Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Presbyterians and Black Sheep

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was given a permit to be built on this site at 121 East 12th Street  in 1933.  The architect was O. Ormrod.  The cost of the building was projected to be $2,500.  The first listing of the church in the City Directory was 1934. On  October 20, 1944 John Gibson and Dorothy Bissett were married there.  In 1950 the Pastor was the Rev. H. A. Berlis.

In 1955 it became a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall and remained so  until it was run as the Black Sheep Restaurant from 1976 to 2000.  The site is now that of a twelve unit apartment complex.

West side of Black Sheep Restaurant

August 3, 1940 Gladys Christianson and William Downie Jr. (See Blog Post December 22, 2010.)  were married in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.  Their's was a wedding with a very special guest.

Around the time of the wedding William's best friend, Dave Richie, had been part of the crew on the ship Ontario Light.  The ship was in Perambucal, Brazil when he became ill.  The captain called for a doctor to come from shore, but by the time he arrived on board Dave had died from a kidney  ailment. 

The day of the wedding William did not yet know of the death of his friend.  But he did know that the last time he had seen him Dave had said, "I'll have to dance at your wedding."

Dave's mother, dad, sister Grace, and Dave's dog Punch lived at 17 or 18^th and Grand Boulevard. Punch was mostly spaniel, black with a bit of white. Before they left to go to the wedding the family put Punch in the basement. 

While Gladys and William were in front of the church at the alter they could hear a scuffling.  Then the pastor, Rev. McLean-Bell said, "What do we have here?"

Gladys and William Downie, 1940

Gladys and William looked down and there was Punch between them. 

Grace left the wedding and took the dog home, but Punch had done his best to help Dave keep his word. (From research at the North Vancouver Archives and interview with Gladys Downie for the Year 2000 Project, Your House/Our Home.)

Demolition: The building was demolished in the year 2000.
Note: An apartment building was constructed on this site.

Photo: Top photo of the Black Sheep Restaurant taken in 2000 by SW. 

               Wedding photo of Gladys and William Downie Jr.

Friday, November 26, 2010

No Demolition Necessary

Looking down from the arched Fell Avenue bridge leading to the North Vancouver Auto Mall you can see a large vacant field to the east.   This area at 788 Copping Street is bordered on the north side by the train tracks. (Note freight train in photo above.) 

If the amendment to the zoning bylaw was approved at the November 15th meeting of the City Counsel, the lot will be vacant no more.  Harbourside Landing Ltd./Bunting Coady Architects has plans for three buildings on this property.  It will be an Industrial Park with retail stores and a caretaker's suite.  The total development area of the three buildings will be 63,030 square feet.  One hundred motor vehicle surface parking stalls and 25 bicycle parking stalls are proposed. (NSNews, 10/10/10.)

Col. J. P. Fell NVMA Photo #9826, 191_

Fell Street on the western border of the 788 Copping Street lot was named for land developer and organizer of North Vancouver's  WWI Sixth Field Company of Canadian Engineers, James Pemberton Fell.  (See photo above.)  The Armoury on Mahon Avenue is also named for him. (The Ambitious City.)

The foot of Fell Street and the Fell Street Fill  runs from below the train tracks to Burrard Inlet.  In 1933 it was the site of the M B King Sawmill and the Pressure  Pipe Factory.   In the 1940's there was also a British Empire factory addition, building of Canadian Mixermobile office and storage shed, and building of the Kavanagh MP Soap Factory.  Since the year 2000 it has become the site of the North Shore Auto Mall, several office buildings, and a school.  There are still a few large vacant lots waiting for development at Fell and the waterfront.

Photo: Of 788 Copping Street taken in November 2010 by SW.

              Of James Pemberton Fell, The Ambitious City, by Warren Sommer,

              page 124.

Link: http://www.cnv.org/attach/2010%2010%2025%20item%2007%20attach%2004.pdf

Link 2: http://wiki.worldflicks.org/jp_fell_armoury_-_39_combat_engineering_regiment.html#coords=(49.322531,-123.08529)&z=19

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

1904 Gross Residence

"GROSS RESIDENCE, 83 Chesterfield Avenue, circa 1904.  This was the home of Charles Gross, a Vancouver boot and shoe dealer who operated a store on Carrall Street.  The Gross Residence, whose builder was Albert Nye, is one of the earliest surviving homes in the City of North Vancouver, and as such serves as a reminder of the original residential nature of the area.  Although it has been altered during its conversion to restaurant usage, the form of the residence remains substantially intact." (See Reference.) 

