Erickson House and Garden Facing Demolition

Arthur Erickson designed large brutalist structures in his native Canada and beyond, but until his death in 2009 he lived in a modest bungalow in Vancouver's Point Gray neighborhood. Now that house and its garden are under threat of demolition, due to the "mountain of debt" that the Arthur Erickson Foundation has handled since the architect filed for bankruptcy in 1992. A local developer helped Erickson in 1997 by issuing him a mortgage on the house and property, but now the same developer is asking the foundation to repay the $350,000 loan plus more than $230,000 in interest. Even if the foundation works something out with the developer, the future does not bode well for the house and garden: the land Erickson bought in 1957 for $11,000 is valued at more than $3.1 million today.