Description of Historic Place

The Young Residence is a one and one-half-storey plus basement wood-frame house, set in a mature garden, situated in the low-density suburban development of Grand Boulevard.

Heritage Value

The Young Residence, built in 1927, is valued as a part of the Grand Boulevard development, North Vancouver's most prominent garden subdivision, designed to attract affluent and prominent families to the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. Planning and development was initiated in 1906 by the North Vancouver Land and Improvement Company. Following the lessons of the disastrous fires caused by that year's San Francisco earthquake, Grand Boulevard was laid out as a generous fire break. Prestige was guaranteed through minimum construction cost standards and restrictions on buildings and landscaping. Grand Boulevard is now part of a rectilinear system of boulevards and parks known as North Vancouver's "Green Necklace," which also includes Ottawa Gardens, Victoria Park and Mahon Park.

The Young Residence represents the houses built in the 1920s during the second phase of Grand Boulevard's development, when smaller-scale one and one-half-storey traditional style houses were built on remaining vacant corner lots. This shingle clad British Arts and Crafts bungalow has been immaculately maintained and its extensive landscaping includes two large mature copper beeches and a variety of other plantings.

The heritage value of the Young Residence lies in its association with its original owner Ernest Vanderpoel Young. Young (1879-1955) was born in Florence, Italy of Scottish parents, and began his career on the stage in London in 1906. By 1911, he had relocated to Canada to establish a business career. At the time he commissioned this house, he was an agent for the North Pacific Lumber Company. By the 1930s he was again involved in the entertainment industry, this time as a performer in the new medium of radio. Young also acted as a theatrical producer and was one of the founders of the Vancouver Little Theatre and the Theatre Under the Stars.

The Young Residence is valued for its association with its architects Benzie and Bow, in partnership from 1923-1930 and known for their prominent residential designs; William Bow (1882-1956) was a local resident and the firm received many commissions through his connections. Bow and his partner James A. Benzie (1881-1930) designed several houses on Grand Boulevard, including the Taylor Residence and the McDowell Residence, as well as institutional commissions, including the North Vancouver General Hospital in 1929.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of North Vancouver

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Young Residence include its:
- irregular form and massing
- low scale, with apparent height reduced by broad, high overhanging rooflines
- location on a corner lot on Grand Boulevard
- setback from street on a large property
- side gable roof with jerkin-headed front gable wall dormer, closed gable ends and clipped eaves
- elements of the British Arts and Crafts style, including asymmetrical massing, cedar shingle wall cladding and casement windows
- wooden-sash casement windows with straight-leaded panes throughout
- side lights at entrance
- original interior features such as plaster walls and wooden trim
- two mature copper beech trees at the front of the property
- well-manicured garden setting with low retaining wall