Kensington Place

Kensington Place was designed at the height of the pre-war economic boom as one of the finest apartment buildings in the West End and fits a historical pattern of redevelopment in the West End with large apartments. It was constructed between 1912 and 1914.

David Robertson, James Hackett and George Hackett were building contractors who also owned a large lumber company with a sawmill on False Creek. They commissioned American architect Philip M. Jullien to design Kensington Place. Jullien trained in New York with leading American architectural firms and brought the Beaux-Arts styling of the era with him when he came to Vancouver in 1910.

The exterior showcases the elaborate ornamentation of Renaissance Revival executed in pre-cast concrete and stucco, with a highly decorated sixth storey, recessed loggia style balconies, and finished with a flamboyant Baroque entrance. The interior provided large suites, only four per floor, with fireplaces, ample windows, decorative plasterwork and paneling.

From the beginning, the apartments were occupied by prominent businessmen and well-to-do residents. In the 1940s and 50s, the building was home to the celebrated Canadian novelist, Ethel Wilson and her husband. In more recent decades, it has attracted leaders in the arts and design industries including Irving Guttman, a founding figure for opera in Western Canada.

In the late 1960s, a new owner had plans to demolish and redevelop, but tenant Terry Devlin decided to buy the building and convert it to a condominium, enabled by the Strata Titles Act. It became one of the first examples in Vancouver of an existing building converting to strata ownership, and many of the renters became owners.
A program of updating and restoration began in the 1970s led by architect, heritage advocate and resident Charlotte Murray, and included refinishing the exterior, replicating the cornice, and restoring windows. Allan Diamond was involved in the restoration of the exterior of the building, and it was he who proposed the yellow exterior colour and darker window surrounds. Robert Lemon worked with the owners to finish the project in the correct colours. Elaine Thorsell and BOTI Design did the detailing and specifications for the interior design upgrades.
Restoration of the building won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award in 1998.

Situated in the West End, Kensington Place features ocean views and beachfront living, and provides a taste of executive lifestyles of the past. There are entrances to the building located on Nicola Street and on Beach Avenue, resulting in different addresses.

Kensington Place was a stop on Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s 2018 West End Heritage Tour.

Source

Vancouver Heritage Inventory Summary Phase II 1986, Exploring Vancouver (Kalman, 1993), Historical Building Permits Online Database, City of Vancouver Heritage Register Files, Vancouver Heritage Foundation 2018 Heritage House Tour guidebook, Vancouver Heritage Foundation 2018 WEHT Information, VHF Files