Navvy Jack House

Update: October 24, 2024

A building permit to allow the safe lifting and temporary shoring of the existing heritage building to allow structural investigation of the existing framing and existing foundation conditions has been issued. To facilitate this work, selective demolition of non-original parts of the building and bracing of existing portions of walls, floors and roofs is included in the scope of work.

Update: September 17, 2024

Carrera Management Corporation has submitted an application for a Watercourse Development Permit and a Foreshore Development Permit to enable the proposed renovation, restoration and expansion of the Navvy Jack House.

For more information, see the 1768 & 1770 Argyle Avenue development application page.

Update: October 18, 2023

The District has recently entered a lease agreement with Carrera Management Corporation to ensure the future of Navvy Jack House. The lease agreement outlines a three-year window for the completion of the restoration.

Upon the successful completion of the restoration, Carrera Management Corporation will have the opportunity to operate a coffee shop, wine bar, or a combination of both at the restored Navvy Jack House, which will be open to the public.

The operation lease will be for a 25-year term, following which, Carrera Management Corporation will have the option to extend the lease for up to an additional 15 years. At the end of the additional leasing term, Carrera will return the land, including the restored Navvy Jack House, to the District of West Vancouver at no cost.

The terms of the lease outline that Carrera will:

Pay for all costs related to the restoration of Navvy Jack House that go beyond the District’s contribution of $1,000,000
Manage all aspects of the restoration of the Navvy Jack House and related processes
Restoration will take into account the flood control for the site and any mitigation measures recommended by the Coastal Engineer

There is no construction timeline confirmed at this time.

Updates will be posted as they become available.

Update: April 4, 2023

On March 27, 2023, Council announced that the District will proceed with a plan to restore the house for use as a waterfront cafe. A restoration partner will be selected to undertake the restoration and operate a coffee shop at the location.

Update: March 8, 2022

On March 7, 2022, Council passed a resolution to allow the Navvy Jack House Citizen Group and other private fundraisers until March 31, 2024, to raise $1.6 million towards a current estimated capital cost of $2.6 million to restore the Navvy Jack House, on the basis the House will be operated as a Cottage Coffee operation at the existing location but raised to address sea level rise.

The House would be restored to its original approximate 800-square-foot footprint. Council decided it is no longer pursuing the possibility of a bistro/restaurant, or a mixed public/private use. Council has reaffirmed its previous commitment to fund up to $1 million from Community Amenity Contributions for the restoration project.

Information boards about the project, including how to donate towards the restoration, will be installed shortly on the fencing around the Navvy Jack House.

Council Report | March 7

Update: September 27, 2021

The Lawson Creek Restoration Project has been cancelled.

The West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society will not be proceeding with the Lawson Creek Restoration Project because additional technical analysis determined that key issues with the design would not achieve the goal of supporting fish habitat.

District staff will not be doing any further work on the Lawson Creek restoration project but will continue work on the Navvy Jack House Restoration Project.

Update: March 8, 2021

Navvy Jack House is the oldest continuously occupied home in the lower mainland, and its history is one of the beginnings of the municipality of West Vancouver and the shared history of First Nations and European settlers. The history of this municipally-owned property was shared in public consultation in 2019. In 2020, Council decided to demolish the building due to its poor condition and high cost of salvaging it. A Citizens' Group formed and requested Council not demolish the house. Council then subsequently deferred the demolition as part of a nine-part resolution that included submitting a grant application and completing a selective deconstruction of the building to allow for heritage assessment and cost estimates for restoration. This report provided an update on actions taken relative to investigating the options for Navvy Jack House, including:

Heritage – the heritage report confirmed there is significant original material in the house and it can be restored successfully
Creek Restoration – for many years, Streamkeepers have been committed to performing a stream restoration at the site. Staff will work with Streamkeepers on a detailed design, for implementation in 2022
First Nations Engagement – this will be a fundamental part of the project
Use of the House – Staff will conduct a feasibility analysis to explore uses of the house, including commercial, so as to not be a burden to the taxpayer
Fundraising – In October 2020, the District applied for a grant under the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program. On February 22, the District was advised that the grant application was unsuccessful. The Citizens' Group is pursuing private fundraising.

Council resolved that:

1. In order to facilitate private fundraising, the matching amount to a maximum financial contribution of up to $1 million from the Community Amenity Contribution Fund referenced in part 5 of the October 5, 2020, Council Resolution, also apply to funds raised by the Navvy Jack House citizen group and any other privately raised funds for the purpose of conserving and repurposing the Navvy Jack House;

2. Staff work together with the West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society to start detailed design now in 2021 on the creek restoration project based generally on Option 1 as presented by the West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society and as explained in the March 2, 2021, Council Report titled Navvy Jack House Update with completion of the creek restoration project in 2022;