This description and the 1904 photo below, of the Gross family on the veranda, are in the City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.

NVMA Photo #2778

The City Directories indicate that in 1980 the house was owned by  the Japanese Village Restaurant (North Shore) Ltd.  And in 1991 the property was reported as "Vacant".  The photo above indicates that the restaurant was named the Ming Court at the time of its closer.  A North Shore Outlook photo caption indicated that the restaurant closed two years before September 2000, or in 1998.  It had been vacant since that time. (See photo and caption below.)



In September 2000 there was a fire at the Ming Court building at 83 Chesterfield Avenue.  The burned building was demolished in October 2000.

October 2000

Unique Properties real estate listed the property for sale in 2010.  Their description indicates it is a 9,000 square foot corner lot with approximately 23,400 square feet of buildable space.  (See Link.) It is on the south west corner of Chesterfield Avenue and West 1st Avenue with a view of Burrard Inlet.  The asking price is $2,495,000.

October 2000

Reference: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory, 1994, page 87.

Fire and Demolition: October 2000.

Photos: Taken as part of Suzanne Wilson's Year 2000 Photography Project,

                 Your House/Our Home, on file at the North Vancouver Archives.

Link:http://www.uniqueproperties.ca/system/files/46/original/BRO_CHESTERFIELD_RIGHTED_04NOV09.pdf?1259886867

Monday, November 15, 2010

Certiwood

Certiwood owned by the Canadian Plywood Association was at 735 West 15th Street.  "CertiWood™ is Canada's Most Experienced Engineered Wood Products Testing and Certification Agency." (See Link 2.) The buildings unique multiplaned roof sat in the center of the City of North Vancouver and juxtaposition to the greenery of Mosquito Creek Park across the street. 

Adjacent to the main building was also the Certiwood CanPly Plywood House, another building of unique design. (See photo below.)  The business  moved  on June 28, 2010 and an application for rezoning to allow for the building of 60 dwelling units housed in three three-storey buildings on the 1,026 acre lot was filed.

There is no listing of the 735 West 15th Street address in the Building Permit Book or the 1950 or 1960 City Directories at the North Vancouver Archives.  In 1971 the Council of the Forest Industry of B.C. (laboratory) with A. J. McGraw as manager is listed in the City Directory.  The headquarters of the Council of the Forest Industry of B.C. was at 1055 West Hastings St. in Vancouver with  the President being  G. L. Draeseke.  The 735 West 15th Street address continued to be listed under the ownership of the Council of the Forest Industry of B.C. (See Link 3.) until the present time.  In 1995/1996 it was further explained to be a "B.C. plywood tech centre".  The Council of the Forest Industry of B.C. headquarters is now at 700 West Pender Street in Vancouver.

"Landmark plywood centre has had its day/City approves 60 townhouses, by Benjamin Alldritt, North Shore News July 7, 2010. 

"The CertiWood building, at 725 West 15th St., was opened in 1962 as a dedicated testing centre for plywood, a new building material at the time. The building features a unique multi-faced roof that was intended to show off the structural uses of plywood. It was designed by architect Ron Thom, who went on to build several private homes on the North Shore as well as numerous university and college buildings in Eastern Canada. He was named to the Order of Canada in 1980.

"But the Canadian Plywood Association has long since finished their tests and wants to move their offices into a more appropriate building. The CertiWood structure is not on any of the city's heritage lists, although staff had been considering it.

"The developer, Adera Equities, has taken a few stabs at a plan for the lot. In October of 2009, they brought forward a plan for a building with a floor surface ratio of 1.4 times the lot size, considerably larger than the 1 FSR settled on for the area by the recent Marine Drive planning study.

"Adera also managed to irritate several councillors by trying to drum up neighbourhood support for the larger design after it was rejected.

"The plans that were unanimously approved at city council June 28 call for three three-storey buildings with a total FSR of 1, as required by council. The developer also got approval for another 5,586 square feet of building in return for a range of environmental features. The townhouses will be the first residential building in British Columbia to be built to a LEED platinum standard. The project will include solar water heating, waste water heat recovery, and a particularly effective heating envelope.

