Saved from demolition, architect Arthur Erickson’s 1963 Perry Estate sells for $2.45-million in North Vancouver

After nearly six months on the market, Arthur Erickson’s 1963 Perry Estate in North Vancouver has sold for $2.45 million—just under its $2.65-million asking price. The three-bedroom modernist retreat, long a haven for artists and recently a backdrop for Finn Wolfhard, had faced the risk of demolition before finding a new custodian through real estate and design firm West Coast Modern.

The property

In 1963, renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson designed The Perry Estate, envisioning the property as an artist’s retreat. Over the following decades, this three-bed, two-bath estate became a creative haven, housing some of Vancouver’s most notable artists, including sculptor Bill Reid and filmmaker Frank Perry. 

Drawing inspiration from Japanese and Indigenous traditions, Erickson designed the estate with mostly teak and fir interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows and a dramatic solstice skylight. The main room features stunning unglazed Japanese mother of pearl tiles, and a hidden courtyard—accessible only from the secondary bedroom—adds to its uniquely sheltered atmosphere. Surrounded by old growth cedar trees and dense foliage, the home remains a true sanctuary.

Type: Estate

Neighbourhood: Delbrook

Beds: 3

Baths: 2

Year built: 1963

Taxes: $9,009.09

Maintenance fees: Freehold non-strata 

Listed price: $2,650,000

Selling price: $2,450,000

Days on market: 186 days

The sale

Four years ago, West Coast Modern co-founder Trent Rodney stood at the chain-link fence of The Perry Estate, calling out in hopes of reaching the owners of the remarkable property. No one answered, but Rodney left knowing this home needed to be brought into the spotlight. 

Years later, Rodney met Lorin Allred, the former custodian of The Perry Estate, through one of his children. Allred, ready to downsize, wanted the heritage property entrusted to a real estate firm that valued preserving its origins.

Fortunately, the estate found a custodian through West Coast Modern’s network in a matter of months. The new custodians, long-time appreciators of design, saw themselves as caretakers of architectural legacies and purchased the property with the intention of fully restoring The Perry Estate to its former glory. Rodney believes that without careful stewardship, The Perry Estate might have been demolished.

“They saved The Perry Estate,” Rodney says. “The likelihood of demolition was high if they didn’t step up, so they’re the true heroes for our region’s architecture.” For Rodney, the preservation of The Perry Estate and other modernist homes is part of a large cultural effort, and he hopes that there will be an increase in custodianship in the future.

“We’re so quick to go, ‘Let’s get rid of all the old stuff,’ but then you go forward 70 years and it’s all gone,” he says. “So now’s the time to say ‘Hey, we can grow the city, but let’s also not forget where we come from.’”

At 2,528 square feet, the estate sits on a 17,462 square foot lot: unusually large for the area, where similar lots in the neighbourhood had been subdivided into multiple single-family homes over the years. Its preservation feels especially urgent given the fate of other significant Erickson homes, such as the Graham House (1962) in West Vancouver, which was demolished in 2007, or the Killam-Massey House in Toronto, torn down in 2006 despite efforts to protect them.

The big picture

While custodianship and homeownership may sound similar, Rodney describes custodianship as “holding onto a home for the next generation.”

In cities like Los Angeles or London, architectural custodianship is far more established than in Vancouver—something West Coast Modern hopes to change.

“We have some of the best architecture in the world, yet we haven’t hit that big stride yet,” he says. “But a lot of people are starting to look at Vancouver as the mid-century modern market to buy into.”

Rodney notes that most buyers come from the creative and tech industries, with increased international interest as well. He cites BC’s safe and politically stable environment as one of the reasons why more international buyers are coming into the province.

“What I learned over the past few months looking at the data is that political uncertainty has actually driven people to come to BC, especially the creatives,” he explains. “If you work online, you can live anywhere in the world, so a lot of people are looking at BC because it’s incredibly safe and beautiful. We’re almost like a refuge or a sanctuary in nature.”