Character Houses
Many older houses are slowly disappearing from Vancouver’s streetscape. The introduction of the Missing Middle Housing policy and the R1-1 zoning by the City of Vancouver have made it more appealing to developers and homeowners to build multiplexes rather than to preserve existing buildings.
Some of these existing houses will not be eligible to receive official heritage status, but may be considered ‘character houses’. What are these? And what to do about their vulnerable future?
The Character House
The City of Vancouver defines a character house as typically a single detached house built prior to 1940 that is considered to have heritage character merit. This merit is determined based on several criteria, including the presence of original massing and primary roof form, as well as a combination of an original front porch or verandah, cladding, window openings, and window trim, eave brackets, decorative shingles, porch columns or a brick stone chimney. (A house built in 1940 or after that is considered to have architectural merit and retains original and distinctive character features, may only be considered a character house on a case-by-case basis.)
The preservation of character houses is considered to contribute to neighbourhood identity and character. Character houses differ from heritage houses in terms of the required retention of original material and the provision of incentives. Moreover, heritage buildings may be considered to have heritage value based on more criteria than solely architectural merit, which is the case with character houses.
Preservation of character houses provides home owners and developers with incentives to build extra density (in this case, residential units). However, the Missing Middle Housing policy, which allows for the construction of multi-unit houses, and R1-1 zoning, which allows for 1.0 FSR on any given lot within this zoning area, have disincentivized retention of character houses (0.65-0.85 FSR).
Policies and guidelines
The Character House policies and guidelines aim to preserve a pre-World War II urban streetscape in Vancouver’s residential areas (R1-1, RT-7 and RT-9 zones). They prescribe what character is, and, as such, also what not. Although the architectural merit of a house is the defining criterion for preservation, the City of Vancouver’s building code requires rigorous upgrades and performance requirements, leading to the replacement of much of the original material.
Moreover, since there is no heritage professional required to determine whether replacement material and design meet compatibility standards in reference to the original house, Vancouver’s streetscapes include character houses that no longer appear to refer to their original form and character. Consequently, the question arises whether Vancouver’s character houses actually foster the presence of character, according to the policy definition if the house undergoes changes.
Moving forward
It will be essential to revise the current incentives available to character houses, whether pre- or post-1940, with or without verandah or shingles, for it to be feasible for developers and homeowners to retain character houses. Whether City staff intend to update the R1-1 zoning to increase the allowable FSR for character houses from 0.65-0.85 to 1 FSR will be sufficient to encourage homeowners and developers to retain character houses is questionable.
Applying a cultural landscape approach, Heritage Vancouver believes that character is present in both pre- and post-1940 houses, including architectural styles that do not include porches, decorative shingles, columns and eave brackets (e.g. Art Deco and Vancouver Special). And what about apartment buildings? And commercial buildings? Can these buildings not be considered to have character? And should these sites not be considered for density incentives to achieve both preservation and increased housing opportunities?
The conservation of pre- and post-1940 buildings can lead to a more layered landscape that reflects the different architectural styles present in the city, but also appreciates the sustainability of these existing buildings, and respects the histories of thousands of immigrant families who made Vancouver their home.
We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia
