End of Month Index

February 2010

Arranged by Subject and Address Country, State/Province, City, Street: numerical East, alphabetical, numerical West.

CANADA

British Columbia

City of North Vancouver

530 East 12th Street, North Vancouver, St. Agnes AnglicanChurch, 2/14/10      

359 East 13th Street, Cotoneaster Gussy-Ups Grey Stucco, 2/1/2010          

939 Shavington Street, Friday Special Feature, Special Olympic Feature,
         Paint the Town Red, 2/26/2010

North Vancouver District

866 East 13th Street, On the Way to School,  2/8/2010

2832 Capilano Road, To the Bridge, To the Mountain, 2/15/2010
2840 Capilano Road, Capilano Road Oldie, 2/16/2010
4373 Cheviot Rd., $10,000 Buys the Cheviot Rd. Home, 2/9/2010
3150 Colewood Drive, The Day They Tore the School House Down, Highlands
          School 2/3/2010 
2284 Dollarton Road, The Dollar Mill, 2/24/2010 
2290 Dollarton Road, In the Pink, 2/25/2010
1675 Edgewater Lane, At the Water's Edge,  2/4/2010
4020 Glenview Crescent, A Mountain and a River, 2/11/2010 
564 Granada Court, The Facer House, 2/23/10
2015 Lloyd Ave., Lloyd on Lloyd,  2/5/2010 
3615 McGinnis Avenue, How many ways are there to spell Maginnis? 2/10/20 
3764 Mountain Highway, An Awning for You and An Awning for Me, 2/17/10
3780 Mountain Highway, Two White Pillars and a Big Addition, 2/18/10
1340 Sunnyside Drive, The Sunnyside, February 22, 2010

3907 Trenton Place, The Tall Cedars of Trenton, 2/2/2010

Vancouver

674 Granville Streetm The Hudson Bay, Special 2010 Olympic Feature, Let
        the Olympics Begin, 2/13/2010

100 South Renfrew St., Pacific Coliseum, special 2010 Olympic Feature, 
        Pacific Coliseum Banner, 2/19/10.

B. C.

Bowen Island, Saturday Travel Feature, Take the Ferry to Bowen, 2/27/10

Britannia Beach B.C., Canada 2/6/2010

Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., 2/13/2010

UNITED STATES
Alaska

Savoonga, Alaska, Savoonga  Presbyterian Church, 2/7/2010

Wisconsin

2772 South Kinnickinnic Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trinity Methodist
          Church, 2/21/10

2590 South Superior Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Special Saturday Travel

          Feature, Brinton in Milwaukee, 2/20/10

FEATURES
Saturday Travel Features

Bowen Island, Take the Ferry to Bowen, 2/27/10 

Britannia Beach B.C., Canada 2/6/2010

Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., 2/13/2010 

2590 South Superior Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Brinton in Milwaukee,
           2/20/10

 Sunday Church Features

530 East 12th Street, North Vancouver, St. Agnes Anglican

            Church, 2/14/2010

2772 South Kinnickinnic Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trinity Methodist
            Church, 2/21/10
 Savoonga, Alaska, Savoonga  Presbyterian Church, 2/7/2010

Special Olympic Feature

674 Granville Street, The Hudson Bay, Let the Olympics Begin, 2/12/2010

100 South Renfrew St., Pacific Coliseum, Pacific Coliseum Banner, 2/19/10 

939 Shavington Street, Paint the Town Red, 2/26/10

Photo:  Taken from North Vancouver of  the 2010 Winter Olympic Rings floating in Burrard Inlet. The tall office towers and apartment buildings  of downtown Vancouver are in the background, February 14, 2010 by SW. 

Note: The Rings are usually lit in the five colors of the Olympics: blue, green, red, yellow, and white.  However, on days that Canada wins a gold medal the rings are all lit in red.  This must have been such a day. (Information from a TV commentator.)

