Wednesday, April 7, 2010
One Big Address

The house behind the fence with the really big numbers making clear its address is at 658 East 5th Street.  No doubt about that.  It was built in 1941 as a Wartime House (See Blog Post March 22nd)  However, as can be noted from the photograph the house peeking above the fence has been modernized.  A porch and  rectangular front windows have been added, at least.  See the March  23rd Blog Post with the photo of the house down the block at 662 East 5th Street to see more of what the original 1941 house must have looked like.

In 1945 Gordon and Elizabeth E. Stewart owned the house.  Gordon worked   at Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver.  Many of the Wartime Home owners were employed at Burrard Dry Dock where the WWII ships were built. By 1950 Elizabeth is listed in the City Directories as a widow.  She continued to live there for at least another 20 years, until at least 1971.  Another woman owned the house after that.  It was Mrs. L. A. Gurnsey a teacher in the Burnaby School District.  Although she is listed as C. W. Gurnsey in the 1991 and 1995/96 City Directories, her occupation remained the same. 

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 658 East 5th Street had been demolished and a new home had been built.

Photo: Taken as part of Suzanne Wilson's Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home and on file at the North Vancouver Archives.

Y2K Project:  See Blog Post February 26, 2010.