Friday, September 17, 2010
North Shore Hospice

Several houses in the 300 block of East 13th Street and 14th Street have been demolished to make way for the North Shore Hospice. "The 1,400 square metre (15,000 square foot) hospice is being built on Lions Gate Hospital land located one block east of the hospital on East 14th Street in the City of North Vancouver.

"It will contain 15 spacious and comfortable private rooms and shared gathering areas including a living room, kitchen, a healing garden and a sacred space. The hospice features leading-edge design by award-winning architects, engineers and consultants and will be consistent with standards set by Community Care Facilities Licensing. " (See Link.) As of September 2010 the Hospice was still under construction.


One of the houses demolished for the Hospice was at 332 East 13th Street. There is no record in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives as to when it was built. There is also no listing in the 1940 or 1945 City Directories of that address. But by 1950 the owners of 332 East 13th Street are listed as Thomas A. and Dorothea A. Cummings. Thomas Cummings was employed by Wrigley Printing.


In 1960 the owners were Nels and Ethel Oie. Nels worked as a carpenter. In 1971 the owner was Gemma V. Phillips. Gemma Phillips was a secretary for Freeman Freeman Silvers and Koffman. The resident in 1980 was Thomas Gillis, a laborer for Pacific Elevators. In 1991 the City Directory reported that the house was "Vacant". Richard A. Campbell must have moved in the next year. For in the 1995/1996 City Directory he reported living there for 4 years. In 1995/1996 Alysa Golden also lived at the 332 East 13th Street address.

In the photo above is a streetscape of the 300 block of East 13th Street. It was a series of typical 1950's stucco homes.

Demolition Permit: Applied for from the City of North Vancouver in 2007.
Photos: Black and White taken by SW in 2007 as part of the Demolition and Construction Project for the North

Vancouver Archives, Roll #85 negative 24 and 28. Colored digital photo taken in August 2010 by SW.

Link:http://www.vch.ca/about_us/news/media_contacts/news_releases/construction_begins_on_north_shore_hospice

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

They Liked to Celebrate Halloween

The house at 529 East 13th Street is in the block facing the tennis courts on Grand Boulevard in the City of North Vancouver. This home with its scalloped gable was built in 1941 by Paul Horthey Homes for owner J. Stewart. The construction price was $3,300. John and Rose Stewart were also living in the house in 1945 when John was a foreman at Burrard Dry Dock.  Another home in the area, at 535 East 12th Street (See Blog Post May 11, 2010.) has similar features to this one: the scalloped gable and the unique six sided window next to the front door.

Thomas and Thirza Ollis owned the house from approximately 1950 to sometime after 1971.  During this time Thomas was an accountant for the North Shore Medical Dental Corp. until his retirement that was reported in the City Directory in 1971. The house was reported as vacant in 1980.

In 1991 two resident families were reported in the City Directory. James and Teresa Taylor and the owner D. Port.  James Taylor worked as a piano technician. Evidently the Taylors didn't live there very long after that for in the 1995/96 City Directory David W. and Anita Powell reported that they were the owners and had lived there for four years. David Powell was employed as a computer programmer for Graphic Response Systems Inc. Anita S. Powell worked as a legal secretary at Douglas, Symes, and Brissenden.  D. Port continued to live in the house and reported in 1995 that he had lived there for 5 years. David Port's employment was as a service representative for Honda.

None of these families is listed in the year 2000 phone book. However, we do know by the decorations in the front window that who ever was living in the house at this time "liked to celebrate Halloween". (See Year 2000 photo below.)

The photo of 529 East 13th 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. This was true in the case of 529 East 13th Street.


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 529 East 13th 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.

Monday, February 8, 2010
On the Way to School

The house at 866 East 13th Street is indeed on the way to school.  It is on the block leading to Brooksbank Elementary School in North Vancouver District east of Grand Boulevard. It is also a very active street construction wise.  A second  house on the street has been demolished and a new one is under construction. Another is being extensively renovated by the North Vancouver construction company A Carpenter and a Gentleman. Two more houses  in the 900 block of East 13th Street, the block the school is actually on, are also under construction.


866 East 13th Street was built in 1952 for $6000 by J. A. Armstrong. In 1960 Lillian and Alfred A. Lewis a tin smith for T and G Roofing lived in the house. By 1971 Elizabeth and L. M. Shuttleworth had moved in. L. M. was a clerk at B.F. Goodrich. The 1980 and 1990 City Directories report that Elizabeth was living in the house and retired in those years.

It is interesting that the 700, 800, and 900 blocks of East 13th Street are in North Vancouver District where as the 600 block is in the City of North Vancouver. The 700, 800, and 900 blocks of East 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Streets are in the City of North Vancouver as are all those at East 14th Street and above. But the City takes a jog at the 700 block of East Keith and the 8th,  9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Streets suddenly become part of North Vancouver District. This area of streets form a North Vancouver District rectangle at the eastern edge of the City. It is in this rectangle with the City to the North and the South that 866 East 13th Street and Brooksbank Elementary School are situated.  If this all sounds confusing think of the City as a  patch work quilt with a square patch of District inserted about 1/3rd of the way up on the right hand side.


Permit for Demolition: Applied for November 2009.
Photo: Taken November 2009 by SW.
Link: http://www.carpentergentleman.com/tour1/hb5.html

Monday, February 1, 2010

Cotoneaster Gussy-ups Grey Stucco

Greeting visitors to the simple boxy grey stucco house at 359 East 13th Street is the ornamentally trimmed cotoneaster shrub.  The cotoneaster thrives in the rainy North Vancouver City weather.  From the looks of the shrub it could have been planted at the same time as the house was built.  This was probably in the 1950's although there is no listing as to the exact date in the Building  Permit book at the North Vancouver Archives. The cotoneaster is covered in bright red berries during the  grey winter months and small pink flowers in the spring.

The house on East 13th Street was definitely built before 1960 because by that time  Margaret and James W. Marshall had moved into it.  James was an auditor for the Workman's Compensation Board. They lived there in 1971 when James worked in the assessment office at the WCB.  In fact James lived in the house even after he retired and until 1991.  That means the Marshall family lived in the house probably over 30 years.  The front walk cotoneaster must have become an old friend by then.

The housing to be built at 359 East 13th Street is a  side-by-side two storey duplex with a cellar. The two units with cellars will be approximately 1,783 sq ft each with exterior access.  Two parking spaced in an enclosed garage with vehicle access from a newly opened rear lane will be provided (North Shore News Nov 11, 2009).  The question is, "Will the cotoneaster still be there?"

Photo: Taken in 2010 by SW.