Saturday Travel Feature
Take the Ferry to Bowen


"Bowen Island, British Columbia, is an island municipality in Howe Sound, and within Metro Vancouver. Approximately 6 km wide by 12 km long, the island at its closest point is about 2 km west of the mainland. There is regular ferry service from Horseshoe Bay, as well as three water taxi services. There were 3,551 permanent residents as of the 2007 BC Stats Estimate, a number that is supplemented in the summer by roughly 1,500 visitors, as Bowen Island is a popular vacation home location for British Columbians. About 500 workers and over 200 students commute to offices and schools on the mainland each day. The island has a land area of 49.94 km² (19.28 sq mi)."  See Wikipedia Link.

Greeting you when you get off the ferry at Snug Cove is the building in the photo above.  It was once the General Store of the Union Steamship Company.  Now it is the Bowen Island Public Library.  The land in this area was orignally owned by Captain John Cates.  He brought visitors here on The Britannia,  one of the ships owned by  his Terminal Steamship Co.  In 1920 The Union Steamship Co. took over Cates holdings and held them until 1950.  The Arts and Crafts style Library was built in 1924 by the Union Steamship Company. Behind it is the Bowen Island Museum and Archives.  Across the street from the library are a series of stores including: clothing stores, restaurants, gift shops, a bakery and pubs.

To walk on to the Bowen Island Ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver costs $8.85 round trip.  The ferry  leaves about every hour on  the hour 6 am to noon, then on the half hour from 2:30 pm to 9:35 pm.  To check updates on the ferry schedule see Link bcferries. The short but spectacular cruise gives magnificant views of  Strait of Georgia and the mainland mountains.

Thank you: To Tina Nielsen, Chief Librarian Bowen Island Public Library for information.

Photo: Taken in October 2006 by SW.

Link: https://www.bcferries.com/bcftravelcentre
Link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowen_Island

Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday Special Feature
Special Olympic Feature
Paint the Town Red

North Shore News, December 13, 2009 "Some people think leaving your Christmas lights up after the yuletide is over isn't in the best taste. But the Canadian Olympic Committee wants you to make an exception this year. As part of its Paint the Town Red campaign, the committee is asking Canadians to hang only red LED lights on their homes this Christmas, and then turn them back on in February when the 2010 Winter Olympics start.

"Keeping your red lights up after the holidays and turning them back on in February 2010 is a great way to light up Canada, show your support for our athletes, " said Heather Moyse, a national bobsleigh team member and 2010 hopeful, in a COC release.

"Other ways to show off your red during the Games: Wear a red jacket, scarf, hat and mittens. Paint a red maple leaf on your cheek, or tie a Canadian flag to a hockey stick. Hang red drapes in your windows and tie red streamers to your car's antenna, consider dying your hair red for the Games, or emblazoning your snow-covered lawn with a red food colouring maple leaf. The goal is for all the Canadian Olympic athletes to know that the entire nation is cheering them on."

The house in the photo at 939 Shavington Street is fully supporting the 2010 Olympic Games and the Paint the Town Red COC project. In fact, it was an idea of the owner Suzanne Wilson to relight your outdoor Christmas lights during the Olympics. A friend and former Olympican Shirley Olafsson suggested it to the committee who then modified it to be only red LED lights, to fit in with their project. (It must be noted that lots of people must have had the same idea since lots of homes are ablaze with all colors of Christmas lights.)

The house on the steep sloped lot at 939 Shavington Street was built in 1964 by owner P. Olson for $12, 700. A house with the same floor plan was built  next door  to the west. The stucco and cedar shingled houses have a floor area of 1273,75 square feet on the top/main floor. On this floor are three bedrooms-one with en suite, a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom. Downstairs at 939 is a bedroom, workshop, family room, storage room, laundry room, and bathroom. For the first 30 years the laundry room also had a toilet. That area has now been made into a separate bathroom with a shower. The remaining laundry room also serves as a dark room and a sewing room. The back of the house has two sundecks: one off the master bedroom and one that has been enlarged twice off the dining room.  The enlargement provided a roof for the hot tub beneath.  In 1964 the cedar trim on the front of the house and eves was painted bright blue.  In the 1970's it was changed to today's British Racing Green.  Most of the houses on Shavington Street, which is on a steep slope, have  similar architecture which gives both  the top and bottom floors a view of Vancouver and the Iron Worker's Memorial Bridge (formerly the Second Narrow's Bridge).

The home was bought by Alan and Suzanne Wilson in 1972 for $36,500. Today similar houses in this area sell for around $700,000. Alan, a retired New Westminster Elementary School Librarian, and Suzanne, a retired special education teacher, raised their three children in the house. In her retirement Suzanne has done several projects for the North Vancouver Archives. To celebrate the year 2000 she designed, and completed her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. This collection of photographs of over 2000 homes in the City of North Vancouver with about 800 of them accompanied by additional photographs and/or house histories was given to the Archives by the Wilson's. Only participants in the project were allowed to contribute money for supplies and part of that money was given to a charity. In the month of June 2007 to celebrate the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday, Suzanne delivered 1000 cards with house photographs taken during her year 2000 project, to home owners. Since 2001 she has been taking black and white photographs of houses where demolition permits have been applied for in both the City and District of North Vancouver. The black and white contact sheets she prints in her laundry room dark room and their accompanying record sheets become part of the permanent photo collection at the North Vancouver Archives in the North Vancouver Community History Centre at 3203 Institute Road.

Note all the decorations on 939 Shavington Street for the Paint the Town Red project: the red LED lights on the house and the light standard at the bottom of the front steps to the house, the Canadian Flag, the official Inukshuk banner on the front door, the red bow on the bench, the red rug at the front door, the "Go Canada" sign from The Vancouver Sun in the window to the east of the front door, the Canadian and US flags in the window at the far east side, the Canadian flag candle in the pot near the front door, the red pillar candle in the pot next to the bench, and the objects in the right hand kitchen window. On that window sill are a moose, a loon-the official Canadian bird, a beaver-the official Canadian animal, a wooden soldier from The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery from Ottawa, and two pairs of official ten dollar 2010 Olympic Games mittens. 

Over three million pairs of the red mittens are expected to be sold. Four dollars from the sale of each pair of the mittens is contributed to the Canadian Athletes. (The Vancouver Sun 1/13/2010.)

Photo: Taken February 13, 2010 by SW.
Note: Home of Suzanne Wilson and her family since 1972.

Thursday, February 25, 2010
In the Pink

Next to the house at 2284 Old Dollarton Road is this white stucco and pink house at 2290 Old Dollarton Road. This house with its broad front porch and room in the pitch of the roof was built in 1927 for $1000. At this time the address was just listed as being on Dollarton (Highway). The new section of Dollarton Highway to the south was built later, in 2002, and this section became Old Dollarton Rd. If you look at a map you can see that this change in the Highway did make it straighter.

No listing of 2290 appears in either the 1931 or 1960 City Directories. But by 1971 Ferdinand J. Thill and his wife Mary were living in the house. Ferdinand was retired. In 1980 Gerald Vader ran his Beaver Tree Service Ltd. from the house. He was the president of the company. Beaver Tree Service Ltd. was still there in 1991 and 1995/96. However, now William Stuart was the president and he and his wife Sandra were living in the house. By the year 2000 Beaver Tree Services Ltd. had moved to North Vancouver's Riverside Drive.

Demolition Permit: Applied for February 2010.

Photo: Taken February 2010 by SW.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Dollar Mill

"Robert Dollar came to Canada in 1857 from his native Scotland. By the late 1880’s he was living in California and involved in shipbuilding. Around the turn of the century he started a lumber mill in Everett, Washington from which he shipped lumber all around the Pacific Rim. His ships, all adorned with a large dollar sign on their funnels were common throughout the ports of the Pacific. In 1916, Robert Dollar acquired a 100 acres in what is now known as the Roche Point area.(In the south eastern part of the District of North Vancouver.) Soon a townsite developed around the mill which supplied it with power from it's own generating plant. It became known as Dollarton." See Link. The Dollar Mill operated from 1917 to 1943. Dollarton Highway and Old Dollarton Road are also named after Robert Dollar.