3. The District proceed with a feasibility analysis (considering factors such as size, siting, access, integration with John Lawson Park and the Spirit Trail, cost, funding sources, rent revenue and commercial interest) based on a full time commercial use (food and beverage establishment) for the House, for two scenarios:

a. a smaller ground floor footprint based generally on the original form (approx. 800 to 1,000 sf); and

b. a larger ground floor footprint based on the original form plus an approximate 1,400 sf addition; and a third scenario suggested by the citizen group of a coffee shop and gift shop area (approx. 800 sf) that could also be used for multi-use purposes (including: heritage exhibit space, local art/craft sales, education, concerts, etc), with a 1,000 sf annex building to the north connected by a breezeway of approx. 400 sf;

4. Staff engage with Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil Waututh Nation on both the creek restoration project and the House, including discussions about potential uses, and how to commemorate the historical and cultural significance of the Navvy Jack site, and report back on the progress of the discussions; and

5. Staff report back by July 2021 to provide Council with the information necessary to determine: use, size, siting, funding and other key project elements relating to the House; and design, cost, funding and other information necessary to plan for completion of the creek restoration project in 2022.

Read the full Council report (March 8, 2021)

Update: November 27, 2020

The District is conducting further work to determine the cost of restoring and relocating the house. This work will include deconstruction and removal of hazardous materials by a certified contractor, and will take place around November to December 2020.

Next steps include:

legally protecting the building via a Heritage Designation Bylaw
working with the Navvy Jack House citizen group to advance the project
engaging with First Nations on the appropriate commemoration of the house and site
planning for the restoration of Lawson Creek Funding A grant application has been submitted to Heritage BC and an overall funding strategy will be required.

Council has allocated up to $1 million in matching funds from Community Amenity Contributions, and private fundraising is also being organized.

Update: November 13, 2020

The October 5 Council Resolution is set out below in italics, together with the Staff comments on each part of the resolution.

1. the demolition order for Navvy Jack House be rescinded

This has been done and clearly recorded in the District’s Council Minutes.

2. that Council allocate up to $150,000 from the Community Amenity Contribution Fund to determine the feasibility and cost of restoring and relocating the Navvy Jack House; and

staff report back to Council with an update regarding the feasibility and cost of restoring and relocating the Navvy Jack House as soon as possible

The $150,000 allocation has been recorded. Staff have engaged a third-party construction company and will be working with a heritage consultant on the process of determining feasibility and costing. The first steps are to commence hazmat remediation, and then begin to deconstruct generally to the 1907 form (possibly with the addition of the upstairs dormer area) taking into account the recommendations of the heritage consultant. This physical deconstruction will provide the District with the ability to more accurately inspect and assess the integrity of the physical structure, understand better the implications of moving the structure, and obtain more precise costing for restoring and relocating the Navvy Jack House (“the House”).

It is anticipated that the hazmat remediation and deconstruction will be completed around the end of 2020, which would enable more detailed costing to be obtained during January 2021.

3. that staff work toward legally protecting the Navvy Jack House via a heritage designation bylaw

The District is working with a heritage consultant on identifying the elements to be incorporated into the heritage designation bylaw, including the character-defining elements, location, etc. This work will also be informed by the information to be obtained during the deconstruction process, and so some of the work on the bylaw will take place after January 2021.

4. a District staff member be identified to work with the Navvy Jack House Citizen Group to complete a Heritage BC (CERIP) application by October 29, 2020, which envisions a flexible multi-use facility for public benefit, with a potential commercial element so as to not create a revenue deficit for the District

The Deputy CAO has been assigned to this Council priority project. The CERIP grant application was submitted on October 29, 2020, before the application deadline. The CERIP materials provide that “Successful applicants will be contacted in January 2021” and that “All funds will be paid out by March 31, 2021”.

5. a matching amount to a maximum financial contribution of up to $1 million be allocated from the Community Amenity Contribution Fund toward the costs of conserving and repurposing the Navvy Jack House pending a successful CERIP grant application, recognizing that an overall funding strategy will be required to cover all project costs

An allocation of up to $1 million has been recorded in the Community Amenity Contribution Fund, which as stated above, is contingent on a matching amount, and is pending a successful CERIP grant application. As mentioned above, the results of the CERIP grant application will be available by January 2021. Staff understand that the Navvy Jack House citizen group is considering the next steps with respect to fundraising for the Project.

6. Staff develop a plan to respectfully and meaningfully engage with First Nations regarding their connection to Navvy Jack House, including archeological considerations

Staff will be setting up meetings with First Nations shortly to engage with them on matters such as commemoration, restoration, and also to begin the process of referrals to understand potential archaeological considerations when conducting excavation. Understandably, this important work can take some time and needs to be built into the overall Project timeline.

7. Staff identify the optimal structure, including terms of reference, for how to best work with the citizen group to move the project forward, and report back to Council by November 30, 2020, and

Staff have been working closely and collaboratively with representatives of the Navvy Jack House citizen group. Staff intend to meet with the representatives on a monthly basis, and as needed, in order to provide material updates. Due to the significance of the information to be received during January 2021, and the need to focus on that important work, the detailed structure including terms of reference, will be started after January 2021.

