Wednesday, October 6, 2010
 On the Move

The house at 698 Mountain Highway is the mirror image of the house to the east at 690 Mountain Highway.  Only these two homes sit on the short street that is off Mountain Highway but retains its name.  It is one of the streets that is part of the planned Seylynn Village. (See Link.)  The other homes that will be demolished for project are on Bruce Street and the north side of Fern Street. Curiously there is no listing of the 698 Mountain Highway address in the Building Book at the North Vancouver Archives or the 1950, 1955, 1960, 1971, 1980, 1991, or 1995/1996 City Directories. 

However, Elaine Oakes, Records Management Clerk at the District of North Vancouver Hall gives this report.  "1631 East Keith Rd., the original house built in 1942 at this address was demolished 1986.  The lot was subdivided and 2 new houses built...  R and M Industrial Engineering Company Ltd. built both 2 storey, 5 bedroom houses with carports, now 690 and 698 Mountain Hwy.  Building Permit numbers 40026 and 40027 were issued March 17, 1986 for 698 and 690 Mountain Hwy.  and the occupancy permits were issued Sept. 25th and 24th 1986, respectively."

This is not the first time this area, previously known as Lynnmour, has undergone traumatic change.  In the 1960's  the Trans Canada Highway (also known as the Upper Levels Highway) cut a swath through Lynnmour and many homes were demolished.  There are remnants of the time before the Trans Canada Highway.  On the east side of the Trans Canada can be found a strip of: Keith Road and St. Denis Avenue (which was the original name for much of Mountain Highway). On June 6, 1996, the Keith Road on ramp to the Trans Canada Highway was closed and moved to the east end of Fern Street. (See Blog Post for October 6, 2010, Mirror Image.)



Planned Seylynn Village
          (See Link 1.)

698 Mountain Highway was in the upper left corner of the planned complex.



"The Seylynn Village North Vancouver property development calls for the construction of eight residential buildings that range from low rise buildings of four storeys to high-rise residences of 25 levels...With housing for singles to couples and from families to retirees, the North Vancouver Seylynn Village real estate

development proposal will include highly adaptable housing units, live/work townhouses, live/work apartments, mingle condominiums, affordable housing and smaller spaces...will be the site of 690 new Seylynn Village condos of which seventy will be dedicated to affordable rental units for low and middle income individuals...some of the largest benefits to the Seylynn Village community will be the Seylynn Hall and Seylynn Park upgrades and improvements..."(See Link.)

Thank you: To Elaine Oakes, Records Management Clerk, Administrative Services, District of North Vancouver for information on building of 690 and 698 Mountain Highway.
Demolition: Permit applied for September 2010.
Photos: Colored photo above taken in September 2010 by SW.
                Black and White negative on file at the North Vancouver Archives
                       taken in August 2008.
Note: See booklet at North Vancouver Archives on Seylynn Village available at
             the North Vancouver Archives in 2011.
Link: http://www.vancouver-real-estate-direct.com/blog/2009/06/proposed-masterplanned-seylynn-village.html



Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Mirror Images on Mountain Highway

This house with the distinctive double slanted roof has the address of 690 Mountain Highway.  However, only its west side faces Mountain Highway.  The entrance faces a short side street east off of Mountain Highway. The street is so short that there are only 2 houses on it.  The other house at 698 Mountain Highway is the mirror image of 690.  The back of these two homes face what used to be the Keith Road on ramp to the Upper Levels Highway. The on ramp has been changed to go from Keith Road, to Mountain Highway, to Fern Street, and left onto the Highway.

The original house on the 690 Mountain Highway lot was built in 1942. At this time its address was 1631 East Keith Road. (Elaine Oakes)   The residents in the 1955 City Directory were listed as Robert P.  and Betsy Edge.  Robert Edge was employed as a laborer at Lions Gate Lbr.  In 1960 the residents were R. Marcel and Ruth A. Beauchamps.  R. Marcel Beauchamps worked as a powderman for Pacific Blasting.  Ruth Beauchamps worked as an operator at Western Crests.  In 1971 William A. and Linda Hayden lived at 690 Mountain Highway.  William Hayden worked  as a laborer for the North Vancouver District.