"Although he voted in favour of the project, Coun. Rod Clark said he was unconvinced the city was getting enough in return for the density bonus. "It seems like a lot for environmental benefits," he said. "I don't see these as city benefits so much as for their marketing brochures. If we're giving up 12.5 per cent, I want to see benefits.

"This is a good project," said Coun. Craig Keating. "It adds to the neighbourhood. It's a beautiful building."
balldritt@nsnews.com

© Copyright (c) North Shore News (See Link 4.)

Demolition: Permit applied for in October 2010.

Photos: Taken in November 2010 by SW.

Link1:http://www.certiwood.com/

Link2:http://www.nsuc.ca/new_building/nbtf_pdf_files/canply_brochure.pdf
Link3:http://www.cofi.org/
Link4:http://www.burnabynow.com/story_print.html?id=3245608&sponsor=

Saturday Travel Feature
FestHalle

Leavenworth, Washington

"Located in the beautiful Bavarian village of Leavenworth in the Eastern Cascade Foothills of Washington State, the Leavenworth Festhalle is a multiuse facility that includes a large 10,000 square foot open event hall, restrooms, lobby, and outside patio area.  Its planned usage includes festivals including Oktoberfest, Autumn Leaf festival, Accordion Festival, Leavenworth Summer Theater Productions, Sausage Fest, Wine Fest, River Fest, Upper Valley Arts Council, Chamber of Commerce functions, Cascade School District events, Weddings, etc.  The Festhalle is also available for use by large conferences, meetings, and large gatherings that may be coming to Leavenworth.  Services including facilities rental, logistics, catering, audio visual, and more may be arranged." (See Link.)

The FestHalle is the performance home of the Summer Theater group that is presenting "Amahl and the Night Visitors" this holiday season.

Photos: Taken in November 2010 by SW.

Link: http://www.leavenworthfesthalle.com/     

   For more information on Leavenworth, Washington see these Blog Posts:

        Saturday Travel Feature, "The Gazebo", November 6, 2010.      

        Sunday Church Feature, "St. Joseph's Catholic Church", November 7, 2010.

        Sunday Church Feature, "Community United Methodist Church", 11/13/10.

Sunday Church Feature
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth, Washington is a town in north central Washington State that reinvented itself as a Bavarian tourist destination when its lumber industry died.  The landscape of high mountains gave the setting and the citizens added facades and paintings to their buildings to transform the town into this Alpine delight.  Some even incorporated some of the original heritage buildings of the area.  One of those was the hotel Pension Anna.

In 1992 the owners of Pension Anna moved the abandoned St. Joseph's Catholic Church to their site one block south of the Front Street.  Here they added it to their hotel space and named it  the Old Chapel Suite.

The church building is distinctive with its Russian onion shaped steeple. A painting of St. Joseph decorates the south exterior wall of the church.  It was original built at the north east corner of Evans and Cascade Streets, an area known as Leavenworth Gardens,  in 1910.  The building was "26 by 38 with a vestibule and tower at the entrance. Sacristy, 14 X16, will be located opposite the entrance.  Cost approximately $2000. (The Sacristy is presumable the small structure attached at the rear of the building.)... church received a handsome altar from Seattle...1913 The bell arrives, largest in town, weighing nearly 1000 pounds..the church bell now (2010) resides in Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church at 145 Wheeler St., Leavenworth." (Reference.)

"Saint Joseph (Hebrew יוֹסֵף, "Yosef"; Greek: Ἰωσήφ), often clarified as Saint Joseph the carpenter, is an important figure in Christian belief, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. According to Christian tradition he was not the biological father of Jesus, but acted as his foster-father^[1] and as head of the Holy Family. According to Christian tradition, Jesus was referred to as the son of Joseph during his public life,^[2] though in Mark he is referred to as Mary's son (Mark 6:3).^[3] Joseph is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches." (See Link 1.)

Reference and Thank You: To Leo Bodvin of south of Yakima.

Photos: Taken in Leavenworth in October 2010 by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph

Link 2: http://www.pensionanna.com/rates.html

See Blog Post November 6, 2010 "Saturday Travel Feature, The Gazebo, Leavenworth, Washington" for more information on the history of Leavenworth.

