DCHP-3

Vancouver Special

DCHP-2 (Jul 2016)

Spelling variants:
Vancouver special

n. — especially British Columbia, Construction

a house construction style popular in Vancouver in the 1970s, consisting of a two-storey building without basement (see Image 1).

Type: 1. Origin — Vancouver Specials first appeared in 1965 and were constructed to make optimal use of the then-current 33 ft.-wide lots. The box-like shape of the Vancouver Specials and their lack of an underground basement allowed for rapid construction, sometimes in as little as three weeks. It is estimated that by 1985, there were 10,000 of these houses in Vancouver (see Vancouver Heritage Foundation reference). Today, Vancouver Specials are at times ridiculed by Vancouverites due to their outdated, functional appearance (see, e.g. the 1988 and 2008 quotations). At the same time, they are being rediscovered by others and turned into attractive versions. Questionnaire results show that the term is well known only in Vancouver and, to a lesser degree, in Toronto. As evidenced by Chart 1, Vancouver Special has not spread internationally. According to Chart 2, the term is limited to BC except for rare use in Ontario.
See also COD-2, s.v. "Vancouver special", which is marked "Cdn (BC)".

Quotations

1987
The first is a 1930s bungalow, the second a 1940s Veterans Land Act house, the sixth a 1970s Vancouver Special, and the last four are 1980s superhouses.
1988
At one time, there was so much anti-Vancouver Special sentiment that those who had bought these cheap-to-build houses retaliated with an I Love My Vancouver Special campaign.
1997
Set on the high south edge of Renfrew Park, with an Edwardian-era fire hall directly east --which less-able architects would have imitated -- a 1960s community centre to the west and streetscapes of 1920s bungalows, 1960s Vancouver specials and 1990s stucco boxes all around, the building needed to slide gently into the small-scale neighbourhood while announcing its arrival with aplomb.
2008
The irony about houses known as "Vancouver specials" is the fact that they're nothing special. They're as ubiquitous as they are bland, but that didn't stop Nenad Barjaktarovic from bidding more than $80,000 over the asking price for his own Vancouver special, just east of Oak Street near Douglas Park.
2011
What is a Vancouver Special anyway? Some say it derives from the “rancher” turned sideways, to adapt to Vancouver’s narrow lots. Popular and quick to build, thousands of “Vancouver Specials” were constructed in the 1960s and 70s in bluecollar neighbourhoods all over the lower mainland, and they remain today the dominant house type in Vancouver. The sheer quantity of Specials and their adaptability to a two family dwelling is making them more and more attractive to first time buyers.
2016
The sale set a record for highest price in the area for a Vancouver Special, says listing agent Bryan Yan. It out-sold other recent Vancouver Specials; one at 3556 W. 17th, which sold for $2.29-million, and another 3622 W. 19th, which sold for $2.61-million, according to Mr. Yan.

References

Images

Image 1: Several <i>Vancouver Specials</i> in Vancouver, BC. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo: Jason V

Image 1: Several Vancouver Specials in Vancouver, BC. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo: Jason V

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 16 Oct. 2012

Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 16 Oct. 2012

Chart 2: Regional Domain Search, 29 May 2013

Chart 2: Regional Domain Search, 29 May 2013