The housing stock in the Dunbar area of Vancouver has undergone significant change in the past five years. Originally a working class neighbourhood with many quite modest homes surrounded by lovely gardens, it is now a neighbourhood that 99% of the people working in Vancouver cannot afford because the replacement homes are built to the maximum footprint and cost millions. Greenspace has been reduced. Included on this website are photos of many (not all) of the disappeared houses.
View Teardowns in the Dunbar area of Vancouver, BC in a larger map

Demolitions West of the Dunbar Community Centre

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Castle House

Spring arrived in March 2011 with a flowering tree in front of this "castle" house, the epitome of castle houses, very well maintained. Now for sale, I thought to myself, this charmer will not be torn down. But just in case, I took a photo because it was so lovely. Note the arched front door complete with an arched window, the perfect turret, the side wall extensions to give a "cob" appearance, and the skylight windows added later to bring light into the top floor.

On December 11, I walked by, and to my dismay it appeared that the house was being prepared for demolition. Within the week, it was gone.


Even castles do not survive. To ponder: can the next house on this spot be as charming?