West Vancouver’s Historic Navvy Jack House Is Becoming a Waterfront Bistro

One of the oldest buildings on the North Shore was headed for demolition just six years ago.

Now, Navvy Jack House is being restored and transformed into a waterfront coffee shop and wine bar beside John Lawson Park in West Vancouver.

The small heritage house at 1768 Argyle Avenue dates back to the early 1870s and is considered the oldest surviving known building on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet.

Its survival, however, was far from guaranteed.

From Demolition to a New Public Use

By 2020, Navvy Jack House had deteriorated to the point that West Vancouver Council decided to demolish it, citing its condition and the cost of saving the building.

Community opposition changed that direction.

A citizens group pushed for preservation, the demolition order was rescinded and the District began studying whether enough of the original structure remained to make restoration possible.

It did.

By 2021, the District was working with a preliminary restoration estimate of approximately $2.6 million and considering several possible futures for the property, including a small coffee shop, a larger bistro and a mixed-use concept.

The challenge wasn't simply preserving an old house. It was finding a way to give it a viable long-term use without leaving taxpayers responsible for the entire restoration and operation.

That ultimately led to a public-private solution.

The Hospitality Team Behind Navvy House

Behind the new restaurant is At Home Hospitality, the Vancouver hospitality group known for creating some of the city's most distinctive dining and nightlife concepts.

Founded in 2017 by Ted Wilkie, the group is also led by managing partners Michael Rose and Justin Mensah-Coker. Its portfolio includes Banter Room and Prophecy, the award-winning cocktail bar inside the historic Rosewood Hotel Georgia.

Navvy House will bring the group across Burrard Inlet to West Vancouver, where it plans to transform the restored heritage property into a new waterfront dining destination.

West Vancouver native Michael Rose, executive chef and operating partner, will lead the culinary program. Expect an approachable mix of seasonal dishes, fresh seafood and quality cuts of meat, with bold, natural flavours designed for both daytime and evening dining.

The setting will be unlike anything else in the group's portfolio: a more than 150-year-old house overlooking the West Vancouver waterfront, steps from John Lawson Park.

For At Home Hospitality, the project pairs its experience in food, cocktails and design-driven hospitality with one of the North Shore's most historically significant buildings.

A Private Operator Is Taking On the Restoration

In 2023, West Vancouver entered into a lease with Carrera Management Corporation.

The District agreed to contribute up to $1 million toward the restoration. Carrera is responsible for restoration costs beyond that contribution and for managing the work.

In exchange, Carrera received a 25-year operating lease, with an option to extend it for up to another 15 years.

At the end of the lease, the restored Navvy Jack House and the land return to the District of West Vancouver at no cost.

The approved project is relatively compact.

Plans call for the restoration of approximately 1,206 square feet of the historic house, a 768-square-foot addition and a 624-square-foot patio, bringing the total project to roughly 2,600 square feet.

The property is approved for a coffee shop and wine bar with up to 144 seats.

For people walking the West Vancouver waterfront, that could eventually mean stopping for coffee, food or a glass of wine inside a building that predates the municipality itself.

A House Tied to the Beginnings of West Vancouver

Navvy Jack House matters for more than its age.

The home is associated with John “Navvy Jack” Thomas and his wife, Sla-wiya, a Squamish woman and granddaughter of Chief Joe Capilano. Their family lived at the property during the early settlement of what would eventually become West Vancouver.

Thomas operated an early ferry service across Burrard Inlet and was involved in the gravel business.

The property was later associated with John Lawson, another central figure in West Vancouver's early development. An early post office operated from the house, and council meetings were held there following the municipality's incorporation in 1912.

The building therefore sits at an unusual intersection of Indigenous history, European settlement and the formation of modern West Vancouver.

That history is also why its preservation carries more weight than simply keeping an attractive old building standing.

Now It Can’t Simply Be Torn Down

The property's transformation reached another milestone in June 2026, when West Vancouver Council adopted a heritage designation bylaw for Navvy Jack House.

The designation legally protects the historic building and identifies specific exterior and interior elements that must be conserved.

That's a remarkable reversal for a property that Council had once decided to demolish.

And there is a broader lesson in what West Vancouver is doing here.

Heritage preservation often runs into the same problem: saving an aging building can be expensive, while keeping it without a practical use can turn preservation into an ongoing public liability.

Navvy Jack House is taking a different route.

Instead of becoming a static historical exhibit, the building is being restored around a commercial use that can bring people onto the property and keep the house active.

For West Vancouver, the result could be more than another waterfront restaurant.

It could show how some of Metro Vancouver's remaining heritage buildings can survive redevelopment pressure without being frozen in time.

Location: 1768 Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver
Project: Navvy Jack House restoration and expansion
Planned use: Coffee shop and wine bar
Capacity: Up to 144 seats
Heritage status: Municipally protected

FAQ

How old is Navvy Jack House?

Navvy Jack House dates back to the early 1870s and is considered the oldest surviving known building on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet.

What is Navvy Jack House becoming?

The restored property is approved for use as a coffee shop and wine bar, with an addition and outdoor patio. The approved plans allow for up to 144 seats.

Where is Navvy Jack House located?

Navvy Jack House is located at 1768 Argyle Avenue in West Vancouver, directly beside John Lawson Park and along the West Vancouver waterfront.

When is Navvy House expected to open?

Estimated for this fall.