245 East 3rd Street-West end of building

Friday, December 3, 2010

ANAVETS On East Third

This ANAVET sponsored building is one of three identical buildings for veterans, their spouses and seniors, just two blocks from Lonsdale Avenue in the Lower Lonsdale shopping area of North Vancouver.  It proudly displays the ANAVET logo at the west entrance on the front of the building.  There are 29 apartments in the 245 East 3rd Street building.  It is the building farthest to the east and the only one of the three buildings presently slated for demolition.  The other two buildings are 235 East 3rd Street and 225 East 3rd Street located on the corner of East 3rd and St. Georges Avenue.

"New ANAVETS Seniors’ Housing (is) proposed. Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans formed the Senior Citizens’ Housing Society in 1967 with a mandate to provide safe, clean, and affordable housing to army veterans, their spouses, and seniors on a fixed income. That same year ANAVETS opened its first project at 225 East 3rd in North Van, adding two adjacent low-rise buildings at 235 and 245, in 1968...

245 East 3rd Street-East end of building

"The aging, wood frame structures are also not up to fire code regulations... Over the past decade ANAVETS has been working with the City of North Vancouver to come up with a plan for the site. They have since partnered with local developer Intracorp and now have a formal proposal that will be presented to council next week.

"The plans call for the construction of an $11-million, 76-unit seniors’ rental building to replace the three existing buildings. ANAVETS will retain ownership of the land on which the seniors’ housing will be built, and then sell the rest of the site to Intracorp, thereby funding approximately 75 per cent of the project...

"The rents are not subsidized at the North Van ANAVETS buildings, with residents paying $412 a month for a 325- square-foot bachelor suite. A new building, however, would allow residents to qualify for the provincial government’s Shelter Aid For Elderly Residents program.

"Intracorp is also proposing to build a 104-unit, market-value condominium project on the western portion of the site. An amendment to the city’s Official Community Plan would need to be made before the five-storey building can be approved.

"The entire project would be implemented in two stages, starting with the residents of 245 East 3rd St. being moved into vacant suites in the other two buildings. The 245 building would then be demolished and construction would start on the seniors’ housing.

"Once that project is completed and the seniors have moved in, the two remaining buildings will be demolished and replaced with the new market-value building." (See Link.)

Demolition: Permit for demolition of only 245 East 3rd Street applied for in
                 November 2010.
Photos: Taken in November 2010 by SW.
Link:http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/northshoreoutlook/news/103542354.html

Happy U. S. Thanksgiving
Celebrating With Jefferson

The Jefferson Apartment building at 614 Jefferson Street sits on the bluff above the heart of downtown Spokane.  The apartment building was constructed circa 1910 in this area known as the lower South Hill.  The homes and apartment buildings of this area remain dusty jewels of  "Spokane's Age of Elegance" 1890-1910.  No matter the size of these homes they are iced with cornices, moldings, arches, lintels, bay windows, pediments, pilasters, verandas, scrolled brackets, finials, and columns.  Many of the original details can still be seen; this is the case with the three storey Jefferson.

Note the original diamond outlined leaded glass front door and side panels.  The brass kick plate runs up both sides of the door and ends in a decorative cut out. (See photo below.)

Front entrance and doorway.

The front interior staircase also dates back to 1910.  The carved spindles, rosettes, and square topped knoll posts shine in the dark wood. (See photo below.)

Front interior steps leading to third floor

The  original features in each apartment have been maintained.  Apartment #4 has a hallway leading to one bedroom, a bathroom,  a living room/dining room, and a hall pantry leading to the kitchen, and another small bedroom/office.  In the living room of apartment #4  are the 1910 built in buffet  and windows looking out to the side yard and .  Similar to the front door, the buffet again has the  diamond shapes in the leaded glass windows of the doors of the upper shelves. The handles on the lower drawers are in the original style.  The dark wood is not only on the buffet, but on all the doors and moldings. (See photo below.

Apartment #4 built in buffet

Between  the living room/dining room and the kitchen is a hallway pantry with a built in buffet covering two of the walls.  The  upper shelves can be seen through the glass in the doors.  A wide counter separates the shelf area from the lower drawers and cupboards with their original pulls.  And yes, this lower area includes a pull out flour bin. (See photo below.)

