Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Day They Tore the School House Down

Several schools, in fact 6 schools, in North Vancouver School District 44 have been demolished in recent years. District 44 includes approximately 7 secondary and 30 elementary  schools from the Capilano River in the west to Deep Cove in the east.  It includes all the schools in both the City of North Vancouver and North Vancouver District. Most of the new schools have been built on the school property and ready for the students to move into before the old school was torn down.  This is true of the pictured Highlands Elementary School at 3150 Colwood Drive in the District of North Vancouver.

Highlands Elementary School serves the community of the Edgemont Village area in the Capilano Highlands.  There are 429 students at the school that at one time also offered a Community School program.  The old flat roofed school was built in 1959 for $194,000. Part of  it can be seen in the right hand side of the photo. The new school was built at a cost of $13,000,000.  The grand opening  was October 16, 2010.  This school  can  be seen in the rear of the photo.  It has a slant roof in the front.  In the second floor concrete pillars are clad in wood, making them look like trees.

The other North Vancouver schools that have  built next to the original buildings are Sutherland Secondary School at 1860 Sutherland Avenue, Westview Elementary School at 1660 Bewicke Avenue, and Lynn Valley Elementary School at 3250 Mountain Highway.  Lonsdale Elementary School at 2151 Lonsdale Avenue was demolished and the property is being developed for other than a school.  Sutherland Secondary School was demolished in 2009.  Westview Elementary was demolished in 2007.  Lynn Valley Elementary School was demolished in 2004 however the part of the school that was the 1920 building was retained and renovated as the North Vancouver Community History Centre housing the Archives and offices of  the Museum. 

Carson Graham Secondary School is presently in the process of being demolished and rebuilt, all at the same time.  Since there is no land available to completely build a new school at the same time the old school is standing, the school is being replaced in sections.  The south west and west sections housing the cafeteria, music, and shop areas will be demolished and rebuilt first.  During this process students that would use these areas are being bussed to the nearby vacant Balmoral Junior  Secondary School for classes there.  Secondly the north section of Carson Graham will be demolished and then rebuilt.  A remaining and newer part of the school on the east side and containing the theater  will remain part of the new school.


A school that looks like it is being torn down, but isn't is Ridgeway Elementary School at 420 East 8th Street.  This school is undergoing a seismic upgrade.  While construction is going on the classes are being held in the old Cloverley Elementary School building at East 4th Street and Hendry Avenue.
 
Photos taken by SW of all the schools in North Vancouver are available at the North Vancouver Archives.
Link: http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca/schoolsites/highlands.aspx
Photo: Taken January 3, 2010 by SW.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Tall Cedars of Trenton

A row of stately Cedar trees borders the street side of the 1957 home at 3907 Trenton Place. The house on the west side of the street sits on the curve leading up from the corner with Glenview Crescent . All this is tucked away a block from Highland Blvd. and nestled along Mosquito Creek. Mosquito Creek itself originates in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park north of both Grouse Mountain and Mount Fromme. The creek flows down through North Vancouver District through the neighborhoods of Forest Hills, Delbrook and Capilano Highlands and into the City of North Vancouver. