In Vancouver, a Cedar-Clad Masterwork by Arthur Erickson Asks $3.8M

Lifted on stilts above a steep site, the sharp-cornered Catton House recalls the form of a spaceship.

Nov 15, 2021 - 23:34

In Vancouver, a Cedar-Clad Masterwork by Arthur Erickson Asks $3.8M

Lifted on stilts above a steep site, the sharp-cornered Catton House recalls the form of a spaceship.

A dramatic landscape demands a dramatic building. Southwest facing deck of Starship House

Canada’s most renowned architect and urban planner, Arthur Erickson prioritized a relationship with the landscape in his projects spanning residential, commercial, and civic work. One of his most notable designs, Robson Square, weaves together government buildings and public landscape in downtown Vancouver, turning the conventional high-rise on its side when it was completed in 1983. Decades earlier, he took a similarly daring approach to the Catton House, which rises from a challenging cliffside lot in West Vancouver and is now on offer for $4,798,000, or approximately $3,830,000 in U.S. currency.

Commissioned in 1968 and completed in 1970, this Arthur Erickson house is a masterpiece in wood. — Commissioned in 1968 and completed in 1970, the Catton House—also known as the Starship House for its futuristic shape—is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence clad in cedar. A carport leads to the home’s uppermost level.
Courtesy of West Coast Modern

The home was commissioned in 1968 by Jean "Tuffy" Catton and her husband, Don, who were close friends of Erickson while he studied architecture at McGill University. In Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life, scholar and biographer David Stouck details the painful process that eventually birthed the three-story Catton House. Erickson quickly blew through the couple’s original $40,000 budget, straining their relationship, but delivered what the architect would call "a work of art…which reads like a piece of sculpture carved from a single block of wood."

Stairs leading down to the steep lot. — Diagonal strips of Western red cedar clad the exterior, emphasizing its angles. Stone steps lead the way down the precipitous site.
Courtesy of West Coast Modern

Says listing agent Trent Rodney of realty company West Coast Modern, "Of all the fabulous homes I’ve had the privilege of selling in the past two years, this one is my favorite. There was immediate reaction as soon as I uploaded photos of the house onto our Instagram page."