Here’s How To Buy a House Designed by Canada’s Best-Known Architect
If you’re in the market for a home and you don’t want to buy any old dwelling but rather a unique property you won’t find anywhere else, look no further than Arthur Erickson’s Starship House. Embedded on a mountainside in West Vancouver, this historic home is the antithesis of the cookie-cutter houses that line the streets of many of Canada’s residential neighbourhoods. On the contrary, this is a one-of-a-kind collectible work of art.
The Starship House, formerly known as Catton House, came to fruition when Erickson was tasked with designing a bold example of modernist architecture in 1967, just as Vancouver was on its way to becoming a world-class city. Naturally he was up to the task, and he returned with an idea for a house in the form of a sculptural, intergalactic spacecraft. Construction on the two-level, 2,434 square-foot home began the following year, and it has sat above a tree-covered bluff ever since.
This sculptural cedar home is a prime example of how Erickson, who went on to be widely acknowledged as the best-known Canadian architect in history, used the landscape on which his designs were built to his advantage. Rather than dominate the land by building overbearing, out-of-place structures, Erickson’s designs look like they are part of the land and were created to respond to the location’s climate — and the Starship House is no exception.
With a geometric design, diagonal wood panels, and endless natural light beaming in from all directions, this rhomboid-shaped home appears as though it is an inherent part of the sloping north shore mountains on which it is perched. It features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and three outdoor wooden decks, making the exterior of the home equally as enchanting as the interior.
And though it was built more than half a century ago, its mid-century modern design remains as timeless and stylish as ever.
Following the creation of this remarkable home, Erickson went on to design many other B.C. homes as well as some of the Lower Mainland’s most prominent structures, including Robson Square, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University. As a result, his designs have left a lasting mark on the overall architectural style of modern Vancouver — and for good reason.
Priced at $4,798,000, the sale of this house presents a unique opportunity for someone to own a little bit of architectural history — something truly extraordinary. Anyone interested in viewing the property can book a private tour online. Be prepared for an unparalleled, otherworldly experience.
