Heritage Designation of 3622 W 3rd

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: August 23, 2001
Author/Local: T. Brunette/6467

RTS No.:02276

CC File No.

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Heritage Designation of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue - True Colours Program

RECOMMENDATIONS

A. THAT Council approve the designation of 3622 W 3rd Avenue, listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register in the "B" category, as a protected heritage property and the amendment of Heritage By-law No 4837 to include this property.

B. THAT Council commend the building owner for designating her property on a voluntary basis and for participating in the Vancouver Heritage Foundation's True Colours Program.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of Recommendations A and B.

COUNCIL POLICY

Council policy on heritage designation states, in part, that:

"The City's long term goal is to protect through voluntary designation as many resources on the Vancouver Heritage Register as possible."

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council's approval for the designation of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue, listed in the "B" category on the Heritage Register, as a protected heritage property under Schedule A of the Heritage By-law. The building owner is requesting the heritage designation of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue on a voluntary basis.

BACKGROUND

Vancouver Heritage Foundation is near completion of its third round of grants for its "True Colours" Program. With paint provided from Benjamin Moore Paints, the Foundation provides a modest grant and expertise to restore the colour scheme of heritage homes true to the period. Designation is a condition of receiving the grant. Of the six houses being painted in 2001, two are covered by Heritage Revitalization Agreement and one owner has begun the designation process. Ms. Cynthia Durrance, the owner of this property, is one of the three remaining sets of owners now seeking Council's approval to designate.

DISCUSSION

Heritage Value:

The heritage house at 3622 West 3^rd Avenue represents a sophisticated, regional hybrid of English and North American styles current at the turn of the century. Listed in the "B" category of the Vancouver Heritage Register, the house was built in 1912.

The front elevation of the house unites the precepts of the English Aesthetic Movement and the local Arts and Crafts idiom. The influence of the English Aesthetic Movement is most evident in the "artistic" asymmetry anchored by the front porch and reinforced by the placing of fenestration and bay windows. The influence of the regional Arts and Crafts movement is most evident in the massing and the selection/disposition of materials. A broad gable roof terminates in a deep soffit with notched barge-boards over supporting brackets. The two and a half storey front elevation culminates in a projecting half-timbered gable supported on a series of bracket blocks, a detail repeated over the main entrance of the substantial asymmetrically-placed verandah. Below the pebbled stucco of the gable-end, the elevation is clad in painted shingle over the horizontal siding of the basement. Broad, shallow stairs (the full width of the front porch) sweep up to the verandah between massive granite piers. This house represents a sophisticated regional re-interpretation of an English prototype.

Compatibility with Community Planning Objectives: The house is located in the RT-8 Zoning District. The intent of the RT-8 District Schedule is to encourage the retention and renovation of existing buildings which maintain an architectural style and building form consistent with the historical character of the area. Heritage designation of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue will ensure that the architectural and historical character of the existing house is retained and restored.

Zoning Considerations: The house is currently occupied as a single-family residence with secondary suite which is a permitted use under RT-8 zoning. There is no development permit application for this site.

Condition and Economic Viability: The house is in good condition and the owner has determined the retention of the building in its present use to be economically viable. She has reclaimed the house from a multiple dwelling into a single-family residence with a secondary suite.

Support Required to Enable Conservation: The property owner has submitted a letter (on file with the Law Department) requesting the designation of 3622 West 3rd Avenue and waiving any future compensation demands. Therefore, no additional support to achieve appropriate conservation of this building is required.

The Director of Legal Services has prepared the necessary Heritage By-law amendments and requirements have been met for notification as specified by the Vancouver Charter.

CONCLUSION

The owner of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue has proposed the heritage designation of the house on a voluntary basis. Its designation is compatible with community planning objectives and the zoning for the site. Furthermore, the owner's participation in the True Colours Program will help create greater awareness about historic paint schemes in the city. Therefore, it is recommended that Council amend Schedule A of the Heritage By-law to designate 3622 West 3^rd Avenue as a Protected Heritage Property.

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TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Current Planning
SUBJECT:	Heritage Designation of 3622 West 3^rd Avenue - True Colours Program