The east end of Old Dollarton Road now dead ends where it meets with Dollarton Highway. On the north side just before the dead end sit two houses, 2284 and 2290. Both these houses are slated for demolition. 2284 Old Dollarton Highway with its prominent address is pictured above. "The building permit for the house at 2284 Old Dollarton Rd. was issued in January 1968 and listed the construction cost at $14,000." Elaine Oakes. By 1971 Alfred E. Forsyth and his wife Gina were residents. Alfred was retired. In 1980 Hoford Lennox lived there, as he did in 1995/96. "The house was purchased by the District in June 1994 and has been a rental property since then. The previous address was 2284 Dollarton Highway which was renamed Old Dollarton Rd. in 2002 when the Dollarton Highway realignment project was completed. " Elaine Oakes. 

Thank You: To Elaine Oakes RAM Clerk Admin. Svcs. North Vancouver

District Hall.

Demolition Permit: Applied for in February 2009.

Photo: Taken in January 2010 by SW.

Link: http://www.cherrybouton.com/nshistory.html

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Facer House

The Facer's, Albert and Vivian, built the house at 564 Granada Court and then lived in it, and lived in it, and lived in it.    Vivian and Albert were the owners when it was built in 1956 for $14,000.  In 1960 Albert was working as the proprietor for Crown Chimney Sweeping and in 1971 he was the president of Crown Roofing.  By 1980 Crown Roofing had become a Limited Company and Albert continued to be president.  In the 1991 and 1995/96 City Directories only Vivian Facer retired is listed.  Her name continues to appear in both the year 2000 and 2008/2010 phone books. So for 54 years a member of the Facer family lived at 564 Granada Court and now a permit for demolition has been applied for.  They will be the only family to have ever lived in there.  It can truly be called "The Facer House".

The Facer House is typical of houses built in North Vancouver in the 1950's and the 1960's.  Many of the features are demanded by the West Coast topography and climate.  Because it is built on the side of a mountain the slant of the lot calls for a retaining wall.  Here it is a wall of stone.  Because of all the grey and rainy weather light inside becomes a priority.  Hence there is the south wall of windows: windows in the living room, in the kitchen and even a row of small windows up into the eaves.  When the grey sky lifts for the six weeks of Vancouver summer the southern sundeck and windows make the green awning across the right side of the house a necessity.  In the first floor of the house is a carport.  Because of Vancouver's mild climate garages aren't really called for, although cover from rain is.  And because of the carport and the incline of the hill the living area is on the second floor.  This is typical of many Vancouver area homes.  It is like" living in the sky".  Behind the house can be seen a new home showing  today's featured construction.  Also, can be seen two local mountains.  The slope of Mount Fromme is in front and Grouse Mountain higher and in back of it.

Granada Court is a cul-du-sac west of Delbrook Avenue in the District of North Vancouver.  Actually this whole area is called Delbrook.  Mosquito Creek  Park borders  the end of the cul-du-sac.  The Facer's had a quiet and beautiful corner of the world to spend their lives.

Demolition Permit: Applied for January 2010.

Photo: Taken  in January 2010 by SW.

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Sunnyside

This dark deserted looking house is found on of all places, Sunnyside Drive. Perhaps the sun reflecting in the front sliding glass doors suggests happier, sunnier days for the house.

The driveway leading right up to the front door certainly would be welcoming. And the number of owners that built and built on to the house indicate that at one time it was cared for. The first building on the lot was commercial and built by S. Fraser for $1500 in 1926.  A commercial building may sound strange at this remote location at that time.   Remember, there was no Upper Levels Highway and the winding road was in the wilderness. But it is more  understandable when it is found in the 1926 City Directory to probably have been Hill's Taxi. At that time, no numeral addresses were listed on Sunnyside Dr., only ns for north side of street, and Hill's Taxi is the only commercial listing.  Later, in 1933 a new owner J. Stally ponied up a $1000 to actually build a house. In 1939, another new owner, E. Thomas made some house alterations. This time to the tune of $4500.

