One of the oldest, most unique and well-storied Vancouver homes entered the rental market this week and it can be yours for only $6,200 a month.
The nearly 80-year-old storybook-style home is officially named the James Residence but over the years it has received the affectionate moniker of the Hobbit House. Situated at 587 West King Edward Avenue, the home was built by Brenton Lea in 1942 for William H. James, a CNR foreman and his family.
It’s a bit of a miracle the home is standing at all after escaping a development deal in 2016. After being saved, the home’s “single cedar thatch” or “steam-bent roof” was restored in 2017 which resulted in the home receiving the City of Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour. Also in 2017 the home was listed for sale to the tune of $2,698,000.
The home will be available to rent in all its unfurnished glory starting February 20. Despite its perceived littleness, the home boasts a 2,906-square-foot footprint which contains three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, 12-foot vaulted ceilings, three fireplaces, a media room, and a backyard patio with beautiful landscaping.
For a home built the same year Frank Sinatra recorded his first solo sessions, the interior of the house is shockingly modern. A virtual tour of the house shows white marble countertops in the kitchen, glass and steel railings going downstairs and its two gas fireplaces embedded into the egg-shell white walls.
If you’re interested in renting this little piece of history you can contact Baxter through the home’s Craigslist ad.
- with files from Lindsay William-Ross and Bob Kronbauer
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