In November 2024, North Shore Heritage was contacted by a woman who was packing up her mother’s house and wanted to donate “house plans”. The next thing we knew, we were in possession of the Forest Hills development brochure, a 36-page, cirlox-bound booklet with an amazing choice of 31 designs, a stark contrast to the cookie-cutter developments of today! The booklet, while primarily a marketing and advertising vehicle at the time, is now a fantastic piece of history and art, documenting architectural styles and social norms of the mid 1950’s.
Front Cover of Forest Hills Plan Book. Courtesy of the Archives/MONOVA.
Located between MacKay and Mosquito Creeks, north of Delbrook and east of Edgemont Village, Forest Hills was touted as “A Beautiful and Modern Subdivision on the Southern Slope of the Foothills of the North Shore” with unrivalled panoramic views. The Development Manager was listed as S. Lanktree Thompson, with an office in Edgemont Village.
Forest Hills Plan Book, page 3. Courtesy of the Archives/MONOVA
It seems that by the time the booklet was published, the 31 show homes had already been designed and built. The contractor who built each show home is listed in the plan book with a total of 19 contractors responsible for the 31 show homes. The architects are not listed. It is clear that the aim was to have all of the show homes built quickly so that the public could easily view all the homes at one time in what became known as the “Homes on Parade”. The hope was that after touring the neighbourhood and viewing the various designs, the prospective homeowners would be enticed to buy land and build their own homes. The full working plans for each design were available for $25, from Canada’s “First Building Centre” at 1240 West Broadway in Vancouver!
Forest Hills Plan Book, Inside Back Cover
In my typical type-A fashion, I decided that I had to go and find all of the show homes! The neighbourhood map in the plan booklet provides street names and the lot/block/plan designations but not house addresses, so I took the map with me and did a driving tour of the neighbourhood, matching the homes to the paper map and noting the house numbers as I went.
Forest Hills Plan Book, Inside Front cover, page 2
In crosschecking the addresses on the BC Assessment site, I was able to determine that the show homes were mostly built in 1953 and 1954, while others in the neighbourhood were built a few years later (1955-1958). Of the original 31 show homes, 20 were still standing, some completely untouched, while others had been modified but still had the bones of the original show home for that lot, as depicted in the plan book. That means that two-thirds of the show homes had stood the test of time, which made me happy!
Not architectural masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination, the Forest Hills houses represent the shift away from modest war-time bungalows to more spacious rancher and split-level homes, which were designed to maximize the front-facing façade, often with an attached carport. They were very modern for that time! In the case of the Forest Hills homes, they are all above ground, due to the presence of streams in the area between Mosquito and Mackay Creeks.
In addition to my roadside inventory, I also knocked on the doors of all of the show homes and was lucky enough to chat with a few of the homeowners, who all seemed to really love their homes and the practical layouts which had allowed them to raise families and age in place. One lady said to me “Everyone should have a house like this”! The fact that two-thirds of the show homes are untouched speaks to the functionality, and hence, the longevity of these homes.
And now let’s take a tour of some of the show homes, starting with the plan book depictions, which provide us with a peak into the past, from the cars in the driveways and carports to the appearance of the people and their activities. Where appropriate, I have included photos of those houses today.
Still Standing
4196 Canterbury is as original as they come. Standing atop a hill in all of its brick glory, still with an open, functional carport, the only visible change appears to be the addition of shutters. If you look closely at the drawing, you’ll see what appears to be the father coming home on his bike, smoking a pipe! Pipe-smoking actually features quite prominently in the plan book!
4196 Canterbury Plans
4196 Canterbury, photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay
4337 Ranger is another home which looks exactly the same as the sketch in the plan book. The brick detailing, including the sizeable brick planter, are key to this design. If you look closely at the sketch, you’ll see a couple of kids tossing a football and the housewife greeting her guests in all her 1950’s “bullet bra” glory!
4337 Ranger Plans
4337 Ranger, photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay
4307 Canterbury is an L-shaped post and beam design that is the same today, minus the hovering helicopter!
4307 Canterbury Plans
4307 Canterbury, photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay
Renovated Beyond Recognition
The next two houses, although still listed on the BC Assessment site as constructed in the 1950’s, have been renovated so drastically such that the original home is no longer recognizable.
The sketch for 4190 Highland depicts a brick house made of the Clayburn SCR Brick, touted as being lower cost compared to other building materials. What I liked most about this sketch though is the car in the driveway that looks like it emerged from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
4190 Highland Plans
4190 HIghlands, September 2025. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay
4212 Highland, which also looks like it was originally built of brick, was also at some point significantly modified with a partial 2nd floor added and new fenestration and siding. I included this one mostly because I like the sketch, depicting yet another pipe-smoking husband, this time mowing the lawn. I also like the lovely flagstone patio depicted in the back garden on the plans.
4212 Highland Plans
4212 Highland, September, 2025. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay
Demolished
Sadly, some of the Forest Hills show homes were demolished but based on the plan book sketches, they looked pretty cool.
4306 Highland was demolished in 2018 but looked to be one of the more unique plans in the book. Its roofline, use of brickwork and floor-to-ceiling windows gave it a truly West Coast Modern look.
4367 Chelsea was demolished in 2014, but it was a solid brick home, built on a hill as a partial 2 storey structure. Evidently this building was sponsored by the Port Haney Brick company as the plan for this house contains a brief list of the benefits of these bricks. And on the next page after the plans for this show home, is a full page ad by this company as well.
The Port Haney Brick Company Ad, Forest Hills Plan Book, page 35
4110 Highland was demolished in 2019 but in the plan book, it includes the following: “Privacy that most people desire, still commanding a view. Beautiful Forest Hills, North Vancouver”. It also depicts a cool 1950’s car and the family engaging in typical summertime activities.
As I wandered the streets of Forest Hills, I met lots of friendly people out for walks and can imagine that it isn’t much different now to its early days. There are very few fences, which already makes a neighbourhood feel more friendly. And nary a car passed by making for a really peaceful neighbourhood. If you lived in Forest Hills in the past, or live there now, and have stories to tell or photos to share, we’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, we donated the Forest Hills Plan Book to the Archives at MONOVA.
References:
1950s Vintage Lingerie: Retro Bras & Pin Up Underwear - Classic Critics Corner