All this building on 1340 Sunnyside Dr. took place in the Lionsview area of the District of North Vancouver. The actually street is between the Murdo Fraser Golf Course and the Upper Levels Highway, east of Capilano Rd. Only the hum of the cars on the Upper Levels Highway lets you know that the windy road through the densely wooded area isn't in the middle of a forest.

Demolition Permit: Applied for from the District of North Vancouver in

              September 2009.

Photo: Taken  October 2009 by SW. 

Reference: Building Permits District of North Vancouver Compiled by J. R. Faulkner includes building permits from 1922 to 1952. It is available at the North Vancouver Archives in the Community History Centre in the old 1920's Lynn Valley Elementary School at 3203 Institute Rd., near the corner of Lynn Valley Rd. and Mountain Highway.

Sunday Church Feature

Trinity Methodist Church
Milwaukee, Wisconsin



"The Methodist denomination organized the first church in Bay View. (An area on the south side of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.) It was a small wooden church built in 1868 by English immigrants on the land donated by the Milwaukee Iron Company at what today is 2471 and 2473 Wentworth Avenue. In 1887 the congregation moved to this (at 2772 South Kinnickinnic Avenue) Victorian Gothic cream city brick edifice designed by parishioner William Davelaar." (See Link.)


On Sunday mornings in the 1940's and 50's the church bell door would be opened from the stair landing in the front hall and the rope would be pulled. The bell in the steeple would ring out signaling to the community that the church service was beginning. The inside of the church was unique. The sanctuary of dark wood was designed "in the round". The church chancel, altar, and communion rail were a semi-circle at the front of the sanctuary. A large array of tall organ pipes formed the backdrop for the altar. The five aisles were arranged like spokes on a wheel. At Christmas the choirs with their candles filled these aisles, surrounding the congregation, as they sang Christmas carols. On the east side of the sanctuary tall two storey dark wood folding doors separated the sanctuary from the Sunday School area. This area also had a balcony. On special days the doors could be opened to facilitate a larger capacity in the sanctuary. Downstairs were two halls. One with a terrazzo floor and kitchen which could be used for church dinners. At Christmas in the 1950's all four choirs would sit around large rectangular tables and sing Christmas carols. Featured would be the singing of "Christmas is Coming" and the presentation of the "figgy pudding". The other room was not only used for rummage sales and square dances, but also had a stage for performances.


"After WWII, husband and wife Lillian and Willis Leenhouts designed an educational wing and remodeled the church interior, installing new stained glass windows." These renovations were completed in the early 1950's. The church sanctuary now had a traditional layout with the chancel and altar in the front backed by modern stained glass windows. The dark wood was replaced with light blond wood. A formal parlour in honor of Mabel Bullock and a small chapel were also established on the main floor of the church. Later the parlour was moved across from the doors leading to the sanctuary to facilitate morning coffee following the service. An addition was constructed on the front of the building to provide for a church office. An education wing was also added.


In 1968 the Bethel Evangelical Church congregation merged with the Trinity Methodist Church congregation to become Bay View United Methodist Church. Bethel Evangelical Church was built in 1897 at 2392 So. Woodward St. In 1968 it was sold to the Assembly of God for $40,000. That congregation outgrew the building and again sold it in 2001.

Photo: Taken in 2006 by SW.

Link: http://www.bayviewumc.org/
Note: Suzanne Wilson attended this church as a child.

Special Saturday Travel Feature
Brinton in Milwaukee

"There was a mill and on that mill there was a walk and on that walk there was a key." This was a jump rope jingle chanted by little girls in the 1940's in Milwaukee Wisconsin .  At that time Milwaukee Wisconsin was the 13th largest city in the United States and was known for having more churches than any other city.  Oh, yes, and beer companies, too.  
As to the little girls, the ones that lived on the south side in the area known as Bay View  went to Beulah Brinton Community Center to learn how to dance. One of the dances was the "Flower Dance" growing from a seed, to a bud, to a full bloom, then whilting and dying. Later the little girls, now teens, went to their first dance there. The home in the photo above is that of Beulah Brinton.


