A 1966 Erickson/Massey home is for sale in West Vancouver, the nation?s de facto museum of West Coast modernism. But in one of Canada?s wealthiest postal codes, real estate is often the enemy of architecture, with dozens of mid-century marvels demolished in the past decade, in spite of preservationists? valiant efforts.
Photo by Ema Peter
Consider the 1965 Beaton residence by Arthur Mudry, celebrated in the pages of Wallpaper magazine before being unceremoniously demolished by an offshore buyer last year. The owner said they wanted to build something ?new??before changing their minds and leaving nothing but a levelled masterpiece and a vacant waterfront lot.
The West Vancouver Museum, a tiny shrine to the city-by-the-sea?s best examples of post-and-beam, does its best to keep the faith. Dozens of exhibitions in the past several years have showcased architectural photography by the likes of Selwyn Pullan, and a series of books extolls the region?s residential gems. But the museum is rather like Don Quixote tilting at price-per-square-footage windmills. (The now-demolished Beaton house was part of the museum?s annual Modern Homes tour, that shows off mid-century classics, in 2017. The Fuldauer was slated to be in the Covid-cancelled 2020 tour.) An archival image of West Vancouver?s Fuldauer Residence by Erickson/Massey Architects from 1966.
Photo: John Fulker, c. 1966. Collection of the West Vancouver Art Museum.
Hopefully, the architectural pedigree of Erickson?s Fuldau...