8. the Navvy Jack House be either relocated or removed, subject to the underlying condition and movability of the 1907 form, prior to the anticipated start date of the Lawson Creek Restoration Project in order to ensure that the Project can proceed as intended; and

Much of this will be informed by the results of the work to be obtained by January 2021. With respect to the Lawson Creek Restoration Project, Staff are meeting with representatives of the West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society now to understand more details about the concept, future design, potential permitting requirements from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, cost, funding and overall timeline. This information will also be reported out after January together with the costing and restoration information.

9. staff prepare a brief report by November 30, 2020, outlining the impact of this project on Council’s identified goals and objectives, including what Council goals and objectives will have to be removed to accommodate this project.

As demonstrated above, substantial progress has been made on the Project in a very short period of time.

It should be noted that pivoting from a demolition project to a restoration project and adding Navvy Jack House to Council’s Strategic Objectives, and to the District’s work plan, is significant and has implications.

The Navvy Jack House Project, due to its unanticipated nature, high priority, high profile, public engagement with the citizen group and others, and tight deadlines, has already impacted the pace of District projects.

As we gain more detailed information during the beginning of 2021, we will be able to more precisely state the impacts on other projects.

Read the full Report to Council (Nov 16, 2020, Council Meeting)

Update: October 6, 2020

Subsequently, Council deferred the demolition order to allow the Navvy Jack House Citizen Group to submit a report to Council with a proposal for preserving the house. District staff then reviewed the citizen report and balanced the recommendations against existing District resources and Council priorities.

Given the existing budget and work plan, staff were obligated to recommend demolition, but acknowledge that it is Council’s decision to consider changes to their strategic objectives and major project priorities to accommodate a project to preserve Navvy Jack House.

Council Report, including Citizen's Group Report

Council then proposed a new resolution that will allow time to take steps to qualify for grant funding to support the preservation of the house, while continuing to work with stakeholders to determine the final use of the house, and amending Council's Strategic Goals and Objectives to allocate resources to the project.

The resolution (unadopted) is in nine parts. That:

the demolition order for Navvy Jack House be rescinded
that Council allocate up to $150K from the Community Amenity Contribution Fund to determine the feasibility and cost of restoring and relocating the Navvy Jack House as soon as possible
that staff work toward legally protecting the Navvy Jack House via a heritage designation bylaw
a District staff member be identified to work with the Navvy Jack House Citizen Group to complete a Heritage BC (CERIP) application by October 29, 2020, which envisions a flexible multi-use facility for public benefit, with a potential commercial element so as to not create a revenue deficit for the District of West Vancouver
a matching amount to a maximum financial contribution of up to $1 Million be allocated from the Community Amenity Contribution Fund towards the costs of conserving and repurposing the Navvy Jack House pending a successful CEIRP grant application, recognizing that an overall funding strategy will be required to cover all project costs
Staff develop a plan to respectfully and meaningfully engage with First Nations regarding their connection to Navvy Jack House, including archeological considerations
Staff identify the optimal structure for an advisory body, including terms of reference, for how to best work with the citizen group to move the project forward, and report back to Council by November 30, 2020, and
the Navvy Jack House be either relocated or removed, subject to the underlying condition and movability of the 1907 form, prior to the anticipated start date of the Lawson Creek Restoration Project in order to ensure that the project can proceed as intended; and
staff prepare a brief report by November 30, 2020, outlining the impact of this project on Council’s identified goals and objectives, including what Council goals and objectives will have to be removed to accommodate this project.

Update: July 20, 2020

Council received the report on community engagement for the proposed Navvy Jack Nature Centre on July 20, 2020.

Report to Council: Navvy Jack Nature Centre – Community Consultation Results

At their July 20, 2020 regular meeting, Council passed the following resolution:

THAT

the District postpone the demolition of Navvy Jack House in order to allow a group of interested members of the public to consider and provide additional information by September 14, 2020 to Council for the District’s consideration including the group’s views on:
whether a portion of the house should be preserved, and, if so, what portion;
how the preserved portion of the house could be used for the public’s benefit;
where the preserved portion of the house should be located;
what would be the estimated cost of reducing the building to its desired form, raising and/or moving it;
what would be the capital and annual operating costs for the proposal; and
how much of the costs can be fundraised; and
A staff representative be designated to answer questions or requests for information from the group with respect to the above.

Update: June 22, 2020

At their June 22, 2020 special (closed) meeting, Council:

resolved to not proceed with the nature centre concept proposed for Navvy Jack House and to deconstruct the House due to its poor condition, high restoration or renovation cost, and the demonstrable lack of public support for expending additional public resources for maintaining and renovating the House;
directed staff to continue to explore other opportunities for a nature centre and/or nature centre programming as they arise; and
directed staff to work with the West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society on their proposal to enhance Lawson Creek adjacent to the Navvy Jack House.