I photograph houses in North Vancouver that have been scheduled for demolition, as a way of documenting our history. I hope that you will come along for this tribute to the people that called these houses "home".
Monday, February 1, 2010
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.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
End of Month Index
January 2010
Arranged by Subject and Address; Country, State/Province, City, Street:numerical East, alphabetical, numerical West.
CANADA
British Columbia
City of North Vancouver
805 East 5th Street, The Tiny House, 1/4/2010
365 East 9th Street, Turquoise on a Heritage Street, 1/27/2010
258 East 11th Street, Last House on the Block, 1/14/2010
1805 ChesterfieldAvenue, Pink Posies on Chesterfield, 1/21/2010
440 Hendry Avenue, Moved Not Demolished, 1/12/2010
384 East Keith Road, Mirror Image, 1/5/2010 1920 Mahon Avenue, Start the Demolition, 1/11/2010
1033 St. Georges Avenue, 104 Fires in the City, 1/7/2010
1044 St. Georges Avenue, St. Andrew's United Church, 1/24/2010
649 Sylvan Avenue, Upper Mosquito Creek, 1/6/2010 3015 Woodbine Drive, Where did all the gas stations go?, 1/25/2010
1398 West 15th Street,Sunday Church Feature, St. Richard's Anglican
Church, St. Richard's of Norgate ,1/3/2010
Vancouver
801 Georgia Street, Special Feature, Wrapped in the Canadian Flag 1/1/10
923 Georgia Street, Special Feature, Georgia Medical Dental Building, 1/22/2010
UNITED STATES
California
Balboa Island, Balboa Island Cottage, 1/30/2010
Catalina Island, Catalina Casino, 1/9/2010 San Diego, Old Town San Diego, 1/16/2010 San Francisco, San Francisco Cathedral, Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1/23/2010
Georgia and Howe, Special Feature, Wrapped in the Canadian Flag, 1/1/10
Georgia and Hornby, Special Feature, Georgia Medical Dental Building, 1/22/2010
Saturday Travel Features
Spokane Washington, Spokane Railroad Tower, 1/2/2010 Balboa Island, Balboa Island Cottage, 1/30/2010
Catalina Island, Catalina Casino, 1/9/2010 San Diego, Old Town San Diego, 1/16/2010
San Francisco, San Francisco Cathedral, Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1/23/2010
Sunday Church Features
600 block Mountain Highway, "Lynnmour United Church", 1/17/2010.
1550 Phillips Avenue, "Jehovah Witness's on Phillips", 1/10/2010. 1044 St. Georges Avenue, "St. Andrew's United Church", 1/24/2010.
1398 West 15th Street,Sunday Church Feature, "St. Richard's Anglican Church, St. Richard's of Norgate" ,1/3/2010.
Photo: English Bay Inukshuk Y2K by SW.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday Travel Feature
Balboa Island Cottage
Take a close look at the three houses in the picture above. Note the horizontal shiplap siding, the shutters, mulltipane windows, tiny strips of front yards with fences and gates. These are common to most of the cottage type houses sandwiched on to the .2 square miles that is Balboa Island, part of the Newport Beach community on the coast south of Los Angeles.
Balboa Island is man made, built on a sand bar/sand spit that was once swallowed by the high tide. Its development started in the early 1900's and the land subdivided into a grid of the small lots, which are evident in the photo, and narrow street. Many of the homes of the 3000 residence have been designed by one man, Ian Harrison. The lots originally sold for $350 to $750 with one as low as $25. Now the real estate listings are houses in the $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 range.
At first the Island was only accessible by boat. But in 1912 the first bridge to the Island was built and in 1929 a cement bridge was completed. However you can still go by a small ferry that even accomodates up to 3 cars.
The local delicacy is the chocolate dipped frozen banana on a stick. It is the favorite of the local residents.
This ship shaped house is at 222 West Kensington Crescent. This street is just off Lonsdale Ave. at West Braemar Rd. in the North Lonsdale area of the District of North Vancouver. The distinctive house was built by H. Lancaster in 1956 for $12,000. The construction company was Robin Construction Ltd. at 892 East 12th Street. The style of the house with its rounded living room area and port hole windows in the front door may indicate that it is a Streamline Modern residence. A few of these had been built in North Vancouver 1940-1945.
Two other Streamline Modern residences, pictured in the City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994, are the 1945 Cunningham Residence at 172 East 25th Street, architect H. L.S. McCullough and the 1941 Logan Residence at 508-519 St. George's Avenue designed by Hal Norman of the Streamline Construction Company. The Logan Residence was modified in 1959 for use as a duplex. Both of these homes exist today and have the same rounded style of the house at 222 Kensington Crescent.