The only actual owners verified by the 1955, 1960, 1971, and 1980 City Directories were Bernard and Liane Rohne in the 1980 publication.  Bero Metallic Design is mentioned next to their names.  Bero Metallic Design in the old Lynnmour United Church building at 664 Mountain Highway is listed from 1973 (as Metallic Design with the owner being Bernard Rohne) to 1998.  The name changed to Bero Metallic Design in 1975. The old church building was demolished in 2004.

In 1986 the 1942 house was demolished, the lot was subdivided and 2 new houses were built.  This is when the address was changed from 1631 Keith Road to 690 and 698 Mountain Highway. (Elaine Oakes.) 
The 1991 and 1996/1996 City Directories contain no listing of the address 690 Mountain Highway.

Thank you: To Elaine Oakes for information on the homes built on the 690 and 698 Mountain Highway lots.

Photos: Color photo above taken in Sept. 2010 by SW.
                 Black and White negative on file at the North Vancouver Archives
                          taken in August 2008.
Demolition: Permit for 690 Mountain Highway applied for in September 2010.
                Old Lynnmour United Church demolished in 2004.
                Original 1942 home at 1631 East Keith Rd. address demolished in 1986.
Note: See booklet on  Seylynn Village to be filed at the North Vancouver
                Archives in 2011.
            See Blog Post October 6, 2010, On the Move, for more information on this
                location and Seylynn Village. 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
New in 1950

This small house on the east side of Mountain Highway was built in 1949 for $4,500 by M. Condliff. In the 1950 City Directory no one is named as the owner of 4380 Mountain Highway but it is listed as a "New House". 4380 is near the top of Mountain Hwy., the route that used to be the foot path leading to the Grouse Mountain ski trails.

In 1960 the owner is listed as Sid C. Rockey, a pressman at Pacific Press. In 1971 the owners are recorded as Sidney C. and Nellie I. K. Rockey. Sidney Rockey continued to work as a pressman at Pacific Press. However, in 1980,  1991, and 1995 Sydney and Nellie Rockey reported to the City Directory that they were retired.

This black and white photo is another in the Demolition and Construction collection by Suzanne Wilson. The negative and contact sheet are available at the North Vancouver. (See Blog Post June 21, 2010.)

Demolition: Permit applied for in 2006 from the District of North Vancouver.
Photo: Digital photo taken of Roll #69 contact sheet taken in April of 2006.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

One of Five

1938 Mountain Highway is one of five similar homes built in that block. The one storey houses on concrete slabs feature two windows on either side of a central front door. Some have attached carports. There are also two other similar homes on the adjacent East 20th Street and a few others in the nearby neighborhood. Several of the homes are built at an angle to the city street. The 1938 Mountain Highway home was built for $10,500 in 1956 by Pioneer Construction.

In 1961 Cyril and Sylvia Vickers were the owners of 1938 Mountain Highway. Cyril Vickers was an accountant at McIntosh McVicar Dinsley and Co. In 1971 Michael and Marlene Harris were the owners. Michael Harris worked as a fitter at M. B. King Lumber. In 1981 Len and Diane Wagner lived at 1938 Mountain Highway, and had lived there for at least a year before as they were not reported as "new neighbors". Len Wagner was employed at L and M Radiators. In 1991 Kathleen and Gary McLauchian were reported as "new neighbors". Gary McLauchian was an engine designer. In 1995 Kathleen and Garry McLauchian reported to the City Directory that they had lived at the 1938 Mountain Highway address for five years. At this time Kathleen was employed as the office secretary at Oscar's Woodcraft in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver and Gary was an engine designer at Hipp Engineering Ltd.

Mountain Highway was named and completed in 1927. Before that it was a path then rough road that lead up to the ski area of Grouse Mountain. (See Link.)

Link: http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_grouse.htm
Demoltion: Permit applied for to North Vancouver District in June 2010.
Photo: Taken in June 2010 by SW.

Monday, March 8, 2010
Fire in the District

The friendly blue clapboard house across the matching blue railinged creek at 3690 Mountain Highway was built for $8000 in 1951 by Roy and Betty Horne. In the 1960 City Directory Roy is listed as working as a packer (pkr) at Horne Brothers. In 1971 and 1980 Gordon and Arlene Simpson were the owners of the house. Gordon was a teacher in the North Vancouver School District. The final 1990's resident listed in the City Directories is K. Litke, for by 1995 the house was vacant. The house was destined to only have a life of 58 years, for in 2009 fire broke out. The following excerpt from North Shore News article is the story of Jamie Poole, Liza Loranger, and their three year old daughter that were living in the house at the time of the fire.

