Description of Historic Place

Fronting on West 2nd Avenue, the Hanning House is a three-storey wood frame house located at the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and Blanca Street, and remains a largely untouched example of early housing in Vancouver’s West Point Grey neighbourhood.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Hanning House lies in its architectural and contextual significance.

Constructed in 1912, the Hanning House at 1826 Blanca Street was designed by the prominent and early architectural firm of Sharp & Thompson and contributes to the architectural heritage of Point Grey. John Cowdry had the house built for his daughter Mary, who lived in the house with her husband Henry Hanning, a time-keeper for Armstrong Morrison Paving Company on Granville Street.

The architectural values of the Hanning House are found in its massing and detailing, which are typical of the English Arts and Crafts style, with its half timbering and complex roof forms. Features specific to this house include a large wrap-around veranda, a second-storey sleeping porch, and a stone retaining wall. Rather than an imposing entrance on West 2nd Avenue, the front door opens onto Blanca Street with its back to the view, almost like a servant’s entrance. Instead of a front entrance, an original verandah wraps around part of the first floor and overlooks Westmount Park.

The contextual value of the Hanning house lies in it being a very early house for the West Point Grey area. It occupies a fairly prominent corner opposite Westmount Park, and is largely unaltered from its original construction. Adjacent to the subject house is log covered Craftsman-style house, also listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register. The two houses together make a significant contribution to the record of early development in this part of the city. The house was originally located on a double lot that was subdivided to create the adjacent property at 1830 Blanca.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Hanning House’ English Arts and Crafts architectural design include:
- its residential form, expressed by the three-storey elevations facing Blanca Street and West 2nd Avenue
- its half timbering
- the complex roof forms
- the large wraparound veranda
- second storey sleeping porch
- stone retaining wall
- its entrance facing Blanca Street
- its original deep brown paint colouring on the half timbers
- balconies on the second and third storeys

Key elements that define the heritage character of the interior of the Hanning House include:
- the original fireplace tiles
- four Arts and Crafts tiled fireplaces
- the mahogany woodwork
- the unique fir mantel, rescued from the Abbott House on Georgia Street
- its original front doorway
- wood-paneled walls
- leaded glass windows
- built in buffet in the dining room

Key elements that define the location of the Hanning House include:
- its location on a corner lot at West 2nd Avenue and Blanca Street, overlooking Westmount Park in Vancouver’s West Point Grey neighbourhood
- its dramatic views of English Bay and the North Shore mountains