Redevelopment of Fahrni log home, land is a travesty that demands city hall step in
Re: 107-year-old Vancouver log home may get torn down for three new houses
The possible demolition of a rare heritage property poses important questions for Vancouverites to ask themselves.
Will diverse neighbourhoods with variable housing styles and characteristics continue to exist, or will Vancouver become an anonymous city of towers? Does anyone in City Hall have an informed and balanced long-term game plan, or is this city a vehicle for developer profits? Is it time to reinstate the ward system to best reflect neighbourhood aspirations?
And is there real support for the heritage program? The Fahrni log house in question reflects Vancouver's evolution. It was built in a manner never to be repeated — floating Howe Sound timber, now logged out of existence, to Spanish Banks in 1912, and using Capilano river rock for the chimney. The build took years (1912-1916) and is possibly the last log home in this region. The history of the house is also tied up with early development of the arts in Vancouver, overseen by Jean Fahrni during her 70 years of occupancy. Her collection of Asian ceramics (assembled while she travelled as a nurse on the Yellow River in China, post-second World War) is kept at the Museum of Vancouver, and has been exhibited in 1971, 1976 and in 2019, shortly before her death. In 1955, she was a founder of the Potters Guild of B.C. She was elected as an honorary member of the Canadian Craft Federation, and she befriended one of Canada's most significant artists, Bill Reid, encouraging him early in his career.
John Mackie's article states that Mr. Munish Katyal of KVA Developments purchased this house, acknowledged as Heritage A, by paying for one big lot, and not for the value of three lots. His application to demolish this house indicates a cynical assessment of the heritage program, and if successful Mr. Katyal will make a handsome profit at the expense of the Heritage Foundation's credibility. Why not a compromise to save this structure and the great Douglas Firs? The house straddles two lots, so why not permit an infill only on the third. The house could become a museum/meeting place, and a tourist site. If the house cannot be built around, the city could require that KVA Developments dismantle, move and reassemble it.
Destroying a significant part of Vancouver history sends a clear signal to developers that heritage is deeply susceptible to developer pressure, and slowly and surely the all-too-rare glimpses of the city's evolution, and diverse neighbourhoods, will be lost.