BDD Coppersmith Shop #4, January 23, 2003

(East side of foot of Lonsdale Avenue)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Burrard Dry Dock #4 and #10

Burrard Dry Dock, BBD,(See Link.) extending on the shoreline of North Vancouver between St. Georges Avenue and Lonsdale Avenue dates back to 1911.  At this time the first two buildings were constructed, the Wallace Shipyard Offices  #1 and the Wallace Machine Shop #14A.  Building #4 (in photo above) was built in 1943 as the Coppersmith's Shop.  In 1991 it was used for Storage. 

Page 159

Building #10 (in two photos below) was built in 1925 with an addition in 1943.  It was built as a Machine Shop and in 1991 continued to be used as a Machine Shop.

Outlook August 9, 2001

(Rear building-BDD #10 Machine Shop)

BDD #10 Machine Shop, January 23, 2003

Burrard Dry Dock built "over 400 ships-from small tugs to naval construction and vessels for BC's fleet-were  hammered, riveted and welded by thousands of workers." (See Reference 2.)

Demolition and Construction: BDD building #10 has been demolished and BDD building #4 has been rebuilt. Staff at the adjacent Pinnacle Hotel reported that the new building will house a Pinnacle restaurant. 

Photos: Skeletons of #4 and #19 BDD buildings taken in 2003 by SW.

Photo: Outlook Newspaper, August 9, 2001.

Reference 1: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994, page159.

Reference 2: Launching History, The Saga of Burrard Dry Dock, by Francis Mansbridge, page xi.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrard_Dry_Dock

October 27, 2010
More Black and White
The Crab Shack

Appendix

City Directory Summary

1960  3689 Dollarton Highway-Martin M. Dobay Jr.
1961  2817 Dollarton Highway-North Vancouver Fish Supply
           2823 Dollarton Highway-Dobay
1962 Same as 1961
1963 2829 Dollarton Highway-Dobay
           2817 Dollarton Highway-North Vancouver Fish Supply
1964 2817 Dollarton Highway-Same as 1961
1965 2817 Dollarton Highway-Same as 1961
1968 Same as 1965
1971  Same as 1963
1972 2817 Dollarton Highway-North Vancouver Fish Supply
           2823 Dollarton Highway-Martin Dobay Jr.
1981 2817 Dollarton Highway-North Vancouver Fish Supply
1982 2817 Dollarton Highway-The Crab Shop (Note name.)
1991 2817 Dollarton Highway-Vacant
           2820 Dollarton Highway-Martin and Shirley Dobay/The Crab Shop Ltd.
1995/1996 Same as 1991 with a note that Martin and Shirley Dobay had been
           the owners at that location for 6 years.

1999/2000 2464 Dollarton Highway-The Crab Shop (Phone Directory)
2006/2007 2464 Dollarton Highway-The Crab Shop (Phone Directory)
Until 2011 #121 2455 Dollarton Highway-The Crab Shop (Phone Directory)

Researched by Suzanne Wilson at the North Vancouver Archives.

The Crab Shack, 2817 Dollarton Highway, 2002

Wednesday, October 27, 2010
More Black and White
The Crab Shack

The Crab Shack (Note the name on the sign on west side of roof above front door.) has been a land mark of North Vancouver since the 1950's. It is "The Place" and "The Only Place" locals buy live crab in North Vancouver.  The Crab Shop was first on the mud flats south of  Dollarton highway, then north of the highway  at 2817 Dollarton Highway across from  the bird sanctuary, and presently again south of the highway further west at #121 2455 Dollarton Highway in the Dollarton  Shopping Center (The name now listed in the phone book is The Crab Shop.)

Although there is no listing of The Crab Shack in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives and ambiguous listings in the City Directories, two local residents gave more information.  One is Ron Westmoreland who worked for Lyttle Brothers, a branch of  L and K Lumber, when the original Crab Shack was on land leased from them and used for log storage.  Ron Westmoreland's job was to pick up the  monthly rent for The Crab Shack from the owner at that time, Mr. Dobay.  Ron thought that The Crab Shack  may have been there from the 1950's. 

