1203 Matthews Ave

Built in 1911, the roots of Arts and Crafts style are visible in the house's stone foundation, half-timbering detailing, and multi-paned, leaded glass windows.

The first owner of the house was Mrs. Ellen Emmonds, who moved into the residence with her sons following her husband's death in 1910 and remained until 1919. Conrad W Johnson, a salesman and financial broker, lived in the house from 1919-1936 with his wife, Kathryn, and daughter, Katherine.

In 1940, Walter and Marianne Koerner purchased the house. Originally from Moravia (now Czech Republic), the Walter Koerner (1898-1995) moved to Canada in 1939 with his brothers, eventually making a fortune in the lumber industry. Known for his long association with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Koerner was a notable philanthropist and a patron of the arts. He and his wife Marianne supported local artists and the University by gifting their extensive Northwest Coast art collection to UBC's Museum of Anthropology in 1975. The Koerner family maintained an enduring home at what is often called referred to as "The Sundorne property," remaining until 1995.

1203 Matthews Ave is part of First Shaughnessy (a Heritage Conservation Area). Named after Canadian Pacific Railway president, Sir Thomas Shaughnessy, Shaughnessy Heights was plotted in 1907 and designed as a Garden City neighbourhood - a community with large estate houses with generous setbacks on extensive lots with private gardens and prominent street landscaping. The first residents of Shaughnessy were the wealthy and socially elite of Vancouver at the time, interested in establishing their family estates and displaying their status in this new prestigious subdivision. These Shaughnessy homes were designed by the most prominent and well-respected architects of the era, including Maclure & Fox, Parr & Fee and Thomas Hooper.

Source

Canada's Historic Places; City of Vancouver; Canadian Census