Description of Historic Place

The house at 598 West 18th Avenue is a one and one-half storey structure over a crawl space, built in a pioneer style. It is prominently located forward on the lot on the south side of a residential street in the South Cambie area of Vancouver.

Heritage Value

Constructed in 1908, the house at 596 West 18th Avenue is important for its historical value, as an expression of the early land use patterns in the neighbourhood, and for its aesthetic value as an early pioneer style house.

The house and its lot are important because of the early construction date and the evidence of early land uses and subdivision in the area. Originally dominated by larger lots and a more rural feel, the siting of the house on the lot and the aspect and details of its west facing facade indicate an example of very early housing situated on a larger lot.

The building is constructed in the Edwardian Builder style, a style prominent in Vancouver during this time period. Originally owned by a labourer, and constructed at a time when the area was predominantly farm fields, the site may have been used for gardening or farming purposes, as this area consisted of organic soil conducive to farming.

This very early house, located in a rural working class neighbourhood near Vancouver’s small French community, is a decorated pioneer style house, exhibiting a farmhouse form and character, with a wraparound porch and embellished with decorative details, such as fish scale shingles in the gable and turned columns on the porch.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the house at 596 West 18th Avenue include:

- Original gabled roof house form with ancillary gabled and hipped roofs
- Simple eave and roof details
- Original relationship of main floor to grade created by a tall foundation
- Elevated front porch and stair form
- Front porch details, including turned posts and original rail
- Door and window locations, form and materials
- Original bevel siding, shingle siding ornamentation in a diamond pattern, fish scale shingles and simple board trim