Oberlander Salon – 2026.05.24

May 24, 2026 from 2:00pm–5:00pm

Fundraising Event
Presented by the West Coast Modern League
Hosted by the League’s Board of Directors

Join us for an afternoon of art, design, conversation, and a preview of the soon-to-be-completed renewal of Oberlander Ravine House, with special guests Tony Robins and Ryan Donohoe.

On May 24^th, the West Coast Modern League invites you to an intimate afternoon of art, design, and conversation at the renowned Oberlander Ravine House originally designed by Barry Downs for Peter & Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. Immerse yourself in design deeply connected to its natural surroundings. Preview the soon-to-be-completed renewal of the house and garden. Hear remarks from architect Tony Robins and landscape designer Ryan Donohoe who will speak to the original home and garden and the process of tackling the revival.

Oberlander Ravine House was conceived in response to a design competition overseen by the University Endowment Lands in 1968. The Oberlanders teamed up with Barry Downs to design the project and to the winner went the property and the opportunity to build the home. Melding Bauhaus and West Coast Modern principles, the design sought to touch the land lightly to preserve the natural features of the site. The architectural proposition suspended the house on pilotis against the eroded edge of the ravine, while Cornelia’s light-handed landscape interventions, a testing ground nursed over decades, offered fluid and playful pockets of plantings allowing natural vegetation to thrive. Nearly six decades later, the home and garden has taken on a renewed life for a new family, all while observing the original design intent.

Oberlander Salon is a fundraising effort of the West Coast Modern League, a volunteer-based non-profit society dedicated to the promotion and celebration of modern architecture and design on Canada’s west coast. All funds raised from the event will support the League’s ongoing public programs and initiatives.

Limited tickets available.
$150 Per Person.

GET YOUR TICKETS

Ticket includes an afternoon at this remarkable home with fellow design aficionados.
Appetizers and refreshments will be served.

Address and instructions for access will be issued to ticket-holders prior to the event.

Oberlander Ravine House is a multi-level home accessed from the street and circulated by a central staircase. Please email us ahead of time if you might require assistance.

Please note that we are not able to offer tax receipts at this time.

Meet Our Special Guests:

Tony Robins is an award-winning and widely published architect, artist, writer, and founder of Vancouver-based AA Robins Architect. Recognized for a holistic and contextual approach, he is the designer of the Kits Beach Restaurant & Lifeguard Station, origami-inspired Gulf Islands House, and prefabricated passive house projects. In 1994, Tony received Canada’s prestigious Prix de Rome in Architecture. In 2017, he authored Merrick House, part of the UBC SALA West Coast Modern House Series. In parallel with his architectural practice, Tony is an accomplished artist with an interest in “Narrative Minimalism,” exploring the “formation, transference, and deformation of meaning in a materialistic, psychological, and socio-historical context.” – Paul Kyle Gallery

Ryan Donohoe is co-principal of Donohoe Living Landscapes, a Vancouver-based landscape architecture studio known for its west coast ethos and international sensibility. A graduate of the Inchbald School of Garden Design in London, UK, Ryan leads a team of talented and passionate designers working on projects throughout British Columbia and along the west coast of North America. The firm has received multiple awards for its custom residential and hospitality projects. Notable recent work includes Double Horizon in North Vancouver and the Alta Lake Mountain Residence in Whistler. The studio’s work seeks to create landscapes that are both artful and deeply connected to place.

Hosted by the League’s Board of Directors:

Steve Gairns is an architect, co-founder of euoi studio | architecture + design, and Chair of the West Coast Modern League.
Wendi Campbell is a Chartered Professional Accountant, owner of a Robert Burgers-designed home, and a founding member of the League.
Chelsea Louise Grant is an architect and co-founder of euoi studio | architecture + design.
Jeanette Langmann is the director of Uno Langmann Gallery, owner of the Paul Merrick-designed Merrick House, and a founding member of the League.
John Patkau is co-founder of Patkau Architects, designers of the Audain Art Museum, The Polygon Gallery, and many other landmark structures. He is a founding member of the League.
Kiriko Watanabe is the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chief Curator at the Audain Art Museum. Among other works, she curated and co-authored Selwyn Pullan: Photographic Mid-century West Coast Modernism.
Adele Weder is an architectural writer, editor, curator, and author of the recent book Ron Thom, Architect: The Life of Creative Modernist. She is the founder of the League.

