BC Business
Can the city shed its shoebox reputation? There are many experiences that contribute to "the Vancouver Brand," and public revilement of the infamous Vancouver Special is one of them. Boxy and boring, it's part of our shared heritage as Vancouverites to scoff at these inelegant abodes. But brand attributes can change – even commonly accepted ones. And if the widespread belief that these suburban shoeboxes are a blight on the good name of Vancouver can change, what's next?
There are many experiences that contribute to “the Vancouver Brand,” and public revilement of the infamous Vancouver Special is one of them. Boxy and boring, it’s part of our shared heritage as Vancouverites to scoff at these inelegant abodes.
But brand attributes can change – even commonly accepted ones. And if the widespread belief that these suburban shoeboxes are a blight on the good name of Vancouver can change, what’s next?
These long-suffering, much-maligned architectural icons are so much a part of our urban myth that when I first moved here 12 years ago, it was a hot issue and one of the first civic conversations I was privy to.
I milked it as a small-talk ice-breaker for months. I could make a conversational gambit like, “Hi, my name is David. I’ve just moved here. What’s with all those Vancouver Specials?” It made me feel like I belonged in my newly adopted city.
But now, the tide is turning. Hipsters have started to reference the term in ironic ways that indicate this peculiar style may yet see a resurgence in popularity. According to Wikipedia, there was a locally produced CD compilation called Vancouver Special that featured the houses on the cover. There’s even a new art/design/style shop on Main Street using the name, filled with very cool things indeed.
Recently, I’ve even looked at buying a Vancouver Special myself – one that has me seriously contemplating what it would take to snap one up.
Before you write me off as another fallen suburbanite, look at the photos of the unit as redesigned and renovated by Vancouver architectural firm Iconstrux Architecture. It’s attracted a lot of attention, and deservedly so. I don’t really care if this house started life as a tool shed – it’s gorgeous, and I want one.
After looking at the Iconstrux reno, I’m suddenly overwhelmingly envious of Joey L., who works with me, and who has her own Special. She’s always been vaguely defensive about the decision to buy one, but now she can boast. Just imagine the day when multiple bids are received for these on the housing market; a time when Prada-wearing minimalists scour the MLS looking for just the right location for their Special renovation project.
The stories and shared agreements that make up the brand of a place, in this case the City of Vancouver, are generally long in the making, and even longer in the breaking. But if the Vancouver Special, a popular and shared icon of the Lower Mainland landscape, can morph from object of scorn into object of desire, then all bets are off.