White rough-cast stucco was nearly always used for Mission Revival houses, along with tile roofs in terra cotta red or green. Metal tile roofs imitating the rounded clay tile roofs were also used. Vertical windows in assemblies of three to five were grouped together for major rooms, and were usually double-hung. Chimneys were stuccoed and interior . Exterior chimneys were embedded in the parapeted gable ends. Bracketed eaves are the only wood expression other than the windows and doors.
From British Columbia City Directories, Historical Vancouver Building Permits: "The Roxborough, also known as the Brambly Apartments, was built in 1928 by contractors Baynes and Horie, and designed by Archibald Campbell Hope, who is also responsible for the Oxford and Madrona to the east. It was built with 14 units, and was the first to be built in this streetscape of three-storey walk-up apartments, typical for the area. Right at the corner of 15th Ave and Fir Street, its impressive Mission Revival curvilinear parapets, and tiled and bracketed overhanging eaves are on full display. The Roxborough’s ornamented arched doorways and stained glass focal windows are from the closely related Spanish Colonial Revival style."
A brewery was first constructed on the site around 1888, at a time when a number of industries thrived along False Creek, including tanneries and other breweries. ‘The Vancouver Brewery Garage’ was constructed sometime between 1913 and 1926 on the former Doering and Marstrand Brewery site, adjacent to Brewery Creek. It is a rare example of Mission Revival style architecture. The building is one of the few surviving legacies of the early industrial and residential neighbourhood, and is one of the dwindling numbers of surviving heritage industrial buildings in the City. Source: City of Vancouver
This picturesque mansion in the Grandview area, as many of the Mission Revival style have, has since been repurposed but maintains the original character of the style. We can see the flamboyant dormer and the many curvilinear parapets. We can tell from this photograph the stucco materials used to build this home. We notice the long brick chimney and the large verandah, eminent of its picturesque profile.
Designed by A. Arthur Cox and built between 1912-1914, the building is in the Mission Revival style. Known as the Terra Vita residential complex today, the semi-rural estate was originally the Girls Industrial School. Associated with the 1908 federal Juvenile Delinquency Act, the detention home has a history of social trauma. Opened in 1914 under the superintendency of Thomas Collier of the Salvation Army, the school taught girls homemaker skills like cooking, cleaning, and sewing. The building served in its original capacity until 1959, when the school was transferred to a new site in Burnaby. The building was then converted to office space for provincial departments. The estate was converted into 88 townhomes in 1995 by Unified Properties. The original architect, A. Arthur Cox, designed buildings throughout Canada, mainly in Montreal, Quebec, L.A., and Vancouver. He also designed the Edgett Building at 440 Cambie Street, and the Carter-Cotton (AKA the Pacific) building. Source: Vancouver Heritage Inventory Summary Report Phase II 1986, VHF Files, http://historicalstudiesineducation.ca/index.php/edu_hse-rhe/article/view/350/42
From British Columbia City Directories, Historical Vancouver Building Permits: "The Roxborough, also known as the Brambly Apartments, was built in 1928 by contractors Baynes and Horie, and designed by Archibald Campbell Hope, who is also responsible for the Oxford and Madrona to the east. It was built with 14 units, and was the first to be built in this streetscape of three-storey walk-up apartments, typical for the area. Right at the corner of 15th Ave and Fir Street, its impressive Mission Revival curvilinear parapets, and tiled and bracketed overhanging eaves are on full display. The Roxborough’s ornamented arched doorways and stained glass focal windows are from the closely related Spanish Colonial Revival style."
A brewery was first constructed on the site around 1888, at a time when a number of industries thrived along False Creek, including tanneries and other breweries. ‘The Vancouver Brewery Garage’ was constructed sometime between 1913 and 1926 on the former Doering and Marstrand Brewery site, adjacent to Brewery Creek. It is a rare example of Mission Revival style architecture. The building is one of the few surviving legacies of the early industrial and residential neighbourhood, and is one of the dwindling numbers of surviving heritage industrial buildings in the City. Source: City of Vancouver
This picturesque mansion in the Grandview area, as many of the Mission Revival style have, has since been repurposed but maintains the original character of the style. We can see the flamboyant dormer and the many curvilinear parapets. We can tell from this photograph the stucco materials used to build this home. We notice the long brick chimney and the large verandah, eminent of its picturesque profile.
Designed by A. Arthur Cox and built between 1912-1914, the building is in the Mission Revival style. Known as the Terra Vita residential complex today, the semi-rural estate was originally the Girls Industrial School. Associated with the 1908 federal Juvenile Delinquency Act, the detention home has a history of social trauma. Opened in 1914 under the superintendency of Thomas Collier of the Salvation Army, the school taught girls homemaker skills like cooking, cleaning, and sewing. The building served in its original capacity until 1959, when the school was transferred to a new site in Burnaby. The building was then converted to office space for provincial departments. The estate was converted into 88 townhomes in 1995 by Unified Properties. The original architect, A. Arthur Cox, designed buildings throughout Canada, mainly in Montreal, Quebec, L.A., and Vancouver. He also designed the Edgett Building at 440 Cambie Street, and the Carter-Cotton (AKA the Pacific) building. Source: Vancouver Heritage Inventory Summary Report Phase II 1986, VHF Files, http://historicalstudiesineducation.ca/index.php/edu_hse-rhe/article/view/350/42
Click on the diagram or expand the term index to learn more about the features.
Balustrade
An entire railing system, as along the edge of a balcony, including a top rail, bottom rail, and balusters.
Flamboyant Dormer
Using molded stucco trim, the parapet wall ends up in a baroque or convoluted top trim (flamboyant is a gothic term meaning flame-like).
Parapet
The extension of a masonry or stucco wall above the roof line.
Pier
A square, sometimes tapered (as opposed to round) column.
Stucco
A material – sometimes called render, made of an aggregate (sand) and a binder (Portland cement, and water). It is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. Sometimes used on interior walls, and ceilings (called California plaster), it is mainly used on exteriors and can cover less visually appealing construction materials such as concrete, cinder block, or clay brick.
Transom
A window or light above a door or window.
Verandah
A covered porch wide enough for sitting or dining which wraps around a house on two or more sides.
Form
Mission Revival style is mainly a mansion style in Vancouver, distinctive because of its curvilinear parapets at the gables. Typically, the houses present a romantic, picturesque profile, with curved parapets set into the side-gables and dormers. Roofs are usually tile and the cladding is roughcast stucco. Some may have round or squared towers.
Background
The Mission Revival style originated in California in the 1890s and spread east in the early 20th century. It drew on California’s Spanish colonial history at the same time that other colonial styles became popular on the East coast, inspired by the style of early Catholic Missions in the region. Some of the forms of the original missions (ie. bell towers and elaborate arcades) were maintained in domestic versions. Designers borrowed and adapted these elements to suit traditional house forms. Its popularity spread by the influence of fashionable architects and builders’ magazines. In Vancouver, Mission Revival is primarily an Interwar style, popular between 1920 and 1940.
Details
- Curvilinear parapets at gables and roof
- Low-pitched tile roof
- Wide overhanging eaves
- Deep porches or verandahs
- Large square pillars on porches
- Arched openings
- Stucco siding