Pre-Renovation Photographs:

Pre-renovation photos by Steve Gairns (2023).

MODERN PLACES: OBERLANDER RAVINE HOUSE

Meet the Original Designers

Barry Downs

Barry Downs (1930-2022) was an architect among the early pioneers of West Coast Modernism. He studied architecture in Seattle, graduating from the University of Washington in 1954. From there, he apprenticed with the Vancouver firm of Thompson, Berwick & Pratt (TBP), working as part of the design team for a number of houses, as well as, landmark projects including Ron Thom’s Massey College and Roy Jessiman’s Frederic Wood Theatre. Although a devout modernist, Barry brought a strong appreciation for nature, art and organic form to his work. His remarkable talent in architecture and in drawing and watercolours quickly became apparent, and in the ensuing years, he honed his reputation from such distinctive houses as the 1957 Phillips House in West Vancouver, his own family home in the Dunbar neighbourhood of Vancouver a year later, and the 1960 Chow House, with Blair Macdonald, in North Vancouver.

At various times throughout the 1960s, he lectured with colleagues Arthur Erickson and Bud Wood at the UBC School of Architecture. He formed a practice with Fred Hollingsworth from 1963-1967, and by the end of the decade had set up his own practice with Richard Archambault. Barry continued his distinctive work with projects such as Oberlander Ravine House and Pearson College of the Pacific (with Ron Thom and Cornelia Oberlander), the 1974 North Vancouver Civic Centre, the 1979 Downs House II and 1989 Canuck Place. He was also a key player in important master plans, including the 1989 Concord Pacific master plan and the 1993 Yaletown/Roundhouse plans. Barry was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014.

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

Cornelia Hahn Oberlander (1921–2021) is recognized as one of Canada’s most renowned and celebrated landscape architects. Cornelia practiced with one goal in mind: to design outdoor spaces for the enjoyment of all in our urban environment.Over the course of her illustrious seven decade career, Cornelia explored a broad range of programs, from small but impactful interventions, to large urban-scale developments. Completing over 350 projects, her contributions included urban parks, children’s playgrounds, cultural spaces, social housing projects, and private residences, among others. A key figure in West Coast Modernism, some of her most notable local projects include the Provincial Law Courts and Robson Square (with Arthur Erickson Architects, 1973-1984), the Museum of Anthropology at UBC (with Arthur Erickson Architects, 1976), Eppich House II (with Arthur Erickson Architects, 1983), the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch (with Moshe Safdie Architects, 1995), the Visitor’s Centre Rooftop, VanDusen Botanical Garden (with Perkins and Will, 2011), and the C.K. Choi Building at UBC (with Matsuzaki/Wright Architects, 1996). Cornelia was elevated to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2017.

Heinz Peter Oberlander

Heinz Peter Oberlander (1922–2008) was an architect and a pioneering figure in urban planning in Canada and internationally. After earning a Bachelor of Architecture from McGill University, he became the first Canadian to obtain both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning, the latter from Harvard University. In 1952, he founded the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia, and later established the Centre for Human Settlements in 1975. Oberlander also played a key role in organizing major global initiatives, including the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver in 1976 and a later session in 2006, promoting his vision that cities are humanity’s greatest achievement. Recognized for his lifelong impact, he was appointed to the Order of Canada, and in 2009 he was posthumously awarded the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour for his global leadership in advancing sustainable and human-centered urban development.

The West Coast Modern League gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the new homeowners, as well as, architect Tony Robins, and landscape designer Ryan Donohoe.

About the League

West Coast Modern League

[WCML/The League] The West Coast Modern League is a leading voice for modern architecture and design on Canada’s west coast. Established in 2013, the League is an independent, Vancouver-based, non-profit society dedicated to celebrating, and advancing the understanding and appreciation of, architecture, urbanism, and design of the North American west coast, with a special focus on the southern coastal regions of British Columbia. In 2021, the League was the recipient of a District of West Vancouver Heritage Award. We are a volunteer-based organization, led by a Board of Directors composed of architects, curators, critics, and professionals, with a passion for west coast architecture and the allied arts.

The West Coast Modern League is based on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples – the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.