciousness and were often a first house purchase.

It can be argued there there are in fact four generations of Vancouver Specials--those from the 1950s; the 1960s, the 1970s; and the 1980s.

In response to public reaction to the proliferation of this design, the City of Vancouver made changes to the single-family zoning regulations in the 1980s with the intent to stop additional Vancouver Specials from being built.

Vancouver Specials evolved into what were frequently derided as "monster homes" in the 1990s that critics claimed were ruining the aesthetic character of their neighbourhoods. In contrast to the earlier Vancouver Specials, monster homes were appearing in wealthier areas on the west side of the city, and critics were sometimes charged with being concerned as much about immigrants invading their exclusive neighbourhoods as they were about the aesthetics of those neighbourhoods.

The much maligned Vancouver Special, however, may yet see its bad reputation improve. Some indications include a locally produced music compilation compact disc in 2000, "Vancouver Special," which features several examples of the house design on the cover, and a renovated Vancouver Special that won the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia's Innovation Award for Architecture in 2005. An home design store on Main Street has recently opened with the name "Vancouver Special", showing that the reputation of the homes may have now gained a certain vintage glamour.

Today one can find Vancouver Specials all over Greater Vancouver in Richmond, Surrey, Burnaby, Delta, and the tri-cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. The ubiquitous Vancouver Special has become a signature feature of the landscape of the Lower Mainland.

ee also

*McMansion
*Persian palace

External links and Sources

* [http://vancouverspecial.com/ Vancouver Special]
* [http://vanspecial.com/ Vancouver Special Design Store, Main Street]

David Carrigg, "Home Improvements," "Vancouver Courier" (5 November 2004), available online from: http://www.vancourier.com/issues03/111203/news/111203nn1.html

Christopher MacDonald, "Vancouver Special Redux," "Canadian Architect" (July 2004), available online from: http://www.canadianarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=153390&story_id=25973105959&issue=07012004&PC=

Brian Lynch, "A 'Special Renovation,'" "Georgia Straight", (24 November 2005), available onine from: http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=14401

Howie Choy, [CD Review] "Various Artists, The Good Jacket Presents...Vancouver Special (Mint)," "Discorder" (April 2000), available online from: http://discorder.citr.ca/reviews/00april.html