May 4, 2010

End of Month Index

May 2010

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

CANADA

British Columbia

City of North Vancouver

701 East 5th Street, East 5th on Queensbury, Wednesday, May 5, 2010
420 East 8th Street, Ridgeway Elementary School, Seismic Upgrading,
                  Thursday, May 20, 2010.
264 East 11th Street, Typical 1950's, Thursday, May 6, 2010
152 East 12th Street, Typical Early 1900 Home, Friday, May 7, 2010
338 East 12th Street, White Horizontal Clapaboard, Monday, May 10, 2010
535 East 12th Street, Built by a Shipright, Tuesday, May 11, 2010
529 East 13th Street, They Liked to Celebrate Halloween, Wednesday,
                May 12, 2010
325 East 14th Street, Two for One, Thursday, May 13, 2010
424 East 14th Street, Christmas on 14th Street, Friday, May 14, 2010
744 East 15th Street, Buchanan 744, Monday, May 17, 2010
260 East 17th Street, Behind the Wrought Iron Fence, Tuesday, May 18, 2010
211 East 18th Street, Bay Window Shingled Home, Wednesday, May 19, 2010
261 East 19th Street, Historic 200 Block of East 19th Street,
                Friday, May 21, 2010
647 East 22nd Street, Victoria Day, House of Multipaned Windows,
                Monday, May 24, 2010
306 East 23rd Street, The Galon's formal Garden, Tuesday, May 25, 2010

North Vancouver District

913 Belmont Avenue, "Fifty-five Years in the Capilano Highlands",

              May 27, 2010.

2580 Colwood Dr., "The Hughes Home for 35 Years", Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

3570 Glenview Cr., "The Red Door", May 4, 2010.

912 Wavertree Road, "Wavertree in Spring", Monday, May 3, 2010.

ITALY

Rome

Trinita dei Monti, Rome, Happy Mother's Day, Sunday Church Feature

            Trinita dei Monti, Rome, Sunday, May 9, 2010

MONACO

Royal Palace, Monaco, Saturday Travel Feature, Saturyday, May 1, 2010

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco, Sunday Church Feature, Sunday, May 2, 2010

Monte Carlo

Ni Box, Monte-Carlo, Saturday Travel Feature, The Ni Box, Monte-Carlo,

             Monaco, Saturday, May 8, 2010

SPAIN

Barcelona

Customs House, Columbus Monument, Barcelona, Saturday Travel Feature,

Customs and Columbus, Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 15, 2010

Sangrada Familia, Sunday Church Feature, Sagrada Failia, Barcelona, Spain,

              Sunday, May 16, 2010

Mallorca

Town Hall, Saturday Travel Feature, Ayuntamiento of Palma de Mallorca

            Mallorca, Spain, Saturday, May 22, 2010
Le Seu Cathedral, Palma, Mallorca, Sunday Church Feature, Se Seu Cathedral

            Palma, Mallorca Sunday, May 2010

TUNISIA

Tunisia

Old Town Tunis, Saturday Travel Feature, Narrow Streets of Tunis, Tunisia,

           May 29, 2010

Cathedral of St. Louis, Tunis/Carthage, Tunisia, Cathedral of St. Louis,

           Tunis/Carthage Tunisia, May 30, 2010

FEATURES

Saturday Travel Features

Royal Palace, Monaco, Saturday Travel Feature, Saturyday, May 1, 2010
Ni Box, Monte-Carlo, Saturday Travel Feature, The Ni Box, Monte-Carlo,
           Monaco, Saturday, May 8, 2010

Customs House, Columbus Monument, Barcelona, Saturday Travel Feature,
           Customs and Columbus, Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 15, 2010

Town Hall, Saturday Travel Feature, Ayuntamiento of Palma de Mallorca,
           Mallorca, Spain, Saturday, May 22, 2010
Old Town Tunis, Saturday Travel Feature, Narrow Streets of Tunis, Tunisia,
          May 29, 2010

Sunday Church Features

"Trinita dei Monti, Rome", Happy Mother's Day, Sunday Church Feature,
           May 9, 2010.

"St. Nicholas Cathedral", Monaco, Sunday Church Feature, Sunday, May 2, 2010.
"Le Seu Cathedral", Palma, Mallorca, Sunday Church Feature, Le Seu
           Cathedral,  Palma, Mallorca Sunday, May 2010.
Cathedral of St. Louis, Tunis/Carthage, Tunisia, "Cathedral of St. Louis",
          Tunis/Carthage Tunisia, May 30, 2010.

"Sangrada Familia", Sunday Church Feature, Sagrada Failia, Barcelona, Spain,
          May 16, 2010.


Photo: "Kitsilano Rainbow" taken in Vancouver B.C., November 2005 by SW.

Sunday Church Feature
Cathedral of St. Louis, Tunis/Carthage, Tunisia


"In the late 19th century, Hussein II Bey authorised the French consul-general to build a cathedral on the site of ancient Carthage, and to take all the land necessary for the project. The consul charged his son Jules, with this duty and having closely examined possible sites, he concluded that the chapel ought to be built on Byrsa Hill, in the centre of the Punic acropolis, where the temple of Aesculapius was once located.


"King Louis-Philippe approved the project. The architect chosen conceived a building of modest proportions that contained a mix of Gothic and Byzantine styles. In any case, he succeeded in giving it the look of a rich marabout similar to the royal chapel at Dreux. A cross, the only one standing at that time in Tunisia, topped the building. Descendants of crusaders' families, and companions of the sovereign, helped finance the construction.

"Built between 1884 and 1890, under the French protectorate, the cathedral acquired primacy for all of Africa when the title of primate of Africa was restored for the benefit of Cardinal Lavigerie, titular of the Archdioceses of Algiers and Carthage. The building was consecrated with great pomp in the presence of numerous dignitaries." Link 2

The cathedral of Saint Louis, which crowns the hill is now a cultural center. It is near the   national museum of Carthage which holds an impressive collection of Punic statues, steles and urns .  If you walk down to the bottom of the wide staircase on the other side of the parking lot in front of the cathedral parts of the walls of Carthage are exposed: you can touch this part of history that is 2000 years old.

Photo: Copy of Carthage post card taken in April 2010 by SW.
Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_Cathedral,_Carthage
Link 2:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/curreyuk/3474429010/

Saturday Travel Feature
Narrow Streets of Tunis, Tunisia

"Tunisia ...officially the Tunisian Republic... is the northernmost country in Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its size is almost 165,000 km², with an estimated population of just over 10.3 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east.



"Tunisia is the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range. The south of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and 1,300 km of coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient times, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, then as the Africa Province which was known as the "bread basket" of the Roman Empire. Later, Tunisia was occupied by Vandals during the 5th century AD, Byzantines in the 6th century, and Arabs in the 8th century. Under the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia was known as "Regency of Tunis". It passed under French protectorate in 1881. After obtaining independence in 1956, the country took the official name of the "Kingdom of Tunisia" at the end of the reign of Lamine Bey and the Husainid Dynasty. With the proclamation of the Tunisian republic in July 25, 1957, the nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba became its first president and led the modernization of the country." Link 1.

The narrow streets of old Tunis are lined with residences featuring gaily painted doors and wrought iron balconies. (See photo detail below.) The arches with signs in Arabic, as in the photo above, lead to even narrower streets lined on both sides with stores. Owners hawk their wares beckoning shoppers to come in and bargain. The bargaining can reduce the price of purchase as much as 80%.

Photos: Taken in Tunis, Tunisia in April 2010 by SW.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia

Friday, May 28, 2010
The Blue House With the Rock Wall

The cheery blue house at 303 East 18th Street was built in 1946. The owner of the $2,700 house was Stanley G. Evans and the architect was Jacobson. Stanley Evans was employed as a builder. He continued to live in the house  until at least 1971 at which time he reported to the City Directory that he was retired. In 1980, 1991, and 1995 the house was vacant, there was no return to City Directory inquiries, or the resident could not be verified.

The photo of 393 East 18th Street was taken by Suzanne Wilson as part of her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. 2000 photos of homes in the City of North Vancouver were photographed. Approximately 800 of these were accompanied by some history from the present or previous home owner sometimes including personal photographs.



In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 303 East 18th Street had been demolished and a new house had been built.


Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.


Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Thursday, May 27, 2010
Fifty-five Years in the Capilano Highlands

This $7,500 1947 home was built in the heart of Capilano Highlands in the District of North Vancouver. 913 Belmont Avenue was the address and H. M. Fisher was the owner. Only three years later in 1950 Don F. and Joan K. Corbett owned the house. Don Corbett was the manager at Perfex Ltd., manufacturers of sodium hypo-chlorite bleach and disinfectants at 3460 Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

By 1955 the Rudd family owned the house. They are listed at this address in the City Directories and the North Vancouver phone books through the 2008/2010 issues. That is a total of 55 years in the home at 913 Belmont Avenue for the Rudd family.  In 1955 Wilfred V. and Margaret M. Rudd are listed as the owners. Wilfred was employed as an engineer at H. A. Simons Ltd. In 1960 Wilfred was working as a civic design supervisor at International Power and Engineering Consultants at 570 Dunsmuir in Vancouver. By 1971 Wilfred was an assistant project manager of construction for B.C. Hydro. In 1980 and 1991 only M. M. Rudd was reported as the owner of 913 Belmont Avenue. In 1995 along with M. M. Rudd, Jerrfrey M. Rudd, a physicist at SFU was listed at living at that address as well. The listings in the year 2000 and 2008/2010 phone books is under W. V. Rudd.

There is only one other North Vancouver family researched for this blog that lived in their home longer than the Rudd's 55 years. That family is the Watt's whose house was at 343 Seymour River Place. The Watt's lived in that home for 57  years. (See Thursday, March 25, 2010 Blog Post.)

Building Permit: Applied for May 2010.
Photo: Taken in May 2010 by SW.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Hughes Home for 35 Years

The house with its broad front wall fireplace is set back in a  grove of tall cedar trees at 2580 Colwood Dr.  When it was built in 1957 this area of Colwood Drive was a new street. There was no listing for the 2500 block of Colwood Drive even in the 1960 City Directory. F. J. Hamilton built the house on the new street near Edgemont Village for $17,500.  F. Jason Hamilton was still the owner in 1962. At this time he reported to the City Directory that he was a student.

By 1965 the address was listed and Andrew N. and Barbara C. Jacox were the owners. Mrs. Barbara Jacox was employed as a saleswoman at F. Howe and Co. In 1971 Douglas C. and Patricia Miles were the owners of the house. Douglas Miles was a salesman at Carlisle Douglas and Co., stock broker and investment dealers at 890 Pender St. in Vancouver.

The Hughes family moved in 1975 and they stayed. Donald W. and Gwendolyn M. Hughes have lived at 2580 Colwood Dr. for 35 years. In 1980 Donald was president of Steven Jenter Laboratories at 1940 Lonsdale Avenue. In 1991 he reported to the City Directory that he was a physician at 1940 Lonsdale Avenue. He was also a physician in 1995.  As well  in 1995  Jennifer and Stephanie Hughes were listed as students  living at the 2580 Colwood Drive address.

Now there are  new owners  at 2580 Colwood Drive.  The house will be demolished and an architect has been hired to design a new contemporary home in the grove of tall cedar trees.

Photo: Taken in May 2010 by SW.
Demolition: Permit appied for in May 2010.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Galon's Formal Garden

The house with the amazing formal garden in the front yard sat at 306 East 23rd Street. It didn't start out with this garden when it was built for $400 in 1939 by T. Joy Sr. But the Building Permit book does reveal that it did start out with a garage that T. Joy moved onto the property at a cost of $100. In 1944 R. W. Hughes applied for a building permit for a $350 house alteration. The next year, 1945, the residents at 306 East 23rd Street were Peter D. and Lavina Curbello. Peter Curbello worked as a longshoreman. Soon after that, 1947, T. Joy, the original owner of 306 East 23rd Street, was living at 750 Grand Boulevard and applied to build a $100 garage there. In 1945 Robert and Jennie Hughes, the owners who applied for the 1944 house alteration, were back living in the house at 306 East 23rd Street. By this time Robert Hughes was retired. The next owners were Robert H.and Sharon D. M. Spring. Robert Spring was a constable in the RCMP.

Then by 1971 Michael F. and Helen Galan moved in. Michael Galan was employed as an electrician at Ketco Electric at 110 Lonsdale Avenue and in his spare time worked on the garden. He is the one responsible for the formal front garden with its pillars and walkways. By 1980 Michael Galan was employed as a Botond Shipper at Pac Truck and Trailer. In 1991 his employment was listed in the City Directory as a contractor. And in 1991 he reported that he was retired. Michael and Helen were still living in the house when it was photographed for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home.

The Galon home and garden at 306 East 23rd Street has been  demolished and two new homes have been built with separate garages on the lane.


Demolition Permit: Applied for in August 2007.
Photo: Taken for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home by SW. A black and white negative was also taken as part of the Demolition and Construction project by SW. Both are on file at the North Vancouver Archives.

Monday, May 14, 2010

House of Multipaned Windows

This house with two three panel sets of multi paned windows sits at 647 East 22nd Street in the City of North Vancouver. It is snug between Greenwood Park on the north, Grand Boulevard to the south and the Upper Levels Freeway on the east. Queensbury Elementary School is just a block away. There is no listing of this address in either the Building Permit book or the 1940 City Directory.

However, by 1945 George S. and Ellen M. Pow owned the house. George Pow was employed as a pressman at North Shore Press. In 1950 another George was the owner. This time it was George B. and Lilias G. Wight. This George was employed as a driver for Laurance and Lawrence. In 1960 Cecil J. D. and Margaret J. Gillies were reported as the owners. Cecil was an engineer at Vancouver Ice. The residents in 1971 and owners in 1980 were Michael F. and Anne M. Ryan. Michael Ryan was a mechanic at Hoffar's Ltd., marine engineers at 2350 Willingdon in Burnaby. In 1980 Michael F. Ryan worked as an engineer at Cullen Diesel which was at the 2350 Willingdon address. The residents at 647 East 22nd Street in 1991 and 1995 were John and Susan Martin. John reported being retired in both years. They must have moved there in 1989 because they reported in 1995 that they had lived there for 6 years.

In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 647 East 22nd Street had been demolished.  A large new home has been built with a separate garage on the lane.



Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 Project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Sunday Church Feature
La Seu Cathedral, Palma, Mallorca

  "La Seu is a gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, built on the site of an existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and 44 meters of nave height. Designed in Spanish "levantino" Gothic style with influences of the North European gothic, it was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits overlooking the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea, protected by the old town walls...Fifty years after a restoration of the Cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited in 1901 to take over the project." (See  Link 1.) (See May 16, 2010 Blog Post for another Gaudi church.) This massive Gothic Cathedral dominates the city skyline of Palma, Mallorca.  "If you catch the sun falling through the rose window on a bright morning, every nook and cranny in the Mallorca cathedral lights up like a rainbow and you will understand why it is commonly referred to as ‘The Cathedral of Light’." (See Link 2.) This rose window measuring 100m2 is the largest Gothic rose window in the world. It is divided into 24 triangles, half of which form the Star of David. (See Link 3.)

"On this side(the side facing the ocean) also lies the jewel in the crown of the Mallorca cathedral - the Mirador portal. (See photo below.) This is the huge arched entrance half way along the façade, which surely contributes the most important Gothic group of sculptures in Mallorca (Majorca). Between 1380 and 1422, Northern European and Mallorcan artists worked on this Gothic masterpiece, with the Mallorcan architect and sculptor Guillem Sagrera being the leading local contributor.

"Within the arches are two clearly differentiated horizontal sculptures: the first depicting the Eternal father with adoring angels and the other, directly below, the last supper. On the pillar between the two doors is a delightful Virgin Mary with child and in the niche of each arch are the sculptures of five saints; James, John and Peter on the left, and Andrew and Paul on the right. Together, they make this portal one of the most important examples of Mallorcan medieval art on the island." (See Link 2.)

Photos: Top-Front of Cathedral with rose window and palm trees of Mallorca. Middle-Front of Cathedral with rose window, top of arch above front doors, twin towers, and central angel statue on roof peak.  Bottom-Detail of side entrance described.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Seu
Link 2: http://www.northsouthguides.com/mallorca_cathedral.html
Link 3: http://www.mca-hotels.com/holidays-guide-mallorca/8/12/23/palma-de-mallorca/monuments/seu-cathedral/

Saturday Travel Feature

Ayuntamiento of Palma de Mallorca

"Palma is the major city and port on the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of the island on the Bay of Palma. The population of the city of Palma proper was 401,270 in 2009. It is the twelfth largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Mallorca live in Palma."Link 1.

"Ayuntamiento of Palma" is the Town Hall where the city council meets. The street name is mounted on the corner of the building "Place de Cort". "The city hall also known as "Cort", is a Baroque structure built on top of an old sixteenth-century hospital." Link: 2 Its large center clock, iron balcony, and ornate cornices above the doors and windows are distinctive features. It was built in the 17th century.

Mallorca is well known among fashionable women for its production of beautiful man made pearls.  "Majorca pearls are imitation pearls manufactured on the island of Majorca. Local Mallorca women have specialized in the artistic fabrication of faux pearls since the 19th Century and are worldwide recognized for its quality and perfection: Majorca pearls have such a resemblance to the natural pearls that only experts can tell them apart." Link 3.

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Mallorca by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma,_Majorca
Link2:http://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/palma_mallorca_tour.php
Link 3: http://www.bestofmallorca.net/activities/trips/majorca-pearls

Friday, May 21, 2010
Historic 200 Block of East 19th Street

The south side of 200 block of East 19th Street in the City of North Vancouver is well known for its 12 similar 1910 homes referred to by local residents as "The Apostle". Photos of each of these homes from 201 to 239 East 19th Street can be seen in the "City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994" as well as in the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. Both of these resources are at the North Vancouver Archives.


Farther east on the 200 block is 261 East 19th Street that was also photographed for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. The original house at this address was built in 1912 for $1500 which was a substantial price at that time. The owner was C.S. Sharpe and the architect Jackson and Fox. This 1912 home does not seem to be the one in the photo above. The Building Permits suggest this as well since there is a second listing for a home built at 261 East 19th Street. This shingled house was built by owner W. H. Walker in 1923 for $800. William Walker continued to live at 261 East 19th Street in 1931 at which time he worked as a salesman.


In 1940 the owner was John Alexander, a musician. He was also living in the house in 1950 by which time he had retired. In 1960 George F. and Dorothy E. Schafer were the owners. George Schafer was a plumber at General Pluming and Heating. They also owned the house in 1971 when George Schafer worked as a pipefitter. By 1980 Ted and Blanquita Dimapilis owned the home at 261 East 19th Street. They lived there until at least the year 2000 which was when the photo above was taken. In 1980 Ted Dimapilis was employed as a maintenance man with the North Vancouver School Board. In 1991 and the year 2000 he worked as a ship chandler. In 1995 Pamela Dimapilis, a student, was also listed in the City Directory as living at 261 East 19th Street.

In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 261 East 19th Street had been demolished and a new modern wood and glass home had been built.


Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 Project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Thursday, May 20, 2010
Seismic Upgrading

The tower is removed, the roof is off, the building looks gutted, chunks of cement are heaped on the playground, but Ridgeway Elementary School is not being demolished. Ridgeway Elementary School at 420 East 8th Street is undergoing a "Seismic Upgrading".

Photo: Tower removed and sitting in front of school.

In September 2010 the teachers and students moved to the old Cloverley School at 420 Hendry Avenue. That school building has been augmented with the old portable buildings from Lonsdale Elementary School at 2151 Lonsdale Ave. that was closed in 2005 and has since been demolished. (See Blog Post January 12, 2010.) The $21 million dollar Ridgeway Elementary School project is official called "Reconstruction and Heritage Restoration". (See photo below.) It is being funded by the North Vancouver School District and the Province of B.C. Ministry of Education. The architectural firm is D.A. Architects and Planning. The Heritage consultant is Robert Lemon Architecture Inc. Completion and return of the teachers and students to the shcool on Est 8th Street is expected in 2011. Sketches of the completed building and playground area appear on the sign below.

"The original Ridgeway Elementary School was built in 1911-1912 by Architects, Jones and Gillam, "The honourable Henry Esson Young, Minister of Education, officially opened the original portion of this building on April 8, 1912. It is a richly detailed essay in the Second Renaissance Revival style, and uses brick, sandstone, and rough cast stucco to achieve a strongly articulated facade. The Smith Brothers were the contractors for the original building, which cost $48,000 to build. Temporary ends were built on the central block, until the construction commenced in the 1920's on the north and south wings. North and South Wings, Benzie and Bow, architects, 1926."  "City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994" page 18. (See photo below.)

Link: http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca/sitecore/content/CapitalProjects/RidgewayQMaryHeritageProjects.aspx

Photos: Taken in April 2010 by SW. Top photo-rear of school on Moody Avenue side. Second photo-front of school on Ridgeway Avenue side. Third photo-south side of school with sign on 8th Street. Bottom photo-page 18 of "City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994."

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bay Window Shingled Home

The white shingled house with the front bay window was built at 211 East 18th Street. The date a building permit was applied for does not seem to be documented. However, a house with similar features, the bay window, the windows in the front gable end of the roof, and the glass panels in the front door was built in 1930 at 206 West 19th Street. (See Blog Post Friday, April 23, 2010.)

The first City Directory listing of 211 East 18th Street was found in the 1931 edition. The owners were John C. and Jean Kirkness. John worked as a meat cutter, and Jane was a clerk at Woodwards. In 1940 John C.  and Ann R. Kirkness lived in the house. Now John was the proprietor at Norland Smoke Shop. By 1950 Fredrich H. and Gertrude F. Smith were the owners. Fredrich was employed as an accountant at the Bank of Montreal. In 1960 Alan G. and Dora Harrison were now the owners. Alan was a packer at Eaton's. By 1971 the Olson's had moved in. Johann M. and Beryl E. Olson were the owners. Johann was the caretaker at the North Vancouver Drill Hall. Johann (no initial) a student was also a resident of 211 East 18th Street. Johann M. and Beryl were still living in the house in 1980, but by this time Johann had retired. In 1991 C. Wong was the owner and in 1995 he reported to the City Directory that he had been living there for five years.

The photo of 211 East 18th Street was taken by Suzanne Wilson as part of her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. 2000 photos of homes in the City of North Vancouver were photographed. Approximately 800 of these were accompanied by some history from the present or previous home owner sometimes including personal photographs.



In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 211 East 18th Street had been demolished and new housing was under construction.


Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Behind the Wrought Iron Fence

The house behind the wrought iron fence was at 260 East 17th Street in the City of North Vancouver. 260 East 17th Street is only two blocks and easy walking distance from Lonsdale Avenue and 17th Street, the shopping hub of the City. Here a home was reported in the Building Permit book as being built in 1926 by Edward S. Alexander. Edward was a journalist and continued to live in the house at least until 1931. The house in the photo above looks more like a home built in the 1950's. However, there is no evidence as to it being built at that time.

In 1940 the home owners were Helen and D. M. Moore, retired. Moore's also lived in the house in 1950, but this time it was Mary R. and Jason M. Moore. Mason was a mill worker at King Lumber. In 1960 the resident was Mrs. Rosalie F. L. Carney. Rosalie was the proprietor at White Swan Hairdressing at 1205 Lonsdale Avenue. The owners in 1971 were Howard A. and Dorothy I. Thompson. Howard was employed as a teacher in the North Vancouver School District. In 1980 the house was reported as being vacant. By 1991 Nancy J. Calder had moved in. Nancy worked as a clerk at Stong's Markets. Then in 1996 R. Birch was living at 260 East 17th. He reported that he had been living there for four years.

The photo of 260 East 17th Street was taken by Suzanne Wilson as part of her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. 2000 photos of homes in the City of North Vancouver were photographed. Approximately 800 of these were accompanied by some history from the present or previous home owner sometimes including personal photographs.



In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 260 East 17th Street had been demolished and a new duplex had been completed.


Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.


Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Buchanan 744

The original house at 744 East 15th Street in the City of North Vancouver was built in 1911 by owner A. Deeming. The architect was A. E. Cline and the construction cost was $2600. It is evident from looking at the house in the year 2000 photo above that modifications had taken place over the years. But in 1931 Albert Deeming was still living in the house that he had built. Albert at that time was working in fruit and produce at 1349 Lonsdale Avenue. The house is shown in pink on the 1930 Fire Insurance Map of the 700 block of East 15th Street, in the photo below. The map is available at the North Vancouver Archives.

In 1940 John and Eleanor I. Cattanach were living in the house. John Cattanach was a millwright at Mid Pac Elevators. By 1950 John W. and Katrin M. Morgan had moved in. John Morgan was the funeral director at Center and Hanna. At that time Robert C. and Isobel C. Shields were also living in the house. Robert was employed as a mate for Costal Towing. The Buchanans were the owners by 1960. Nancy and John S. lived there at least until 1980. In 1960 John was working as a civil servant in the B. C. Government. In 1971 he was working as a sign writer. And in 1980 John is reported as being retired. But by 1991 the new owner was Gerrie Beltz. In 1995 he reported to the City Directory that he had been living there for five years and was employed by the Vancouver Sun. The year 2000 phone book reports that he was also living there then.  So although Gerrie Beltz lived at the 744 East 15th Street address for probably 10 years, he still had the "Buchanan 744" sign hanging on the front of the house. That was a thoughtful tribute to the Buchanan family that had lived there from the 1960's to the 1980's.