Salesperson Jen White and  Owner Marcel Gregori
2817 Dollarton Highway, 2002

The other person with information on The Crab Shack was the owner since 1993, Marcel Gregori.  Marcel Gregori told this story when interviewed by Suzanne Wilson in 2002.  "Until 20 years ago The Crab Shack was down the road at the mud flats.  When the hippie's were kicked off the mud flats and the land was developed into about 20 lots with houses The Crab Shack was moved to its present location.  Marcel bought it from an old man in 1993.  The next year the old man died.  Before leasing The Crab Shack Marcel managed a fish plant.

"The land The Crab Shack is on and the treed land behind it was owned  by the Port Authority.  Marcel leased it on a 30 day lease.  For this reason improvements were kept to a minimum.  There was some talk of the Port Authority selling the land behind The Crab Shack for development.  However there was the issue of water shed to the bird sanctuary across the road."

Boat Marcel Gregori used for crab fishing, 2002
(Stored next to the shop at 2817 Dollarton Highway)

Putting the two stories together plus the information from the City Directories seems to indicate this history. That The Crab Shack started as North Vancouver Fish Supply at 2817 Dollarton Highway possibly under the proprietor ship of Martin Dobay (in some City Directories spelled Dobey) in 1961.  It continued under the name North Vancouver Fish Supply until 1982 when it became The Crab Shack  and with the proprietor being Martin Dobay.  This was when it was on the mud flats.  In 1988 when the area was developed The Crab Shack moved to 2464 on the north side of Dollarton Highway.    In 1993 Marcel Gregori bought the business from Martin Dobay. The next year Martin Dobay died.

One more move was in for The Crab Shack.  That was in 2007 when it moved into a new store and again to the south side of Dollarton Highway.  Its sign now reads the Crab Shop and it is located at #121 2455 Dollarton Highway in the Dollarton Business Park and east of Forester Street.

Crab traps behind boat next to the shop at 2817 Dollarton Highway, 2002

Appendix: List of City Directory entries on request by e mail.
Demolition: Of original Crab Shack on mud flats probably in 1988.        
Thank you: To Ron Westmoreland and Marcel Gregori for the interviews and
                        information.
Photos: Taken of Crab Shack on Dollarton Highway in 2002 by SW.  (See Demolition and Construction Project Roll # 10 at the North Vancouver
                       Archives.)



          

Saturday Travel Feature\
Best Friends Antiques
Port Gamble, Washington

"The Kitsap Peninsula village of Port Gamble, located on a bay of the same name on Hood Canal, is one of the only surviving examples of a nineteenth century company town. It traces its roots back to the arrival of San Francisco timber entrepreneurs Josiah Keller, William Talbot, Andrew Pope, and Charles Foster in 1853, just months after Washington gained territorial status. Their succession of mills remained in operation until 1995, and many of the New England-style homes and stores that once served Port Gamble workers are now being restored by Olympic Property Group for residential and commercial uses bridging the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries.

"The owners of the Puget Mill Co. believed that if they provided good homes and a stable community for their workers, they would profit from higher productivity. The owners of Puget Mill Co. hailed from East Machias, Maine, and they recruited many of their earliest skilled workers from there. Port Gamble grew to resemble a New England town of the era with gabled homes, a steepled church, and elm trees...

"By the 1870s the community could boast athletic teams, a library and reading room, a dramatic club, and a school. Managers and skilled workers got the best homes and some employees built their own houses. Company houses had indoor plumbing and electricity almost as soon as those conveniences became available. Residents enjoyed the services of a medical clinic, a store, a school, a community hall, annual celebrations, even a mortuary and a cemetery.
In the 1930s, many of the smaller houses were sold and moved. Older buildings such as the schoolhouse and the Puget Hotel were demolished in subsequent decades when they could no longer be used. Through the end of the twentieth century, Port Gamble continued to function as a company town, providing homes to sawmill workers, a store, and other community services.
In 1995, the sawmill closed, but Port Gamble did not. Pope Resources still owns the town and property and Olympic Property Group rents the commercial buildings and residences. Port Gamble has become a tourist attraction and a destination for special events and ceremonies." (See Link 1, be sure to take the virtual tours of Port Gamble.)

A-Port Gamble, Washington (Mapquest)

The white house with the picket fence in the photo above is Best Friends Antiques at 32239 Ranier Avenue NE. (See Link 2.)  It was built in "1900-1901" in Port Ludlow. It was "barged over from Port Ludlow sometime after 1921 as employment at Port Ludlow dropped after the mill closed in 1935.  The house is named the Morrill Pope House, as Morrill Pope was the mill superintendent at Port Ludlow.  He was also a distant relative of Andrew Pope." (Shana Smith, town manager.) (See Link 1.)

