Growing up as the granddaughter of auctioneers, Alexandra Blomerus has always loved old things the older the better.
So when she and her husband found the Heritage C house at 2544 Columbia, once occupied by artist James Blomfield and his father Henry, they knew theyd found their home.
Built in the late 1800s, the house retains some of the original owners stained glass work, including its signature art nouveau bay window. The windows motif of leaves and flowers possibly poppies is repeated in a number of other stained glass windows on the main floor of the house.
Henry Blomfield founded the stained glass firm Henry Blomfield and Sons in New Westminster in 1898. James, his son, may be best known for designing the original crest for the city of Vancouver.
It was really nice to be able to buy into some heritage, says Blomerus. Along with their children, now five and seven, Alexandra and her husband Paul moved to Vancouver from London over a year ago. After renting in Point Grey for a year, they found the Blomfield house.
The other houses they looked at paled in comparison, says Blomerus. In London, the family lived in an even older house than the Blomfield house but she characterizes that previous dwelling as bog-standard.
During a tour, Blomerus explained what she loves about the Blomfield house, and its stained glass legacy.
We both love ancient stuff, the older the better, says Blomerus, who is a private school teacher; Paul works at engineering company Westport.
I think one of the reasons I love the stained glass is because it must have been carefully chosen by the artist himself. He must have had some special connection to the flower. Henry had free reign, and this is what must have most appealed to him in the whole world.
A stained glass window, in the shape of a half-circle, marks the entrance to the kitchen. A smaller transom-sized stained glass window is fixed in a dining room wall. On a kitchen wall hangs a large black-and-white north-facing photo of a snow-covered Columbia Street that includes the Blomfield house and, just a few yards away, the Blomfield work studio (which today is classified as a heritage home, and is for sale).
On the living room coffee table are the books Vanishing Vancouver and A Verse Map of Vancouver.
The house has other fantastical features, such as a small room with a vaulted ceiling. The room is accessible only by ladder. Blomerus says they plan on turning it into a room for model trains both her husband and her father are model train enthusiasts. The view, of downtown Vancouver and the mountains, from the north-facing top-floor bedroom is spectacular.
Blomerus said the houses previous owner was ambivalent about selling to the family at first, due to concern about two young children running around in the house. There are some strict rules about where they can throw balls around, she says.