"Neighbours rally after house fire

Christmas blaze consumes family's possessions

James Weldon, North Shore News

Published: Wednesday, December 30, 2009

WHAT could have been a truly grim Christmas turned out to something else entirely for one North Vancouver family after they lost virtually everything they owned in a fire on Christmas Eve.

Jamie Poole, his new fianc? Liza Loranger and their three-year-old daughter saw their home at 3690 Mountain Hwy. completely consumed by flames Dec. 24, but thanks to the generosity of neighbours and sympathetic strangers, the family had much of what they lost replaced within hours.

Poole, a building contractor who has lived in North Vancouver his entire life, woke just before 8 a.m. to the beeping of a smoke detector. While Loranger got their daughter out of the house, he hurried down to the basement, where he found a spare bedroom filling with smoke and one wall glowing orange. Unable to get to the flames, he raced outside, and began tearing off the shingle siding and then smashing at the wall with an axe in an effort to get at the growing blaze. By the time he had punched a hole big enough for a fire extinguisher, it was already too late.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and told Poole it was too dangerous to re-enter the building. In fact, it was soon too dangerous for them to enter either, and the family was forced to stand by helplessly while almost everything they owned was destroyed.

"All my tools were downstairs in the bin, my hockey gear, my water skis, my snow skis, just everything," said Poole. "The whole bed and bathroom were all fallen into the basement, the TV; everything went down."

As renters with no content insurance, they had no way to replace what they had lost.

"Days go by, me and my girl will sit there and go: 'Oh my God, what about that. Oh my God, what about that,'" said Poole. "You just can't think of all the things that were in there. . . . I lost all the material things that cost money, but my girl lost all the pictures and all (that)."

Poole, dressed in his pajama bottoms at the time, didn't even have a shirt or shoes. Loranger saved little more than her purse, some blankets and her car. The family's Christmas tree and all the presents under it were destroyed.

But even as they watched their home burn, their neighbours were quietly taking action. Bernice Wood, who lives across the street, started spreading word of the family's plight to others, suggesting they bring anything they could to help. Other neighbours took up the cause, and with a boost from the media, the call soon reached the entire community.

"Within three hours of the fire, there was stuff being dropped off," said Wood.

Over the course of the day, friends, neighbours, total strangers came by in droves to drop off whatever they could contribute. Poole's truck, and later Wood's basement, began to fill up with clothing, food, toys, appliances, gift cards, cash -- anything people thought might help.

"My basement on Christmas Eve, you couldn't even move. And now it's completely full again," said Wood.

The family was stunned.

"It was unbelievable, just unbelievable the way everybody has helped us out so much," said Poole.
When the flames had been extinguished, and firefighters were able to enter the gutted home, they found another piece of good fortune in the wreckage: the engagement ring Poole had hidden at the top of their Christmas tree. The box had been scorched, but the ring was untouched. He proposed to Loranger right there in front of the TV cameras.
Loranger said yes.
"I put it on her finger on Global," he said. "She was very happy."..."

Thank you: To the North Shore News and James Weldon for the article published December 30, 2009.

Demolition Permit: Applied for February 2010.
Photo: Taken in February 2010.

Thursday, February 18, 2010
Two White Pillars and a Big Addition


Raine R. Sume built this house at 3780 Mountain Highway.  He was the owner in 1954 and the house construction cost $8000.  He continued to live there in 1960 when he was working as a mechanical engineer at Crowther McKay and Associates.  His wife was Mary L. Sume.  By 1971 Joseph A. Philp and his wife Ellinor had bought the house.  Joseph worked at Block Brothers Realty.

In 1980 Arthur and Leona Teske lived in the house.  Arthur was a contractor.  He had retired by 1991.  Three people are reported as living in the house in the 1995/96 City Directory: Arthur and Leona Teske, and James Teske, a student.
The year 2000 phone book lists Art Teske as the resident at 3780 Mountain Highway.  And the 2008/10 phone book lists both Arthur and James living at the same address on Ross Road.  No information regarding the large addition on the right hand side of the photo was found.