The house at 2590 South Superior Street was built in 1872.  It is among the best examples of a Victorian Gothic home in the city of Milwaukee. It is in the area of Milwaukee known as Bay View.  Bay View is three miles from downtown Milwaukee and on the south east shore overlooking Lake Michigan. The many architectual features of the house include a front bay window, ionic columns supporting the front porch and balustrade above the porch, and white clapboard siding. The house has been restored by the Bay View Historical Society after puchasing it in 2005. An old bedroom on the second floor is the office of this organization that started in 1979.


Beulah Brinton owned the house with her husband Warren who was a supervisor for the Milwaukee Iron Company.  Beulah was community minded and started a library in her home.  She also conducted English language and homemaking classes for immigrant women.  She furnished rackets and balls for their children to play tennis on her courts next to the house.  The Beulah Brinton Community Center was established in 1911.  In 1924 it moved into an old firehall some blocks from Mrs. Brinton's home. In 1977 the community center moved into a new building. Today the Beulah Brinton Community Center at 5555 Bay Street in the Bay View area of Milwaukee offers programs six days a week.  On Sundays it is available for rentals.  One of its recent events has been the Second Prom Program, giving an opportunity for members of the community to relive their high school years.


Link:  http://www.bayviewhistoricalsociety.org/Bayview%20Yesterday.html
Photo: Taken September 2006 by SW. 
Demolished:  Firehall #11 that became the 1st Beulah Brinton Community
              Center in 1924 was demolished in 1977.

Friday Special Feature

Special 2010 Olympic Feature

Pacific Coliseum Banner

"Pacific Coliseum (100 North Renfrew Street) is an indoor arena at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Completed in 1968 at the site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281 for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713.

"The Coliseum is currently the home of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. The arena also hosts a variety of events and concerts. It has also been chosen as the venue for figure skating and short track speed skating in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

"Other hockey tenants of the Pacific Coliseum have been the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL from 1970-1995 and the WHL from 1968 to 1970, the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA from 1973-1975 and the Vancouver Voodoo of the RHI from 1994-1995."

Designed by W. K. Noppe in 1966–67, with its simple geometric shape and distinctive ring of white panels, the building can be classified as formalist architecture. " Wikipedia. Construction of the original building cost $6 million. Renovations for the 2010 Olympics cost $20.4 million. The money for the renovations was provided by the Canadian and British Columbia governments.

The green and blue colors for the over 6,000 banners  in Vancouver were chosen by VANOC. They were created to represent the look of Vancouver. And VANOC was right since there has been not a single snow fall in the city of Vancouver this year. The grass is bright green and the forsythia, crocuses, and even an occasional daffodil are dotting the gardens. Half of the cost of the banners was in their creation, the other half in mounting them on light posts and buildings. The large banner covering the north side of the Coliseum depicts a figure skater and speed skaters,both of which will be competing at this Olympic venue.

Photo: Taken January 2010 by SW.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Coliseum

Thursday, February 18, 2010
Two White Pillars and a Big Addition


Raine R. Sume built this house at 3780 Mountain Highway.  He was the owner in 1954 and the house construction cost $8000.  He continued to live there in 1960 when he was working as a mechanical engineer at Crowther McKay and Associates.  His wife was Mary L. Sume.  By 1971 Joseph A. Philp and his wife Ellinor had bought the house.  Joseph worked at Block Brothers Realty.

In 1980 Arthur and Leona Teske lived in the house.  Arthur was a contractor.  He had retired by 1991.  Three people are reported as living in the house in the 1995/96 City Directory: Arthur and Leona Teske, and James Teske, a student.
The year 2000 phone book lists Art Teske as the resident at 3780 Mountain Highway.  And the 2008/10 phone book lists both Arthur and James living at the same address on Ross Road.  No information regarding the large addition on the right hand side of the photo was found.