Apartment #4 built in buffet in hallway pantry

From the hallway pantry with its built in buffet is the entrance to the kitchen with windows looking out the back of the building.  Off one side of the kitchen is the hallway to the back entrance and stairs to the street.  Off the other side of the kitchen is a small bedroom/den/office, again with windows to the side yard.

The bathroom to the right of the front hall boasts the original bathtub with its claw feet. (See photo below.) The floors throughout the apartment are the original wood.  And in the basement the foundation walls are built of  large rough stone.

Apartment #4  Original claw foot leg on the bathtub

Note: Laura Wilson, daughter of Suzanne Wilson lived in apartment #4 at the 614 Jefferson in 2002 and 2003 while attending Gonzaga University where she received a Masters Degree in Education.

Photos: Exterior taken in 2010 by SW.  Interior taken in 2002 by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Developing Environments, SF

Link 1  tells the story of the building at 540 Alabama Street "In the early seventies, a small group of artists and urban dreamers converged on a vacant three story wearehouse with the objective of transforming it into a community in which they could both live and work. After twenty-five years and all the major building improvements long completed, the artists today concentrate on their individual creative pursuits. The Developing Environments community encompasses a broad range of backgrounds and creative endeavors.  Painters, musicians, sculptors, print makers, graphic designers, computer artists, dancers, photographers, circus and theater performers occupy its thirty-six studios." 

The story lore passed down by the  residents is somewhat different.   When San Francisco was filled with hippies and flower children some of them found their way to the Mission warehouse area to find housing. One of the warehouses they found was at 540 Alabama Street. The upper two floors of the three storey building with large windows filled with makeshift tents.  Slowly temporary walls replaced fabric tent walls.  The walls were at odd angles, making odd shaped rooms as they were needed.  The center of each warehouse floor was left open for a communal space.  Here in 1972 the Royce Family established the artist coop Development Environments.  The haphazard living spaces were made into live/work units for artists.  Some of the apartments had water, some had kitchens.  The 20 foot ceilings allowed for lofts for sleeping areas to be built.  Bathrooms were communal and down the hall. The floors were the original cement of the warehouse.  A large freight elevator was available for the artists to move their heavy sculptures and large pieces of art work. (See photo below.) There are many stories which are said to take place in Developing Environments: a hanging on the top floor, the Treee Frog kidnappings, Project 2, and Dirty Pierre's Party Palace.

Today only artists can apply to live in the building. The artist is interviewed and submits a portfolio.  Monthly rents continue to be way below San Francisco housing prices, but residents are responsible for the upkeep of the building so must  volunteer for cleaning, painting, and maintenance workbees.   The Royce Family still owns the building under the name of Mariposa Trust and in 2010 Developing Environments will celebrate its 40 anniversary.

There are 36 live/work units in the building. Some of the artists who live there are: Amy Faville Wilson, a painter with work in the permanent collection at The Legion of Honor (See Link 2 and postcard photographed below.) and her husband Jody Hart, a writer; Brett Reichman, a painter with work in the collection at MOMA (See Link 3.); Karen Quest, a cowgirl performer (See Link 4); Shawn Harris, a photographer (See Link 5.); Moshe Cohen a clown with Clowns Without Borders (See Link 6.); and Bess Bair, who tap danced across the Golden Gate Bridge in 1976.

Link 1: http://www.lightdark.com/deweb/index.html
Link 2:http://artistregistry.artadia.org/registry/view_artist.php?aid=175
Link 3:http://www.artnet.com/artist/14086/brett-reichman.html
Link 4: http://www.kellypro.com/ImaginativeActs/KarenQuestCowgirlTricks.htm
Link 5:http://www.shawnrayharris.com/
Link 6:http://www.yoowho.org/
Photos: Taken in 2009 in SF at Developing Environments at 540 Alabama St. by SW. (Copy of advertising post card for Open Studios.)
Note: Artist Amy Wilson Faville is the daughter of Suzanne Wilson.

 

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Chesterton

The apartment building at 210 West 13th Street started life about 50 years ago as The Chesterfield Apartments. The age of the apartment was defined by the North Shore News article dated October 24, 2008 regarding plans for its demolition. There is no information in the Building Permit book to confirm this, but the 1960 City Directory seems to have the first  listing for The Chesterfield Apartments. There are 21 apartments in two three story walk up wings of this apartment building. Some balconies are on the apartments on the east side of the building and their appears to be a roof top garden area off the apartment on the west side of the top floor. The building sits on the north west corner of West 13th Street and Chesterfield Avenue, hence its name The Chesterfield Apartments.