It may be noted that entries from City Directories after the year 2000 are not mentioned.  This is because the year 2000 was the last year the City Directory was published.  Following that date some information as to house residents was listed on the internet.  However, this information changed as the residents changed addresses.  There is no longer a permanent hard copy record of home owners, residents, their spouses, and their place of employment.  Large bound books of this information were published starting in the late 1800s.  A complete set is available at the Vancouver Archives and for most  years at the North Vancouver Archives.  The type of research done on 2780
Mountain Highway will not be available in the future.  The internet and concerns of privacy are reasons given for the termination of the publishing of the City Directories.


Demolition Permit: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken in December 2009 by SW.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
An Awning For You and An Awning For Me

The one storey house with its attached garage at 3764 Mountain Highway was built in 1947  for $6000.  Don M. Dunwoodie is listed as the owner.  In 1950 both Don and his wife Georgina F. were living in the house.  Don was retired.  By 1960 Gertrude and Douglas A. Hill  had bought the house.  Douglas was a branch manager at British Pacific Insurance.  By 1971 he was partners in his own company, Wyllie and Hill Transportation, and he was the director.  In 1980 only Gertrude, retired, was listed as living there. In the 1995/96 City Directory Gertrude, still retired, was joined by Lawrence D. Hill, the service manager at North Shore Taxi Automotive Repairs.

It is not known when the white awnings were added to the windows on either side of the front door.  The black horizontal border stripe on the awning matches the black paint on the garage door and trim on the white window moldings. Aside from preventing the afternoon sun from streaming into the house, they provided a welcoming facade to the dark taupe clapboard siding.

The 3600 block of Mountain Highway is north of Lynn Valley Center at the intersection with Lynn Valley Road.  It is also in walking distance to Lynn Valley and Fromme Elementary Schools, Argyle Secondary School, the North Vancouver Community History Center, Lynn Valley United Church, and Lynn Valley Library.

Demolition Permit: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken December 2009 by SW.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Seylynn at Fern 

The house at the corner of Mountain Highway and Fern Street is addressed 1502 Fern Street. It was built in 1931, a garage was added in 1940, and a green house in 1974.  The first listing for Fern Street in the City Directories was found in 1949.  In 1955 the address is listed at 1602, with the resident being Mathew Watson, a notary Public. The address and resident remained the same in 1960.  In 1970 the address had changed to 1502 and the residents were Doreen and Ervine Demers.  Ervine worked as a mechanic.

Fern Street now leads from Mountain Highway to the on ramp to the Upper Levels Highway.  However, until a few years ago, the on ramp was at the end of Keith Road just after the bridge across Lynn Creek.  It will be the southern border of the new Seylynn Village.  Demolition of the homes on Fern Street has begun.

Thank you to Elaine Oakes, RM Clerk, Admin. Svcs. NVD.

Photo: Taken August 30, 2008 by SW.

 

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
St. Denis /Mountain Highway


Today this bright white house with its broad front port sits in Seylynn at 652 Mountain Highway.  It was built for $1000 by E.C. Cave in 1925. At that time it was listed as a commercial property. E. Cave lived there until at least 1931. the City Directories indicate that Irene and Arlo Barkley lived in the house from 1952 to the 1970's.  Arlo was a shipper at Burns and Co.  By 1980 Terry Green was the resident at 652 Mountain Highway.  Behind the house are two out buildings.  One looks like a little house with a door between two windows.  It even has a mailbox. The other building is a small one car garage. Both have entrances on Bruce Street.


Mountain Highway was not always called that. As Mountain Highway wove its way down from Lynn Valley, its name changed in Lynnmour to St. Denis. The City Directories list the Lynnmour Grocery which is the southern neighbor of 652 as being on St. Denis up to 1948.  In 1949 the address was listed at Mountain Highway.  However, remnants of St.Denis Avenue still exist on the east side of the Upper Levels Highway. The 2007 Greater Vancouver map book by MapArt Publishing  indicates that St. Denis Ave. is the northern end of East Keith Rd. and extends into Inter River Park.


It seems therefore that when E. C. Cave built the house it was on St. Denis and when the Barkley's lived there is was on Mountain Highway.  The house didn't move, only the address changed.


Researcher:  Thank you to Jim Lawrence.
Photo: Taken August 30, 2008.