Our Home
Located in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Heights, the 16,000-square-foot residence, once called Glen Brae, was built for a turn-of-the-century real estate and lumber baron named William Tait.
One of the very few homes to still have its original carved, wrought iron fence today, the residence is surrounded by beautiful gardens lovingly maintained by a dedicated army of volunteers headed by two master gardeners. The gardens are a place of joy and tranquility for the children and families at the hospice.
Elisabeth Wlosinski, the home’s last owner, left the residence to the City of Vancouver in 1991, with the sole stipulation that it be used for a purpose that would benefit the community. With the momentum building in the community for a children’s hospice, the City of Vancouver generously offered to lease the house for a dollar for 50 years, with an option to renew the lease for another 25 years.
With a place to call home, planning for the new Hospice accelerated. It took nearly three years and about $5 million, much of it in the form of donated labour and materials arranged through the Construction Labour Relations Association of BC and the British Columbia and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council, to transform Glen Brae into the modern healthcare facility it is today.