Flocks of people were coming to North Vancouver to start a new life at the beginning of the 20th century.
Margaret Jane and William Follis were two of those people. In 1907 they purchased land and built a one-and-a-half storey gabled vernacular architectural style house on the south side of West 14th Street, near Mahon Avenue.
The “Follis Residence” was one of the first homes on the block, housing three long-term North Vancouver resident families. The Follis family owned the property until 1930, where Arthur and Clementine Evans purchased it shortly after and resided there until 1946. As North Vancouver’s population started to grow in the 1940s, Michael and Jean McCaffery bought the home and lived in the house from 1947 to 1974.
The home signifies the beginning of an era of bustling growth and prosperity for the city, while also being one of the oldest surviving houses on the 300-block between Jones and Mahon Avenue.
At a meeting Jan. 27, city council unanimously voted for a “heritage designation” bylaw and proposal from Vancouver-based company DLP Architecture Inc. to preserve and rehabilitate the Follis residence.
The home will still remain at 311 West 14th Street. Slight modifications will be made to keep the vintage style and rehabilitate the home. The applicant will build a duplex infill building at the rear of the property with two principal units and two accessory lock-off suites. In total, there will be six residential units, including a livable basement.
According to the Heritage Conservation Plan, the home’s foundation will be replaced, creating extra height for the basement suite. New windows, doors and wood siding like the home’s original style will also be added to the basement.
The home’s front stairs will also be rebuilt, and the rear deck will be removed as it has no heritage value. All other exterior elements on the home, including original windows, horizontal lapped wood siding, soffits, shingles and dormers will be preserved. Walls will also be repainted in historic colours.
Four parking spots will be at the back of the property, and new trees will be planted on the site as well. The applicant, Lucio Picciano of DLP Architecture Inc., estimated the cost for the proposed restoration and rehabilitation of the Follis Residence will be $360,000, according to a November 2024 staff report.
The proposal was presented to the Heritage Advisory Commission on Dec. 13, 2022.
Councillors in support of preservation plan, bringing more housing in the city
During the Jan. 27 meeting, councillors expressed support for the plan, keeping the heritage of the Follis Residence while also adding more housing.
“I think it’s great to be able to preserve these houses that are the history of North Vancouver, and at the same time provide new housing,” said Coun. Don Bell. “I think it’s an innovative and sympathetic approach to doing so. I’m happy to support it.”
Coun. Holly Back asked what colour the Follis residence will be as photos show the home’s colour has changed over the years.
There is no record of the house’s original colour, CNV staff said, but it will align with heritage colours that were used at the time. The home’s siding and shingles would be a burgundy red, the trim and railings beige, while windows and doors would be a high gloss black.
Mayor Linda Buchanan also echoed support of the preservation plans, allowing people to see the history of the area.
“But also, as we are in the present, it allows us to use that land in very different ways and provide that infill. It’s a good win-win for everyone, and being the owner of a heritage home, I know the cost of doing this type of work,” Buchanan said.
“I think this helps with that rehabilitation.… I think this is a really good project to put forward.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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