Stanley Park's Rose Cottage Restoration Wins Heritage Recognition Award

March 6, 2006 - The Vancouver Park Board and its contractors were recently recognized at the City of Vancouver Heritage Awards for their restoration of Rose Cottage, a Class "B" 1932 Rustic Arts and Crafts style cottage. An "Award of Recognition" honoured the project participants for the use of log siding and the employment of traditional construction methods.

One of the most photographed buildings in Stanley Park, the quaint Rose Cottage is located just off Pipeline Road, nestled against the forest and adjacent to the perennial and rose gardens and the Service Yard. The cottage, which currently provides office space for the Park Board's Revenue Services staff, was once the Zoo Manager/Caretaker's Cottage. In 1988 the Cottage underwent renovations to accommodate volunteers involved in education programs for the former Stanley Park Zoological Society. This included the conversion of the second floor bedrooms into offices, the renovation of the interior space to accommodate a lecture room, kitchen and lounge, the addition of an accessible ramp and new washrooms.

In 2005, the Park Board undertook the restoration of the exterior of the Rose Cottage.

The $50,000 restoration of the Cottage's exterior included the removal of a layer of Virginia Creeper that caused significant damage to the building. Although the Virginia Creeper added to the beauty and photographic allure of the cottage in the summer months, the vine had become invasive to the point of requiring regular indoor pruning by staff!

The more challenging part of the project, however, was the replacement of the exterior. With the commitment to using "heritage" materials for the restoration comes a fascinating story. The wood provided by Whistler Forest Products and installed by Deitlein Construction was 3" by 6" natural round face western red cedar log siding that was sourced from logs that had been submerged in Lois Lake for over 70 years. The logs were retrieved, milled, hand peeled and slowly kiln dried for three months. Replacements for the larger, base logs were sourced from "forest friendly" standing dead western red cedar that were originally fire singed during the Spring Lake fire of 1935. The trees were helicopter logged and naturally air dried. With the acquisition of the "heritage" wood, the contractors were able to rise to the challenge of the intricate task of installation of the new "old" exterior.

Rose Garden Cottage is just one of 20 heritage buildings that come under the care and protection of the Park Board. Each carries its own unique story and character that is part of our city's venerable history. The Park Board's commitment to heritage protection and sustainable practices and policies in the construction and maintenance of its facilities will ensure the preservation of this important historical legacy.

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