Thornton Residence

One of Vancouver's earliest modernist houses is on the market. Peter Thornton designed the Thornton residence for his mother on a bucolic lane in West Vancouver in 1939 and it still retains much of its original form and character. See realtor Lionel Lorence's website for photos. 

Along with the later Binning residence (1941), this early example of Thornton's work represents the local vanguard of design that was influenced by the broader currents of modernism unfolding in Europe at the time. Thornton's knowledge of European Modernism was first-hand, having studied architecture in London from 1933-38 prior to moving to Vancouver.

Simple post and beam construction, generous use of glass and a flat roof- all soon to become standard features of West Coast Modernism- here make one of their first appearances in Vancouver.