SW 1940 lead figure Christmas display

Note: As a child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin part of the family Christmas display was a scene of lead skaters.  They were purchased by my mother in the 1940's.  After my parents died, in 1966 and 1967 they became part of my annual Christmas display.  In 2005 when I visited the Best Friends Antique Shop in Port Gamble I found 6 additions to my display: two male skater(in orange and green), a figure skater, Santa, a sleigh, and a reindeer.  All the pieces are lead and made in the 1940's.  The display is pictured in the photo above.

Thank you: To Shana Smith for her e mail detailing the history of Best Friends Antiques.

Photo: Top photo taken in Port Gamble in  2005 by SW.   Bottom photo taken in 2010 in my living room, SW.

Link1: http://www.portgamble.com/externalsite.asp?URL=http%3A//www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm%3Ffile_id%3D7025
Link 2: http://www.portgamble.com/default.asp?ID=99

Saturday Travel Feature

FBI
Fanny Bay, B.C.

 "Fanny Bay is a small hamlet in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Baynes Sound on the east coast of Vancouver Island. In 2001, its population was listed as 744.^[1] It is best-known for its fine oysters." Wikipedia (See Link 1.)  Fanny Bay  is situated on the old Island Highway running mainly along the waterfront on the east side of Vancouver Island. Fanny Bay Inn sits right on that Highway.  In fact its address is 7480 Island Highway.  It is about 3/4 of the way between Nanaimo-the mid Island ferry crossing from mainland, and Courtenay-the northern ferry crossing from the mainland. "15 minutes south of Courtenay." (Link 4.)   And it is three miles south of the ferry crossing to Denman Island.

Fanny Bay, B.C. on Vancouver Island (Mapquest)

The Fanny Bay Inn is affectionately known by the locals as the FBI. The Inn has even sold T shirts and hats with its FBI insignia. "Drop in at the landmark Fanny Bay Inn, known on the island as the FBI. This is a real roadhouse, with local clientele, a fine fireplace, the obligatory collection of tankards, a dart board, and hearty pub fare. A low-key, convenient stop on the trek north from " (Link 2.) It  "was voted the most authentic British Pub in British Columbia." (Link 3.)

Fanny Bay Inn was built in 1938 and originally  was used as an inn with 6 rooms to let.  When you enter the pub doors under the overhang on the right side of the front of the building you will see: a fire in the fireplace to the right, round dark wood pub tables surrounded by captain's chairs, a bar running across the back of the room, and the walls covered with local photos.  An alcove on the far side in the back looks out onto the backyard where there are picnic tables in the summer. 
\
Thank you: To Mapquest. To Rick Grant at the FBI for additional information.
Photo: Taken in Fanny Bay, B.C. in December 2006 by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Bay,_British_Columbia

Link 2: http://www.vancouverisland.com/regions/towns/?townID=54

Link 3:http://www.bctravel.com/fannybay/

Link 4: http://fannybayinn.com/

Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday Special Feature
The End of the Line
North Vancouver, B.C.

"For almost 100 years there has been a store in Upper Lynn Valley.  It was there in 1910 when the Lynn Valley Street Car line was extended up the hill to the final terminus at the top of Lynn Valley Road, at Dempsey Road.  A small shack welcomed the passengers who travelled on the first streetcar that rattled its way through the snags of the denuded forest.

First "End of the Line" Store, shack at right

"The small shack probably only had a few items for sale, perhaps just local vegetables and flowers. It was soon replaced by a larger building.  In 1912 a sign painted on the wall proclaimed "Groceries and refreshments." Just the place, after taking a sightseeing trip on the streetcar from Lonsdale, or from Vancouver via the ferry, to sit and enjoy some refreshments before the return trip home.  Just the place for hikers to fill their packs with supplies before heading off across Lynn Creek to their cabins on the Mount Seymour range for the weekend.  Just the place for a tired worker heading home from the Shake Mill to call in for fresh milk or a loaf of bread... the streetcar stopped right the door of the store. It soon became known as "The store at the end of the car line."

