Aberthau House, Tudor Revival mansion in Point Grey, Vancouver, Canada.
Aberthau House is a 1913 mansion built in Tudor Revival style in Vancouver, featuring steeply pitched gable roofs, decorative half-timbering, and tall chimneys throughout its exterior. Today it serves as West Point Grey Community Centre, offering art courses and event spaces to the community.
Architect Samuel Maclure was commissioned in 1909, and the house was built from 1910 to 1913 for James Rear, general manager of American Life Insurance, who named it Rear House. Colonel Victor Spencer bought it in 1918 and renamed it Aberthau, Welsh for "a place filled with light." The federal government expropriated the 22-room mansion in 1938 for $94,466 and used it as the Royal Canadian Air Force Officers' Mess for the Jericho Beach seaplane base; a 1943 fire destroyed the roof and damaged the attic.
The residence was designed with traditional English Tudor elements visible in the central hall, winding staircase, and stained glass windows throughout the spaces. These choices reflected a desire to recreate European domestic culture in a Canadian setting.
The building is located at West 2nd Avenue and Trimble Street in the Point Grey neighborhood and is easily accessible by foot or public transit. Visitors should note that it functions as a community centre, so available areas may vary depending on ongoing activities or events.
The house was originally known as Rear House before being renamed in 1918 by its owner. The name Aberthau comes from Welsh words meaning a place filled with light, showing how personal and symbolic the naming choice was.
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