C.G. Johnson House Oakhurst

Built in 1912, this Craftsman style house was built for shipping magnate Major C. Gardiner Johnson, sometimes called the “Father of the port of Vancouver”. He arrived in Vancouver in 1885, one year before the City incorporated and the Great Fire of 1886.

Built at a cost of $15,000 by contractor A.O. Walter, it is a significant surviving example of the residential work by architect R. MacKay Fripp. It is a unique, rustic example of the Arts and Crafts style, with the first floor exterior clad in locally harvested logs and built on an unusual river rock foundation.

In 1929, the property was sold to yachtsman and businessman Ronald M. Maitland who was MLA for Point Grey and a partner in Macaulay, Nicolls, Maitland & Co, a real estate company. It was described as ‘nearly a city block in size with a large orchard, vegetable garden, barn and chicken coops.’ Archival photographs indicate that during its prime years there was a rock garden in the front of the house on the south side, a large wisteria draped across the front porch and double tennis courts.

When Ronald Maitland died in 1937 the property was purchased by Doris Crawford, a nurse, who initially opened the house as the Oakhurst Nursing Home for seven patients. Oakherst, as it became known, ceased to operate in 1987.

It was purchased in 2002 and converted into 5 condo units.

In 2020, with the assistance of a VHF Heritage Conservation Grant, the property was painted with an authentic True Colours paint scheme.

Source

City of Vancouver Heritage Plaque, Owner's research