Friday, January 29, 2010
Ship Shape

This ship shaped house is at 222 West Kensington Crescent. This street is just off Lonsdale Ave. at West Braemar Rd. in the North Lonsdale area of the District of North Vancouver. The distinctive house was built by H. Lancaster in 1956 for $12,000. The construction company was Robin Construction Ltd. at 892 East 12th Street. The style of the house with its rounded living room area and port hole windows in the front door may indicate that it is a Streamline Modern residence. A few of these had been built in North Vancouver 1940-1945.

Two other Streamline Modern residences, pictured in the City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994, are the 1945 Cunningham Residence at 172 East 25th Street, architect H. L.S. McCullough and the 1941 Logan Residence at 508-519 St. George's Avenue designed by Hal Norman of the Streamline Construction Company. The Logan Residence was modified in 1959 for use as a duplex. Both of these homes exist today and have the same rounded style of the house at 222 Kensington Crescent.

H. Lancaster lived in the house for at least a year. Then the 1960 City Directory lists Dora and Raymond E. Phillips as owning 222 Kensington Crescent. They actually bought the home in 1958. (Ann Mossop, daughter of Dora and Raymond Phillips.) Raymond taught in the North Vancouver School District. In 1970 Raymond was teaching in the West Vancouver School District. The Phillips family continues to own the house and will be building a new two storey home on the property. That is 52 years and counting for the Phillips family. Beyond the high thick shrub hedge on the west side of the house lies a dramatic view of The Lions and Vancouver. And from the living room the view includes downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, and Vancouver Island. Both views are spectacular.

The 222 Kensington Crescent home is featured in the book "The Modern Architecture of North Vancouver 1930-1965", Heritage Building Inventory by Donald Luxton and Associates. (See the entry below.)

The interior architectural details of the 1950's period in which 222 Kensington Crescent was built remain. (See photos below.)

Demolition Permit: Applied for November 2009.

Photo: Taken December 1, 2009 by SW.
Thank you: To Ann Mossop, daughter of Dora and Raymond Phillips, for the tour of the interior of her home at 222 Kensington Crescent.