Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Shake Clad House on Dempsey

The two storey shake clad house at 1640 Dempsey Road was built for $1500 in 1938 by J. Greenwood.  The is no listing of the 1640 Dempsey Road address in the 1940 City Directory.  However, the house is indicated by the notation "ns Greenwood J." as the owner.  In the 1945 City Directory the address is listed, and J. Greenwood is still recorded as living there. 

However, by 1948 the owner was Mrs. K. A. Vaughan, the widow of E. W. Vaughan.   In 1940 Edgar and Cathy A. Vaughan had been the owners of a home on the north side of the 1200 Mill Street in North Vancouver.  Edgar Vaughan was a cartoonist.  Mill Street is two streets north of Dempsey.  So Mrs. Vaughan's move from Mill Street to Dempsey after the death of her husband, was not a big one.  Mrs. Vaughan continued to own the house at 1640 Dempsey Rd. at least until 1971.  Over the years her name was listed in the City Directories as Mrs. K. A. Vaughan, Cath A. Vaughan and in 1971 as Molly Vaughan.

In 1981 Gunter Karl Essinger was the owner of the 1640 Dempsey Road house.  Gunter Essinger worked as a maintenance man at Delta Smelting and Refining. In 1991 the City Directory reported that Ralph, Karen, and Patrick Essinger as well as Pfiel Jens were all residents of the house.  Ralph and Patrick Essinger were both employees at the Spaghetti Factory.  Karen Essinger's employment was Scandal's Bar and Grill Restaurant.  In the 1995/1996 City Directory Ralph and Patrick Essinger were reported as living in the house.  Other residents at least from 1991 to 1995 were Harold and Marie Scott.  In 1995 Ralph and Patrick Essinger were still working at the Spaghetti Factory.  Although, Karen was not listed as living at 1640 Dempsey Road, her employment was reported as president of My Place Cafe.  Ralph Essinger was listed in the 2006/2007 North and West Vancouver Phone Directory as still living at the 1640 Dempsey Road address at that time.

Patrick Essinger adds," My father Gunther Karl Essinger  passed away in the house in 1989.  The house was left to his sons Ralph Peter Essinger and Patrick Carsten Essinger. The house had a renovation to the basement to make it livable.  Both brothers lived in and out of the basement for a few years.  Ralph married S. Essinger and lived in the house til early 2000. They had one daughter S. N. Essinger.  Patrick Essinger took sole possession of the house in 2004.  Patrick a City of Vancouver Firefighter and his wife J. A. Essinger a Registered Nurse at Lions Gate Hospital lived in the house until 2010 with their daughter N. G. Essinger. " They will be  demolishing the existing home and building a new heritage style home.

Dempsey Road and Mill Street are in the northern part of the Lynn Valley known as Upper Lynn.  This is at the base of the North Shore Mountains where the hikers park before heading up the trails.  The house at 1640 Dempsey Road is also just up the street from Kilmer Park.


Thank you: To Patrick Essinger for his contribution to the history of the home at 1640 Dempsey Road.
Demolition: Permit applied for to the North Vancouver District in September of 2010.
Photo: Taken in September of 2010 by SW. (Actual house color is a brown tone.)