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.

Thursday, May 13, 2010
Two for One

The 300 and 400 blocks of East 14th Street in the City of North Vancouver are sandwiched between St. Andrew's Avenue and Lion's Gate Hospital on the west and Moody Avenue and Grand Boulevard Park on the east. The three storey house at 325 East 14th Street was an oldie. It was built in 1911 by owner C. Duplissie for $300. The house on 14th Street had three storeys: main floor, upstairs, and basement. In 1912 Chase Duplissie was reported as being a carpenter and living on the ss of East 14th Street near St. Andrew's Avenue. Duplissie continued to be listed in the City Directories as living at 325 in the years 1913, 1914, and 1915. He is not listed in 1916. But in 1921 C. Duplissie did build a house at 323 East 13th Street for $2000.

By 1925 the house on 14th was owned by J. Millar, but now a (rear) address was also reported. Living in this (rear) residence was Fred C. Paint. Fred was employed as an iron worker. The Millar family continued to own the house at least until 1950. In 1931 John worked as a blacksmith. In 1940 Catherine J. is also listed as living in the house. John Jr. is listed as being a florist for Livingstone Floral. In 1950 an "a" address is also listed with the resident being Mrs. M. Perry, a widow.

The 325 (rear) East 14th Street address that was listed in 1925 and then again as 325 "a" East 14th Street refers to an addition on the west side of the house.( See photo below.) It had its own front door, front porch, and front steps.

In 1960 the owners of 325 East 14th Street was listed in the City Directory as being Don W. and Margaret Smith. Don was employed as a mill worker at Kill Lumber. The other residents listed at that address were Earl M. and Jewel C. Commodore. Earl was working as a longshoreman. In 1971 the 325 owner continued to be Don Smith. The 325a resident was Mrs. D. Spurrel. In 1980 the 325 owner was Denise Flemming and the 325a resident was Terry Pollock who was employed at Canada Safeway. In 1991 Norm Milsted, a retired gentleman, was living at 325. Brad Cochlin, a clerk at Canada Safeway, was living at 325a. In 1996 Norm and Liz Milstead reported they had lived at 325 for 9 years.  Brad Cochlin who was still working as a clerk at Canada Safeway also reported that he had lived at 325a for 9 years.

A Demolition Permit was applied for in 2008. Much of the 300 block of East 14th Street near the corner with St. Andrew's Avenue was now owned by Lion's Gate Hospital. The public information sign indicated that the land of several lots in that area was going to be used for the building of a 15 bed Hospice.

Demolition: Permit applied for January 2008.
Photos: Taken as part of the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home by SW. (See Blog Post February 26, 2010.)