Ванкуверские «замки» в стиле французских сказок: история архитектуры, которая исчезает

В Ванкувере сохранились редкие дома в стиле «французских сказок» с башнями и асимметричными крышами, ставшие символом архитектурной фантазии 1930-х годов. Несмотря на популярность среди жителей пригорода, многие из этих уникальных особняков были снесены, и точное количество оставшихся зданий неизвестно.

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Despite what my Halloween costumes from 1992 to 1995 would suggest, I was never really a princess girl. I saw myself more as a tween intellectual: when my mom gave me free rein to make over my bedroom at age 10, I chose “the library” as my design theme. And yet, I would gladly trade in any of my prized childhood decor—my lamp that looked like a stack of books; my hardcover-themed bedspread (a limited edition from Sears’s Insufferable Girls collection)—for the chance to live in one of Vancouver’s adorable little castles. READ MORE: City Informer: Where Did All These Hobbit Houses Come From? You know the ones, right? The asymmetrical hipped-roof stucco-and-brick homes with turrets? Commonly found on the west side? Wouldn’t look out of place being attacked by a dragon? An ideal floorplan for raising a stepdaughter you hate? These “Dunbar Castles,” as they’re known, would obviously not impress anyone from Europe, a country as rich in castles as we are in Cactus Clubs. Nor are they likely to inspire a Disney animator, unless they were working on a film called The Princess and the Vacancy Tax. But for those of us who are accustomed to living in a kingdom where glass towers rule the skyline, moments of architectural whimsy like this are more than good enough. These charming single-family homes are built in a style called French Storybook, which emerged in North America after World War I. Soldiers came home from Europe with an appreciation—une appréciation—for arch-topped windows and quoined openings. As the saying goes, “Once you fall in love with defensive battlements, you never go back.” READ MORE: City Informer: What Makes the Vancouver Special So Special? At the same time, a burgeoning Hollywood was fostering a fascination with fantasy worlds and historical dramas, and stars in L.A. were commissioning set designers to make fairytale-chic homes that wound up being celebrated in international (ahem) print media. The trend kicked off, and castlemania gripped the West Coast; manufacturers of tiny flags that go on top of turrets were in for a real treat. READ MORE: The Secrets Behind Vancouver’s Most Interesting Buildings A few 1930s developers gained a reputation for producing fantastical homes (Jack Wood is a legendary Dunbar builder, while CBK Van Norman ruled Kerrisdale and the far-off lands of West Vancouver), but French Storybook plans were available in house-pattern books as well, making this royal style accessible to Vancouver peasants and lords alike. Though there’s no formal count of how many castles peppered the city at the style’s peak, there’s also, according to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, no formal count of how many remain today. What we do know for sure: some have been knocked down in between. If only the plans for French Storybook homes had included a moat, maybe all of our city’s petite palaces would still be safely standing in 2026. And maybe there would be a room in one of those little turrets for a royal know-it-all and her bookshelf-themed bookshelf.