1916 Hendricksen Store

"Frederick and Ellen Hendrichsen (sometimes spelt Hendricksen)were the first owners of this store.  Living quarters were at the back, and it must have been a tight squeeze, as they had three young children.  The "Great War" 1914-1918 began, and in 1916 Frederick, being German in birth was taken away to an internment camp as an "enemy alien."  Ellen struggled on with the operation of the store, and the raising of the children.  She must have been a very capable and determined woman.  Frederick was released from the camp in Vernon in 1919, but  it was Ellen who continued to operate the store.  Time passed and in 1926 a license to operate a Post Office was granted to Mrs. Ellen Walker Hendrichsen, with Mrs. Hossack as her assistant.  Alterations had to be made to incorporate the Post Office into the store.  It was named "Upper Lynn Sub-Post, Office." Local residents would call in daily for their mail and newspapers.  At Christmas time the Post Office corner overflowed with parcels, both incoming and outgoing.  What a place to gather for a bit of local gossip!

1920 Hendricksen's Confectionery and Tea Room

"By this time,  house had been built next door, with Mrs. Hendrichsen listed as owner, so perhaps the family had more roomy living quarters.  Frederick seems to have disappeared from the scene.  The children all went to school in Lynn Valley, and several of our pioneer residents knew them and played with them.  The store continued to thrive, and to serve the local public.  In 1941 a building permit was taken out for alterations to be done at the cost of $300.00.  There have always been living quarters at the back and now upstairs, throughout the years.

"Perhaps Ellen was sprucing up the store ready for sale.  She remained the owner and operator until the mid 1940's, when she left the area.  She died in 1960 at the age of 74.  I wonder if she ever took a ride on the streetcar to visit her old home?

"New owners came and went.  The appearance of the store, both inside and out, changed many times over the years, but it was always open until late, supplying customers with many items besides groceries, a real convenience store.  It was officially "Upper Lynn Grocery," and also "Upper Lynn Market."  Some names of owners that might be recognized-Dyson, Willets, Battrum, Ryttersgard, Howarth, and Mrs. Gwen martin.  The longest stay was of 24 years, when Bill and Fun Chow ran the store.  They raised their five daughters there.  As each girl grew old enough, she learned to serve in the store.  The chow family were missed when they left.  The store never seemed the same to local residents, although it still supplied a good selection of groceries, and, of course, candies.

"The streetcar had clattered its way up the hill for the last time in 1947, and the buses took over.  The Post Office closed down soon after house-to-house mail delivery began, and was sorely missed.  The wire-backed ice cream parlour style chairs had long gone.  So many changes, and now in the summer of 2006, the biggest one of all!

"New owner, Connie Fay, a resident of Lynn Valley in her childhood, has taken over, and has given the store a complete make-over, inside and out, and has brought the neighbourhood into the modern age!  But the origins of the store have not been forgotten.  The windows reflect the history of this spot, and the forest, that is still so close.  Just across the street is the entrance road into Lynn Headwaters Park, and the Lynn Canyon trails.  Inside the store there is a wonderful array of gift items, local art work, specialty food, tee-shirts that say you have been to the end of the line, and also, as always the basic grocery items and candy bars that still make this a convenience store. 

"So, take a trip from Lonsdale Quay on the 228 Lynn Valley bus, and stay aboard until you reach the end of the line. (4193 Lynn Valley Road) You will know it by the lovely sign that hangs above the store across the street from the bus stop.  The store that has been there, in one form or another, for almost the past 100 years.  Go inside and browse around, have an ice cream cone or a cup of coffee, and think back over the years of local history connected to this spot.

"All good wishes to Connie Fay, her family and her friends and neighbours.  We will look forward to the year 2010 when 'the store at the end of the line' celebrates its Centennial." (See Reference and Thank You to author Muriel Van Laar.)

Reference and Thank You: To author Muriel Van Laar's for her article The Store At The End of The Line, North Shore Historical Newsletter Vol. 27, No. .09, 2006, available at the North Vancouver Archives.

Photos: 1. Top photo taken in September 2010 by SW.
                 2. First "End of the Line" shack, North Vancouver Archives #2949.
                 3. 1916 Hendricksen's Store, North Vancouver Archives #8634.

                 4. 1920 Hendricksen's Confectionery and Tea Room, North Vancouver

                      Archives #6566.