2.8K 
From an elderly man clad in a First World War uniform to the profile of a well-dressed lady, Hycroft Manor in the affluent neighbourhood of Shaughnessy is said to be haunted by seven ghosts. Those two particular apparitions supposedly bear the likenesses of General McRae and his wife Blaunche, who lived in and hosted several high-profile events in the 1911-built mansion.
A veteran of the First World War, an influential businessman and a politician, General Alexander Duncan McRae used his mansion not only as a grandiose 30-room residence, but a venue for illustrious gatherings of Vancouver's social elite. The McRaes gifted Hycroft Manor to the federal government in 1942, when it was repurposed by the Federal Department of Veterans' Affairs as a convalescent hospital for veterans. Blaunche died shortly after the house was donated, and General McRae would pass away in Ottawa in 1946.
By the time the hospital vacated the space in 1960, the building's condition had significantly deteriorated. The University Women's Club of Vancouver then purchased the property in 1962 and restored the building and its grounds. The organization occupies the building to this day, with occasional special events and weddings inviting the public in.
Frequently cited in "most haunted" lists, the halls of the 20,000-square-foot structure, in addition to the home's matron and patron, are also said to be walked by a woman in a nurse's uniform. The ghostly figures of three army veterans, whom staff have nicknamed "The Pranksters" for the flickering of lights and closing of doors they allegedly partake in, have been spotted throughout the home. Lastly, staff reports of a crying man coming from a room on the lower floor have been common.
When it's not being used for private functions, the building may be seen as the backdrop to a variety of film and television productions, including the X-Files and Catwoman.
Do you have building trivia to share? Join the conversation in the Architrivia Tipline thread in our Forum.