The photo of 744 East 15th Street was taken by Suzanne Wilson as part of her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. 2000 photos of homes in the City of North Vancouver were photographed. Approximately 800 of these were accompanied by some history from the present or previous home owner sometimes including additional information. In this case it was the copy of the house on the 1930 Fire Insurance Map.



In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 744 East 15th Street had been demolished and new craftsman style home had been constructed.  The "Buchanan 744" sign was nowhere to be seen.

Photo: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Sunday Church Feature

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

"The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (official Catalan name; Spanish: Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia; "Expiatory Church of the Holy Family"), often simply called the Sagrada Família, is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. A portion of the building's interior is scheduled to open for public worship and tours by September 2010[1].

"Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the project's vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years. The church is to be consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on November 7, 2010, during his visit to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.[2]

"A total of eighteen tall towers are called for, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ." Wikipedia

Tourists can see evidence of the on going construction in the moving cranes and buckets of cement being carried to the top of the towers.

Photos: Taken of the Sangrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain, in April 2010 by SW.  The top photo is of the back entrance of the church and was taken from the park across the street  that features a large lagoon and children's play area.  The bottom photo is of the front entrance of the church and was taken from another park across the street which features a fenced in children's play area, a fenced in doggy area, and a rose garden.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Barcelona, Spain by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Customs and Columbus,  Barcelona, Spain


"This wonderful Customs house was built in 1902 by Enric Sagnier. He was a follower of Gaudí's style and he mixed Modernist and the Neo-Gothic aesthetics in this building, which is very rich in engravings and sculptures. There are lots of Barcelona's coat of arms along its façades with the characteristic bat over them. The Spanish coat of arms is over the main gate between two big eagles. Where mercantile loot was levied. The building is labeled Port de Barcelona. It appears that the Spanish-language version was scratched out and replaced with Catalan."Virtual Tourist-Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain.  Nearby is the Columbus Monument, starting off point for tourists from the cruise ships to explore Barcelona.

"The Columbus Monument ... is a 60 m (197 ft) tall monument for Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain. It was constructed for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona and is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas.[1] The monument serves as a reminder that Barcelona is where Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after Columbus' most famous trip.[2]

"At the very top of the monument stands a 7.2 m (24 ft) tall bronze statue atop a 40 m (131 ft) tall Corinthian column. The statue was sculpted by Rafael Atché and is said to depict Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, while holding a scroll in the left. As it was sited, instead of pointing to the west towards the New World, the statue points east towards Columbus's supposed home city of Genoa.[3] The statue is atop a socle, on which the word "Tierra" (land) is inscribed.

"The column, hung with a device bearing an anchor stands on an octagonal pedestal from which four bronze winged Victories or Phemes take flight towards the four corners of the world, above paired griffins. Four buttresses against the octagonal pedestal bear portrait medallions that depict people related to Columbus:...An elevator inside the column takes visitors up to a viewing platform at the top.  The canted octagonal plinth is inset with eight bronze bas-relief panels that depict important scenes in Columbus's first voyage to the Americas:...The base of the monument is a 20 m (66 ft) wide circle, with four staircases. Each staircase is flanked by two lions....All of the funding came from Spanish sources and the entire construction (labor and materials) was done by Catalans. Construction began in 1882 and was completed in 1888 in time for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona.[4]" Wikipedia

 Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Monument,_Barcelona

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Barcelona, Spain by SW.

Friday, May 14, 2010
Christmas on 14th Street

The stucco and brick clad house at 424 East 14th Street was at least built by 1960. No record of its construction is listed in the Building Permit book or 1925, 1940, 1950, or 1955 City Directories at the North Vancouver Archives. But in 1960 the owners are reported to be Keith M. and Magaret R. Yelland. Keith worked as a train clerk for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. By 1980 only Margaret is listed as the owner.

In 1991 Linda D. Blaine was the owner. Linda was employed by the Botanical Gardens at the University of B.C. She continued to work at UBC in 1995 and reported that by that time she had lived at 424 East 14th Street for six years.

Linda is not listed in the year 2000 phone book as living at 424 East 14th Street. But since this is the year the photo above was taken whoever was living there was celebrating Christmas with strings of Christmas lights.

The photo of 424 East 14 Street was taken by Suzanne Wilson as part of her Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. 2000 photos of homes in the City of North Vancouver were photographed. Approximately 800 of these were accompanied by some history of the house or a photo.


In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 424 East 14th Street had been demolished and a new house had been built.


Photos: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.