Although the apartment building listing isn't in the City Directory until 1960 there are listings starting by 1925 for a house at 210 West 13th Street. At this time W. C. Duncan, a clerk at Civil Defense of Canada, was the owner. In 1931 the house is reported as vacant. In 1940 John B. and Amelia Jolem were the residents. In 1950 C. E. and Alice M. Weatherhill were living there. Alice worked as a clerk at McLennan, McFeely and Prior Ltd., selling hardware at 122 Cordova Street, Vancouver. The Weatherhill's still lived at The Chesterfield Apartments in 1955. However, starting in 1958 there is no longer any listing for a house at 210 West 13th Street in the City Directories. Then in 1960 when The Chesterfield Apartment building with units 1-3, 101-108, 202-207, 302-305 and their residents appear.

In the 1995/96 City Directory the name of the building is no longer The Chesterfield Apartments. By this time it had been changed to simply The Chesterton. The October 24, 2008 North Shore News article (See Link.) states that The Chesterton was sold in June of that year for $4.25 million to the developer, The Hulbert Group. An ultramodern, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, mixed market and non-market housing complex will be built with many former residents getting first dibs on the five-to-eight affordable housing suites to be located on the basement level of the development. The demolition permit was not applied for until March 2010.

The corner of West 13th Street and Chesterfield Avenue has recently undergone dramatic changes. The houses and small apartment building on the north east side of the street have been demolished and replaced by an ultramodern apartment tower. The older three storey apartment building on the south east corner has been demolished and replace by a modern apartment building as well. After The Chesterton Apartment building is demolished and replace by the planned ultramodern design only the south west corner will pin the street to its older roots. However, even St. John's Anglican Church that occupies that block had to be rebuilt when the 1908 church was destroyed by fire in 1985 and a new church was completed in 1987.

Demolition: Permit applied for March 2010.

Photo: Taken in March 2010 by SW.

Link: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b6f1baef-123e-4d9d-a8ee-9c038a1b871f

Thursday, January 7, 2010
104 Fires in the City

The Villa St. Georges Apartment Building at 1033 St. Georges Avenue was built of red brick and white stucco and stands on the south west corner of St. Georges and East 11th Street. It is across the street from St. Andrew's United Church. Other apartment buildings in the area have equally romantic names. On St. Georges Avenue are The Royal St. George and St. Georges Place. On the adjacent 11th Street are The Spanish Villa and the Royal Villa.

The Villa St. George was severely damaged by fire January 2009. 35 people lived in the self owned apartments of this wood framed building. The fire gutted the top floor of the three storeys. One tenant was killed, "two firefighters injured and at least five residents as well as three police officers were treated for smoke inhalation." CBC website. Sandy Miller, the Assistant Chief-Prevention, North Vancouver City Fire Department reports that this same year 104 fires in the City of North Vancouver were reported to the Office of the Fire Commissioner in Victoria.

Fires have destroyed other prominent buildings in the City of North Vancouver. Paine's Hardware, in the Aberdeen Block at 78-90 Lonsdale Avenue was built in 1910-1911. Until the fire on New Year's Eve 1997 it maintained its old fashion charm and stock. It has been rebuilt as an apartment building with stores on the street floor. The Barraclough Block at 201-203 Lonsdale Avenue was built in 1929 with a second floor being added in 1940. When it burned, also in 1997, it was housing the popular Great Outdoor Equipment Ltd. It has been rebuilt in the same style with a modern two storey apartment building on top. The street floor store is now RDS Skate and Snow Supply with a floor of apartments above.

A Permit for Demolition of 1033 St. Georges Ave. was applied for in November 2, 2009.  It was demolished by December 2, 2009.  A new 54 unit apartment building built on the original foundation is proposed.

Photo: Taken September 12, 2009 by SW.
Books: The Ambitious City, A History of the City of North Vancouver
             by Warren Sommer.

            Heritage Inventory, City of North Vancouver, 1994.
Web site:The History of Metropolitan Vancouver/Chronology/1941.