There was an unusual site in downtown Vancouver early Saturday morning − a brown 111-year-old heritage home with a pointed roof moving through the downtown streets.
The house, built in 1905 and originally located at 1754 Pendrell Street in English Bay, was jacked up, placed on steel beams and had the walls of the basement removed before it was driven down a few streets and loaded onto a barge headed for a yard in the Olympic Village.
The buyer of the land, who would have otherwise done away with the home, donated it to Point Grey Developments Ltd., a real estate developer, which intends to move the house to the 400-block of East 5th Avenue.
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“It’ll be completely taken down to the studs, re-mastered and built into market rental units” said Sanjiv Sandhu, owner of Point Grey Developments Ltd.
“I’m passionate about saving these houses,” he added. “It’s part of the charm of the city of Vancouver. And once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Sandhu also said he was surprised by the outpouring of support he had received for the effort from Vancouverites, who reached out to him to tell him they were excited he was saving the home.
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Heritage homes, which have been frequently demolished by those buying up land in Vancouver’s hot real estate market, have become a flashpoint in debates about housing in the city in recent years.
With files from Claire Fenton.
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