Baldwin Residence

Built in 1911, the Baldwin Residence is a two-and-a-half-storey Arts and Crafts style residential building and occupies two lots that together form a triangular site. While the two lots fall just outside the boundaries of Vancouver’s “First Shaughnessy Historic Conservation Area” adopted in 2015, they are within the original boundaries drawn by the Canadian Pacific Railway when they developed the “First Shaughnessy” in 1910. The house is located along 16th Avenue, where it merges with Wolfe Avenue, creating a triangular site. Like many streets in Shaughnessy, the streets curve around the land's natural topography, and the generous setbacks and front yards support mature landscaping.

Detailing throughout the building demonstrates the Arts and Crafts style through handcrafted detailing, the use of natural materials, and its steeply pitched roof. Its asymmetrical massing is framed by its steep gable roof and deep overhanging eaves with a single eyebrow dormer on the west side of the building. Facing 16th Avenue, an external red-clinker brick chimney and the recessed entry create an impression of a protected, concealed front. The open soffit reveals the rafters and purlins, highlighting the wood-framed roof. Wood is also used throughout the building, from window frames, casing, and sashes to cedar shingle cladding. The focus on wood gives the building a warm, cottage-like character that blends into the neighbourhood's sweeping green boulevards.

Architect:

George William Grant was a prolific architect active on the West Coast from 1887 to 1916, working with multiple firms throughout his career. Grant was the son of a Nova Scotian-born farmer, and he moved west with his wife, Olive Burris, in 1885. At the time of the construction of the Baldwin House, Grant worked with Alexander E. Henderson under the firm Grant and Henderson (1903-1912). In addition to designing many Arts and Crafts style buildings like the Baldwin Residence, his firm designed other notable heritage buildings in Vancouver, including the Heather Pavilion at the Vancouver General Hospital and the Carnegie Library at the intersection of Main Street and Hastings Street.

Residents:

The Baldwin Residence took its name after the first resident, George Baldwin, who served as the City of Vancouver’s comptroller in the 1910s and later became the custodian of archives in the 1920s. Baldwin moved into the house from the West End in 1911 and lived there for 18 years until 1929. His move reflected the migration of many West End residents to “First Shaughnessy” in the 1910s, one of CPR’s first exclusive single-family developments outside of the West End.

In 1930, William Lloyd, a clerk for the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Line, moved into the Baldwin House. Lloyd retired in 1934 and remained at the house until 1936. Two years later, Harry R. Baldwin, a clerk for the Vancouver City Hall, lived at the Baldwin Residence from 1838 to 1940. It is unclear if Harry Baldwin is related to the first owner, George Baldwin. Afterwards, the Baldwin Residence was used as a rooming house under several different names. In 1948, the address at the Baldwin Residence (1215 16th Avenue West) was listed in the “British and Yukon Directory 1948” as the Ellis House Rooms, named after Reverend Walter Ellis, the Principal of the Vancouver Bible School at the time.

Recent Developments:

In 2020, the owners of the Baldwin Residence submitted a development permit and an application to designate the house as a heritage building. Due to the Baldwin Residence straddling two lots that form a triangular site, the development permit requested an increase in the developable frontage to allow two additional buildings on each side of the Baldwin Residence. As part of the heritage building designation, the conservation plan included the preservation of the overall form, the street- and side-facing wood-sash windows, the recessed entry, and the red clinker brick chimney. However, changes were made to the rear of the Baldwin Residence. Windows were rearranged to accommodate the interior layout, and new garage doors were added. In 2023, the two infill buildings and the conservation of the Baldwin Residence were completed. The new construction provided a total of seven dwelling units: two units per infill building and three units in the Baldwin Residence.