Description du lieu patrimonial

Located at the northwest corner of Bute and Nelson Streets, in Vancouver’s West End, this two-and-a-half-storey wood-frame house maintains a strong architectural presence on the street corner.

Valeur patrimoniale

The heritage value of the Rand House lies in its historical, associative, and architectural significance.

Constructed in 1896, the Rand House is located in Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood. The property was later subdivided, with three houses built to the north along Bute Street, which form a grouping of four heritage buildings between Barclay and Nelson Streets. These houses were built for Henry Town, an Englishman who reputedly made his fortune in the 1870s diamond rush in South Africa.

The associative value of the Rand House lies in its relationship to W.J. Edward E. Rand, who married Henry Town’s sister Laura, and after whom the house is named. Originally from Canning, Nova Scotia, Rand moved to New Westminster in 1882, joining his brother who arrived several years earlier. Together they formed the Rand Brothers and engaged in the real estate business. In 1885, Rand moved to the village of Granville, which became incorporated as the City of Vancouver the following year. Rand was quick to recognize the future in store for British Columbia and was a firm believer in its greatness. The Rand Brothers operated in real estate with great success until 1897, when Edward bought out his brother’s interest. He was the head of one of the oldest businesses continually conducted under one name in Vancouver, today operating as Rand & Fowler Insurance.

The building’s architectural value lies in its side-gabled rectangular plan with a round turret at the front corner. While the building is located amongst a variety of older walk-up apartment blocks, high-rise apartments, and an elementary school, it presents an prominent architectural presence on the corner.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Éléments caractéristiques

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Rand House include its:

- location in Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood
- residential form, as expressed by the two-and-one-half-storey elevations facing Bute and Nelson Streets
- side-gabled rectangular plan
- round turret at the top floor on the corner, with lap siding and fish scale shingles
- single-pane double-hung windows set in singles, with bay windows fronting the porch
- wood-frame structure with original lap siding underneath
- front porch balusters, columns, and lintel between the columns are covered in stucco
- boxed-in eaves on the second floor