El Capitola by William Kaven Architecture
El Capitola is a house located in Vancouver, Washington State, United States, designed by William Kaven Architecture in 2025. This residential project dedicates more square footage to a museum-grade showroom housing the owner’s remarkable collection of restored custom classic cars than it does to the living quarters. The architecture delivers a clean and understated framework with an homage to Jet Age car culture, featuring a minimal material palette of board-formed concrete, steel, and dark brick.
About El Capitola
Modern Home Decorated With Elements Of Jet Age Car Culture
On approach, a minimal material palette of board-formed concrete, steel, and dark brick form a striking low linear facade that opens onto a tranquil courtyard with a bubbling water feature surrounded by a granite pebble walkway and a boulder garden. A mature Japanese pine announces the entrance to the courtyard, growing skyward through an aperture in the steel canopy above. A dramatic cantilever at the home’s southwest corner forms a prominent carport, announcing the theme of the house while also serving as a visual gateway to the river beyond.
House Designed To Channel Back To Mid-Century Auto Design
From the courtyard, expansive glass walls reveal the home’s horseshoe plan and a hybrid program which includes an 8-car gallery, a garage office, guest quarters, a primary suite, and a living room backed by a river panorama. The car gallery can be seen from every major room, and pocketed window walls at either end of the living room open to provide a sightline to the river straight through the house.
In addition to the architecture, all interior design and furniture selection was executed by William / Kaven, with an emphasis on leather, chrome, glass, concrete, and other materials often associated with cars and garages.
Living Room Abuts Both Home Office And Media Area
A large, open-plan living room is divided into two seating areas: one abutting a dark brick fireplace and home office space, and the other oriented toward a media area flanked by handcrafted lighted display cases housing the owner’s extensive collection of 1:18 scale model cars.
Off the living area is a spacious kitchen, bar, and dining area featuring black granite countertops, a dark slate floor, and glass-faced white oak cabinetry. Overlooking a sweeping terrace, the kitchen offers a spectacular view of the river and the train tracks that run alongside it.
El Capitola was designed to hearken back to a mid-century fascination with cutting-edge design and technology, channeling the excitement and pride that still accompanies these masterpieces of engineering. Named for one of its resident cars — a 1957 Chevy, fully customized in 1958 — El Capitola also houses a painstakingly restored 1956 Mercury with a fadeaway jade green paint job and a restyled gold 1952 Lincoln Capri, among several other rare collector cars.
Garage Office Features Display Of Vintage Automotive Memorabilia
Adjacent to the car gallery, a corner garage office reminiscent of a classic mechanic’s reception features a display of auto industry ephemera, vintage signage, retired license plates, and a library of hot rodding and car collecting magazines.
Photography courtesy of William Kaven Architecture
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