Events

Heritage Discovery Day

Know a house in Vancouver that would be a great fit for an upcoming tour? Help us find heritage sites to feature by suggesting a site below!

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Heritage Discovery Day offers a chance to take a peek inside a curated selection of heritage properties to discover the stories behind their architecture, design and history. A self-guided tour since 2003, it is a wonderful way to explore Vancouver’s diverse neighbourhoods, as well as connect with local businesses and community organizations.

Heritage Discovery Day 2026 was held in the neighbourhoods of Mount Pleasant and Riley Park on Saturday, June 6th from 10 am to 5 pm. Nine unique sites were featured on this year’s tour, including a 1910 Craftsman residence in Mount Pleasant with original floors, stained glass and clawfoot tub as well as a distinctive Riley Park house that brings together Mid-Century Modernist roots and what later became typical Vancouver Special layout and design.

Thank You To Our 2026 Sponsors

Thank you for supporting this year’s Heritage Discovery Day!

  • Presenting - Equitable Real Estate Investment Corporation Ltd.

    Equitable Real Estate Investment Corporation Ltd.

    Providing office space in some of Vancouver’s finest heritage buildings since 1950.

    The Equitable Real Estate Investment Corporation manages an impressive portfolio of Vancouver’s buildings. The stories of these landmark structures reflect the city’s own historical development, as well as its boom and bust economy. They represent a century of progress, and continue as a proud reminder of the past and a continuing legacy for the future.

    Many of their buildings are listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register and are significant landmarks in the City. Equitable has twice been awarded City of Vancouver Heritage Awards, one “for their pride and commitment to heritage buildings in downtown Vancouver” and a second for the Vancouver Block.

    Contact
    505 – 325 Howe St, Vancouver, BC
    604 683 7571 or info@ere.bc.ca
    equitablerealestate.ca

  • Site - Odlum Brown

    Odlum Brown

    For over 100 years, independent Canadian investment firm Odlum Brown has been helping clients achieve their financial goals. By gaining a deep understanding of what wealth means to each client, Odlum Brown advisors make a difference for clients through disciplined investment advice integrated with the firm’s financial planning expertise. Odlum Brown also invests in the communities where its clients and team members live and work through its passionate support of over 150 organizations across Canada.

    Contact
    1100 – 250 Howe St, Vancouver, BC
    604 669 1600
    odlumbrown.com

  • Friend - Collis Verdicchio, Oakwyn Realtor

    Collis Verdicchio, Oakwyn Realtor

    Real Estate for Homes That Deserve More — Specializing in Vancouver Character Homes
    Character and heritage homes have been a passion of mine for many years, not just as a Realtor, but as a homeowner who has personally renovated and owned two homes over 100 years old. There’s something special about the craftsmanship, the history, and the timeless details that simply can’t be recreated. I’m deeply drawn to the idea of transforming these homes into beautiful, functional spaces while preserving the elements that make them unique. Buying or selling a character home is very different from a typical transaction it requires care, understanding, and a genuine respect for what these homes represent. I use my background in construction and my passion for heritage properties to help homeowners navigate that process with confidence. Yes, character homes require time and upkeep but preserving Vancouver’s character homes is what makes it all worthwhile. It’s where construction, history, and community come together and it’s what drives everything I do.

    Contact
    778 840 5315 or collis@collisv.com
    www.collisv.com

  • Friend - Extraordinary League Contracting

    Extraordinary League Contracting

    Renovating and restoring buildings in the Vancouver area since 2009, we take immense pride in the retention of existing homes and older buildings. When retention improves and enhances the buildings, benefits the occupants, while respecting the surrounding environment and community, we call this a win.

    Contact
    604 728 3707
    exle.ca

  • In Kind Sponsors

Heritage Discovery Day 2025

On Saturday, June 7th, we welcomed over 600 visitors to the neighbourhood of Kitsilano.

