RESIDE SPRING 2019
TRULY EPPICH Hidden amid the trees in West Vancouver is an architectural marvel that’s built to last By Yuki Hayashi
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Sothebysrealty.com
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mong jaw-dropping properties, every so often, one defies categorization as a residential home, making the leap to “landmark” instead. Case in point: Eppich House II. With its dazzling expanse of glass walls and its revolutionary cascading steel-beam frame, this architectural wonder appears like a mirage high on a West Vancouver hillside, nestled between mountain and sea, yet invisible from the road. Water elements add to its mystical quality—a shimmering koi pond, fed by a redirected creek, and an infinity-edge pool that blends into the landscape. One of Canada’s first modernist glass-and-steel homes, the daring residence has hit the prestige real-estate market for the first time, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for discerning design enthusiasts. “The buyer of this home will be someone who appreciates a fine iconic piece of architecture [that] is completely unique. It is really like owning your own private museum,” says listing agent Eric Latta of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. Designed by legendary Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, the circa-1979 masterpiece is the crown jewel of North Shore/ West Vancouver, a region known for its trove of West Coast modernist gems. “Starting in the late 1950s and ’60s, people were developing the North Shore in this ‘crazy’ modernist style. It was an outlier across the bridge from Vancouver and immune from the architectural traditions of the city proper,” says Javier Campos, president of the nonprofit organization Heritage Vancouver. It was within this unique cultural context that Eppich House II was conceived. In steel magnate Hugo Eppich, Erickson found his dream client-cum-partner. “At the time, Erickson was Canada’s most famous architect and recognized worldwide,” Campos says. Eppich, co-owner of custom metal manufacturer Ebco Industries Ltd., in Richmond, B.C., was a materials expert with the latest technology at his disposal.