DCHP-2

Vancouver Special Vancouver special DCHP-2 (July 2016)

• n. — especially British Columbia, Construction

  a house construction style popular in Vancouver in the 1970s, consisting of a two-storey building without basement (see Image 1).

  Type: 1. Origin — Vancouver Specials first appeared in 1965 and were constructed to make optimal use of the then-current 33 ft.-wide lots. The box-like shape of the Vancouver Specials and their lack of an underground basement allowed for rapid construction, sometimes in as little as three weeks. It is estimated that by 1985, there were 10,000 of these houses in Vancouver (see Vancouver Heritage Foundation reference). Today, Vancouver Specials are at times ridiculed by Vancouverites due to their outdated, functional appearance (see, e.g. the 1988 and 2008 quotations). At the same time, they are being rediscovered by others and turned into attractive versions. Questionnaire results show that the term is well known only in Vancouver and, to a lesser degree, in Toronto. As evidenced by Chart 1, Vancouver Special has not spread internationally. According to Chart 2, the term is limited to BC except for rare use in Ontario.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "Vancouver special", which is marked "Cdn (BC)".