It may be noted that entries from City Directories after the year 2000 are not mentioned.  This is because the year 2000 was the last year the City Directory was published.  Following that date some information as to house residents was listed on the internet.  However, this information changed as the residents changed addresses.  There is no longer a permanent hard copy record of home owners, residents, their spouses, and their place of employment.  Large bound books of this information were published starting in the late 1800s.  A complete set is available at the Vancouver Archives and for most  years at the North Vancouver Archives.  The type of research done on 2780
Mountain Highway will not be available in the future.  The internet and concerns of privacy are reasons given for the termination of the publishing of the City Directories.


Demolition Permit: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken in December 2009 by SW.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
An Awning For You and An Awning For Me

The one storey house with its attached garage at 3764 Mountain Highway was built in 1947  for $6000.  Don M. Dunwoodie is listed as the owner.  In 1950 both Don and his wife Georgina F. were living in the house.  Don was retired.  By 1960 Gertrude and Douglas A. Hill  had bought the house.  Douglas was a branch manager at British Pacific Insurance.  By 1971 he was partners in his own company, Wyllie and Hill Transportation, and he was the director.  In 1980 only Gertrude, retired, was listed as living there. In the 1995/96 City Directory Gertrude, still retired, was joined by Lawrence D. Hill, the service manager at North Shore Taxi Automotive Repairs.

It is not known when the white awnings were added to the windows on either side of the front door.  The black horizontal border stripe on the awning matches the black paint on the garage door and trim on the white window moldings. Aside from preventing the afternoon sun from streaming into the house, they provided a welcoming facade to the dark taupe clapboard siding.

The 3600 block of Mountain Highway is north of Lynn Valley Center at the intersection with Lynn Valley Road.  It is also in walking distance to Lynn Valley and Fromme Elementary Schools, Argyle Secondary School, the North Vancouver Community History Center, Lynn Valley United Church, and Lynn Valley Library.

Demolition Permit: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken December 2009 by SW.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Capilano Road Oldie

The house at 2840 Capilano Road is older than the Building Permit book listings. The first listing is already for a $2500 house addition in 1952. The next listing is for a $500 garage in 1956. The owner at both of these times was R. Beachtold. In 1960 there is a listing in the City Directory for probably the same person, but the spelling of the name is different. It changes the "a" to "r" resulting in Berchtold. Rudolph Berchtold was employed as a structural iron worker. His wife Bertha was employed as a stenographer by the Canadian Government. By 1971 Rudolph was a structural iron worker for Kootenay Engineering.

In 1980 Phillippi Brunelle owned the house. He was retired. In 1991 there was another new owner, L. Groenendyk and his company Artistic Gardening and Landscaping. In 1991 the spelling of the last name is again reported differently. Now the final "k" has been dropped, resulting in Groenendy. However, the business of Artistic Gardening and Landscaping is the same. The 1995/96 City Directory and the year 2000 phone book continue to list L. Groenendy and Artistic Gardening and Landscaping at being at 2840 Capilano Road. Today the internet lists Artistic Gardening and Landscaping and L. Groeneny on West 25th Street in North Vancouver.  Between the house at 2840 Capilano Rd. and Artistic Gardening and Landscaping they have travelled the record keeping highway from Building Permit to City Directory to phone book to the internet.

Capilano Road is the western border of North Vancouver District. It runs from the Native Lands in the south up to Montroyal Blvd. where it turns into Nancy Green Way. From there it goes a short way to the base of Grouse Mountain. On its way up the mountain side it passes several other prominent North Vancouver tourist attractions. First is the Capilano Suspension Bridge, next is the Capilano Salmon Hatchery, then the Cleveland Dam, and finally the Grouse Mountain Skyride. Viewing of the Salmon Hatchery and the Cleveland Dam are free. 

Demolition Permit: Applied for November 2009.

Photo Taken: November 2009.

