EPPICH House II: West Coast Legacy of Erickson & Oberlander

Introducing Eppich House II, the iconic  Arthur Erickson-designed family residence  in West Vancouver’s British Properties on 1.18-acres, a masterpiece crafted of steel and glass that extends into the natural landscape.

Timelessly designed in 1979 and completed in 1988, the home at 1056 Groveland Road is named after the Hugo Eppich family, who originally commissioned and have since restored this monumental piece of architecture with its distinctive curved glass brick windows and chrome-plated steel columns.

The three-story terraced main house is a stunning 6,486-square-foot building with separate levels for parents and children. It features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, an expansive living room, a comfortable dining room, a sun-drenched outdoor pool, a hot tub, a games room, and ample office space. Outside are 3,000-feet of terraces that overlook landscaped gardens, a reflection pond fed by a small creek, and an ocean view.

A WEST COAST LEGACY

Architect and Vancouver native Arthur Erickson (1924-2009) was a passionate advocate of cultural awareness and a fervent explorer of human and natural environments. Though remarkably diverse, his buildings share deep respect for the context, incomparable freshness and grace, and the dramatic use of space and light. He brought to his work an understanding of community that when filtered through his insightful mind and fertile imagination, gave birth to a singular architecture that is in dialogue with the world.

Erickson studied at the UBC and later at McGill University in Montreal, QC. Advanced studies brought Erickson to Greece, Italy, the Middle East and Japan, where he discovered the nuances of architectural style in climate and terrain. In 1963, Erickson reached a landmark moment in his career when he won a competition to design SFU in Burnaby. Upon the University’s completion, Erickson’s integrative design gained international acclaim, opening the gateway to a long and distinguished career.

Arthur Erickson is undoubtedly one of the most famous architects from Vancouver, having designed some iconic buildings and structures, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, ON.

AN INCREDIBLE PARTNERSHIP

Of significant influence on the  Eppich House II design was a woman named Cornelia Hahn Oberlander (1921-2021). She had a passion and purpose to create environmental works that recognized the importance of intertwining the man-made with nature.

Oberlander was a Vancouver-based German-born Canadian landscape architect who blended naturalistic designs with modernist ideals and recognized the urgency of climate change early, designing public spaces to mitigate its effects. She was one of the first women to study at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where Walter Gropius, a leader of the Bauhaus movement, taught her. Its modernist ethos and her upbringing gave her a mission to improve people’s lives with public spaces nourished by nature.

With Erickson, she created some of the most enduring and beloved public spaces in her adopted city of Vancouver, including Robson Square, a three-block downtown plaza conceived and then built between 1978 and 1983. An oasis of green roofs, waterfalls and hanging gardens, it descends from the city’s courthouses and government offices and the meadow of native plants for the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, a Brutalist building design.

PRESERVED IN THE PAGES

In 2019, Vancouver writer Greg Bellerby published the essential book on this marvel of modern architecture. ‘Eppich House II: The Story of an Arthur Erickson Masterwork’ with photography by Erickson’s nephew Geoffrey Erickson. The book meticulously documents Erickson’s first steel residence and explores the material’s structural and aesthetic possibilities, with curved beams, dyed cladding, and milled furnishings designed by Francisco Kripacz. All features that would have been near-impossible on a regular commission. But after seeing the first Eppich House, built for Hugo Eppich‘s twin brother Helmut, Hugo entrusted Erickson with creating and furnishing the entire house, inside and out.

Bellerby has been a curator and gallery director for over thirty years, producing many exhibitions and publications on visual art, architecture, and design. He was the commissioner and co-curator of the Canadian Pavilion at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. From 1988 to  2013, he was the director/curator of the Charles H. Scott Gallery at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

Find Greg Bellerby’s book on Amazon.ca and Chapters Indigo.

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Luxury Lifestyle Observer: Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, and digital women's lifestyle magazine EcoLuxLifestyle.co. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Post-pandemic, she has worked with many small to mid-sized plant-based/vegan brands to build their digital foundations and strategize content creation and business development. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.