Nine heritage sites were featured during the Heritage Discovery Day, representing a wide range of housing styles and adaptive re-use – from a 1912 Craftsman, a 1908 Early Vernacular Style home to a beloved community site, the oldest non-Indigenous building still standing in Vancouver. A number of additional sites of interest and Places that Matter in the neighbourhoods were featured in the guidebook.

Over 170 dedicated volunteers were on hand to guide visitors through each home and showcase the unique features, answer questions, take photos and help visitors navigate between the tour stops. We are so appreciative of their support and dedication, as well as the generosity of our owners, who allow us to step inside so many incredible properties every year.

In addition to our presenting sponsor, Equitable Real Estate Investment Corp Ltd., we would also like to thank our house sponsors – Buntain Insurance, Engel & Volkers, and Odlum Brown. We would also like to say a thank you to our event photographers, Martin Knowles and Kamran Safari.

I just wanted to say how much my daughter and I enjoyed the tour this year – we love wandering the streets of Strathcona – and loved touring just one area of the city rather than driving from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

We took transit to Science World and walked to the start of the tour, so better from an environmental perspective too.

I hope you will be able to do something similar next year!

Past Heritage Discovery Day Guidebooks

2026
2025
2024
2023

Shannon Estates during the 2017 Heritage House Tour. Credit: Martin Knowles Photo/Media

2017 Heritage House Tour at Shannon Estates. Credit Martin Knowles Photo/Media

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "This Edwardian-style house was built in 1911 by John Bell along with its two neighbours facing Willow Street. "

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "This large Edwardian home was built by John and Edith Beaton."

The Downs Residence was designed by renowned architect Barry Downs for his own family and is an especially fine example of a West Coast Modern home.

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "A Swiss chalet style Craftsman bungalow of 1910 designed by Gamble and Knapp, features river stone in the garden, leaded-glass windows, half-timbered gables, big brackets and eaves. "

This large half-timbered home, sheltered within its lush street-side garden, started out as a revenue property for a well-known local boat builder. It was built as three units in the former garden of the 1912 house next door, which was later demolished for an apartment building.

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "This large Victorian home was built by George Weeks for his family when the West End was the young city’s fashionable residential neighbourhood. It is now the Diamond Centre for Living and part of Barclay Heritage Square. "

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "This house, built in 1929 by self-employed contractor William Earland, reflects more prosperous times and the taste beginning to form in the late 1920s for Storybookstyle architecture, supplanting the popular Craftsman Style and earlier boxy house forms."

One of the more remote early estates in Vancouver is now Crofton House School in the southwestern corner of the city.

From Heritage House Tour 2019: "As the Dunbar neighbourhood developed in the 1930s with a distinctly modest flavour compared with adjoining Kerrisdale, building contractor Mikkel Nielsen built a one-storey bungalow using the typical five-room floor plan of living room, dining room and kitchen across from two bedrooms and a bathroom."

Past Heritage House Tour Guidebooks

Prior to 2020, the Heritage House Tour was held annually and featured heritage homes spread throughout Vancouver. In 2021 and 2022, the Heritage House Tour was offered virtually due to COVID restrictions on large events. Through a series of curated video tours, an exclusive web portal, and live events, we explored six heritage properties spread across Vancouver each year.  Participants were able to experience the compelling stories, past and present, of early architects, builders and residents as well as recent restorations and how these distinct spaces have been adapted for modern living. The tour returned in-person as the re-imagined Heritage Discovery Day in 2023 in Strathcona with a new focus on neighbourhoods and community.

2019
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2017
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Celebrating the Heritage House Tour

The Heritage House Tour has taken place on the first weekend in June since 2003. Enjoy highlights of some of the great spaces we’ve featured in recent years and what makes the tour special with the video below.

Do you or someone you know live in a house that may be a good fit for a future tour? We are always searching for great examples of heritage or character homes to open on our tours. If you’d like to know more, or have your home considered for inclusion on a future tour, contact us 604 264 9642 or by email.