Ranger House Finds Its Next Custodians
journal vol. 1
the ranger house finds its next custodians
a testament to our architectural community
hello friends, colleagues, and fans - this is trent speaking on behalf of west coast modern. i am thrilled to share that the ranger house has found its next custodians. while all transfers of historic property are important, this passing of the baton stands out as incredibly special to me. allow me a few minutes to share the tale with you.
our story begins five years ago, when i first met the owners of the ranger house. they contacted me after seeing what often happens to heritage midcentury modern houses in our market. all too often they get razed, and a much larger structure is built in their place. we had an incredible first meeting, where i assured them we could find custodians who would preserve this home’s architecture. wandering around this modernist treehouse, with wood-beamed ceilings and glass for days, was fodder for creative inspiration. i remember the owners remarking how, perched up against 400 acres of parkland, they almost felt like park rangers. and thus, the name was born. yet at the time, they weren’t ready to sell, and half a decade passed. out of the blue, i got a call from their children upon their passing. i explained to them that at west coast modern, we aren’t like other agents; we treat vancouver’s architecture as art. much of our job is in the marketing, presentation, and matching to custodians. the owner’s daughter was almost in tears, knowing her family’s home was going to be saved.
during the prep period, they didn’t have a budget for curated staging & interior design. yet i felt strongly this house could be incredible, if presented in the right light. so, i gathered my community of makers and artists. in a short while, we sourced everything needed to style this house, from a herman miller light fixture to an eames chair from my very own apartment. not to mention, we hauled everything in and styled the residence in less than an hour, while the previously booked architectural photographer was waiting to take shots. i could not have been prouder of that turnaround, and am so grateful to my community for helping make it happen.
the photos turned out incredible. when i presented the ranger house via our social channels, one family who’d been following us since the beginning immediately reached out. lo and behold - they lived on that very street, and were in awe at all the different angles they’d never seen before. they knew this house was incredibly rare, something you just couldn’t build today. they came to our first early access preview and almost immediately wrote an offer, taking this house off the market.
it was clear the careful preparation and architectural campaign crystallized what they loved about this home, and when the opportunity arose, it was a blissful match. i am honored to have been involved in the passing of the baton, and see it as a testament to the community that west coast modern homes has created among archiphiles in vancouver.
let me know your favorite part of this story, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you too have a west coast modern home in need of saving. because, at the end of the day, they just don’t make them like they used to.
sincerely
—trent
co-founder, west coast modern