H. Lancaster lived in the house for at least a year. Then the 1960 City Directory lists Dora and Raymond E. Phillips as owning 222 Kensington Crescent. They actually bought the home in 1958. (Ann Mossop, daughter of Dora and Raymond Phillips.) Raymond taught in the North Vancouver School District. In 1970 Raymond was teaching in the West Vancouver School District. The Phillips family continues to own the house and will be building a new two storey home on the property. That is 52 years and counting for the Phillips family. Beyond the high thick shrub hedge on the west side of the house lies a dramatic view of The Lions and Vancouver. And from the living room the view includes downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, and Vancouver Island. Both views are spectacular.
The 222 Kensington Crescent home is featured in the book "The Modern Architecture of North Vancouver 1930-1965", Heritage Building Inventory by Donald Luxton and Associates. (See the entry below.)
The interior architectural details of the 1950's period in which 222 Kensington Crescent was built remain. (See photos below.)
Demolition Permit: Applied for November 2009.
Photo: Taken December 1, 2009 by SW. Thank you: To Ann Mossop, daughter of Dora and Raymond Phillips, for the tour of the interior of her home at 222 Kensington Crescent.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010 Round 4 Pane Window
The house at 2888 Crescentview Dr. was built in 1950 for $9000 by H. Williamson. It features the welcoming round four pane window and windowed front door of eight panes. In 1955 Chas and H. Jocelyn Crocker were living in the house. Chas was an engineer at B.C. Equipment. By 1960 the City Directory indicates the resident was Mrs. A. R. Daly. And in 1970 there was no reply to City Directory inquiries.
The Crescentview Drive house sits on the north side of the ridge above Murdo Fraser Golf Course in the District of North Vancouver. It is only accessible by both the east and west intersections with Edgemont Blvd. and is in walking distance to Edgemont Village. The village has an abundance of shopping: supermarket, children's shop, jeweler, produce market, book store, drug store, garden shop, dress shop, bakery, liquor store, and convenience store. It also has a bank, restaurants, coffee shops, and a library. It is a perfect business or leisure destination.
Murdo Fraser Golf Course is a 9 hole course with a pond and an off the cliff T-off.
Demolition Permit: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken October 24, 2009 by SW.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Turquoise on a Heritage Street
Little is revealed in the Archive documents about the modest turquoise horizontal clapboard and white stucco house behind the chain link fence at 365 East 9th Street. There is no listing in the Building Permit book and the first listing in the City Directories is around 1970. All that is known at that time is that the house was occupied by R.E. Davies. However, the history of its neighbors is a different story.
The City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory of 1994 includes a total of six heritage homes in the 300 block of East 9th Street. 321 with its second floor balcony and saddle bag dormers and 336 with a porch across the front were both built in 1910. The 348 F. Tarn Residence was designed and built by Frederick Tarn for himself in 1911. The 345 Chubb Residence was designed and contracted by F. W. Garnett in 1913. This craftsman style house has articulated eave brackets, notched verge boards and window boxes and exposed rater ends.The 334 K. Stewart Residence was designed by F.J. King and later owned by Mr. Darwin who was a principal at Ridgeway School. The last is the 335 home that was built in 1926.
A neighbor reported that he thought two or three homes would be built on the lot at the corner of 365 East 9th Street and Ridgeway Avenue. The homes will be facing Ridgeway Avenue and the playground of Ridgeway Elementary School. The school is now undergoing seismic upgrading.
Demolition Application: Applied for October 2009.
Photo: Taken October 24, 2009 by SW.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 The James' Residence
The house at 891 Leovista Avenue is truly the James' Residence. D. A. James built the house for $8500 in 1951. Nine years later, in 1960, he built a $2500 addition. For both jobs the builders were Bridgeman and Williams. In 1955 Doug was working as an adjuster for Turner Meredith and Co., and he and his wife Norma were living in the house. In 1960 Doug and Norma still lived at 891 and he was the casualty manager for Underwriters Adjustment Burrard. Ten years later, in 1970, the D. in D. James was David and he was a student. After another 10 years, in 1980, only Norma James was listed at the Leovista Avenue James' Residence. So, after building the house a member of the James family lived there at least for 29 years.
Leovista Avenue continues to be a desirable place to live. It is north of and convenient to Edgemont Village and just off Highlands Blvd, west of Mosquito Creek. The new house being built at 891 Leovista by Noort Homes will be considerably larger than the James' Residence. It will be 5487 square feet with four bedrooms, a den and four full bathrooms. Perhaps the new owners will enjoy the quiet and convenient location for 29 years as well.
Suzanne Wilson "Demolition Mama"
I'm a volunteer at the North Vancouver Archives. Since 2001 I've been photographing houses to be demolished in the City and district of North Vanocuver. To celebrate 2010, the last year of this project, I'll feature a house a day on this blog, starting January 1, 2012. Fridays there may be a Special Feature of other B.C. buildings, Saturday will be a Travel Feature, and Sunday will be a Church Feature. Also, I'll share some photos from my other collections: Y2K Project, Churches and Travels. The last day of the month I'll summarize with an index.
