4011 W 39th Ave

This English Storybook style home features a cross gabled roof, stucco siding and a centered front door framed in stone. It was built in approximately 1938. This style of architecture is commonly seen on interwar homes in the west side of Vancouver, influenced by soldiers returning from WW1 who were inspired by European architecture.

This house is first listed in the 1939 city directory under resident William M. Robinson, a clerk at Vancouver City. William and his wife May continued to live at this address until at least 1955 during which time William worked for the City of Vancouver in the engineering department.

4011 West 39th is located deep within the Dunbar-Southlands neighbourhood, close to West 41st Avenue and just east of Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Indigenous people have inhabited the Dunbar-Southlands area since as early as 400 B.C. where the area’s proximity to the mouth of the Fraser River allowed easy access to fishing and hunting. Today, the Musqueam Reserve is located south of SW Marine Drive bordering the water. Many pre-1940 houses, often storybook-style, have been demolished in this neighbourhood. In recent years, Dunbar-Southlands has seen a very high rate of annual demolition permits as many smaller character homes are being replaced to maximize square footage.

Source

Heritage Vancouver Building Permits Database, VPL British Columbia City Directories 1860-1955, VanMap