Kania Castle

Built in 1936 for Dr. Joseph E. Kania, 4585 Bellevue Drive, or Kania Castle, is an excellent example of a Spanish Colonial Revival style home. Kania Castle’s typical Spanish Colonial Revival features include the stucco exterior, french doors with sidelight windows, arched doorways, triple arched focal windows with muntin bars, wrought iron ornamentation and stained glass.

Joseph Kania, originally from Vienna, immigrated with his family to British Columbia in 1913 at the age of 12. Kania studied at UBC before going to MIT to complete a PhD in geological engineering, before settling in Vancouver in 1932. He worked for Pemberton Securities for the next 44 years, and headed the research office there, as well as teaching Engineering Economics at UBC.

4585 Bellevue Drive was built for Kania shortly after his return to the province, and he lived in it until the early 1990s when it was bought by local florist, landscape designer and business owner Thomas Hobbs. Once bright white, Hobbs painted Kania Castle the salmon pink colour it is today and updated the interior. The garden that Hobbs created while living there was featured in 1001 Gardens to See Before You Die.
Since 2011, Kania Castle has had a new owner.

Source

Vancouver Building Permits, British Columbia City Directories 1860-1955