Link: http://www.capbridge.com/index.html

Link: http://www.vancouverplus.ca/vancouver/venues/capilano-salmon-hatchery

Link: http://www.seethenorthshore.com/capilano/capilano.htm

Link: http://www.grousemountain.com/Winter/

Monday, February 15, 2010
To the Bridge, To the Mountain

The house at 2832 sits about half way up Capilano Road. It is huddled among the cedar and maple trees and fronted by an over sized rhododendron bush. Few people are recorded as residents. A Building Permit  was applied for August 6, 1958 by the owner Don Hall. The contractor was the Hall Brothers and it cost $13,000. However, the 1960 City Directory lists it as vacant. In 1971 Mrs. Dorothy E. Morrison, a widow, owned the house. In 1980 another Dorothy moved in. This Dorothy was named Herbert and her husband was Euclide J. He was listed as retired in both 1980 and 1991. The response to City Directory inquiries for the 1995/96 edition were "not verified".

Capilano Road lies at the western boarder of the District of North Vancouver. It starts at Welch Street in the Native Lands on Burrard Inlet and climbs the mountain side to end at Montroyal Blvd. Although its name ends there the road continues as Nancy Greene Way leading to the Grouse Mountain Chair Skyride. Three other well known sights are along the way: The Capilano Suspension Bridge, the Capilano Salmon Hatchery, and the Cleveland Dam on Capilano Lake. Capilano Lake supplies approximately 40% of the Lower Mainland's fresh drinking water.

Thank you to Elaine Oakes, RM Clerk Admin. Svcs. NVD.
Demolition Permit: Applied for from North Vancouver District October 2009.
Photo: Taken in November 2009 by SW.
Link: http://www.capbridge.com/index.html
Link: http://www.grousemountain.com/Winter/
Link: http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/ClevelandDam01.html

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday Church Feature
Valentine's Day
Happy 100th Birthday

2010 is the 100th birthday year of St. Agnes Anglican Church at 530 East 12th Street in the City of North Vancouver.  This "country church in the city" was started as the second mission church of St. John's Anglican Church. The name St. Agnes was chosen December 8, 1909. The church was built in 1910 by contractor H. W. Young.  In 1927 the church hall on the lane behind the church was built by the H. W. Young as well. 

The original entrance to the church sanctuary was through a door on the south west face of the building.  The altar was in the alcove on the east wall and the dark wood pews lined a center aisle in a traditional manner.  Beautiful stained glass windows decorated  the north, south and east  walls of the sanctuary.  The church hall was only accessible by going outside and entering through the hall's west facing door.  In the 1970's the alter was moved into the body of the church and the alcove was fitted with pews for the choir.  In the 1990's the entrance door to the church and sanctuary was changed to the south east side of the building.  The altar was moved to the west side of the sanctuary with a middle aisle and traditional pew placement. The new south east door made possible an entrance hall not only to the sanctuary, but also to the church office and church hall.  It was no longer necessary to go outside to go to the church hall for "coffee hour".  Around 2002 the configuration of the sanctuary changed again.  Now the altar was placed on the north wall of the sanctuary, between two of the stained glass windows.  The pews were arranged around the altar in a  horseshoe pattern.  The average Sunday Worship attendance is 54 and the number of households that are members is 72. The priest is the Rev. Keith Gilbert.

St. Agnes was a 13 year old girl of  Rome who was put to death because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. There is a church built over the spot where she was buried in Rome.  It can still be seen today.  Keats wrote a poem about her life "The Eve of St. Agnes". 


On Sunday mornings  a rope hanging on the south wall of the  sanctuary is pulled, and the church bell signals to the community that it is time for worship.  The congregation of the "country church in the city" is ready to greet its neighbors.

Thank You: To Shirley Marcino for confirming my memories of the 
              church sanctuary.
Photo: Taken January 2010 by SW.  (Note the peaked roof of the church hall
              can be seen behind the church.)
Resources: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.
             Sunday January 24th St. Agnes Anglican Church bulletin.