Hycroft

Have you ever wondered what life was like for Vancouver’s elite in the early 20th century? Welcome to Hycroft, a magnificent Edwardian mansion, a time capsule of Vancouver’s glamorous past. In 1909, Alexander Duncan McRae, a prominent businessman and politician, commissioned architect Thomas Hooper to build his dream home on a hilltop in Shaughnessy. Hycroft, meaning “high cliff,” was a grand spectacle, boasting 30 rooms, a coach house, stables, a swimming pool, an Italian garden, a tea house, and even a children’s playhouse. The McRae family hosted extravagant parties, attracting royalty, prominent businesspeople, and socialites. These gatherings were legendary, especially the New Year’s Eve masquerade balls held in Hycroft’s spacious ballroom. Sadly, in 1942, during World War II, the McRaes donated Hycroft to the government to be used as a convalescent home for war veterans. In 1962, ownership shifted again, this time to the University Women’s Club of Vancouver, who restored the mansion to its former glory. Today, you can walk through the same grand halls, admire the intricate plasterwork by Charles Marega, the sculptor who designed the lions of the Lions Gate Bridge, and imagine the echoes of laughter and music that once filled this amazing place.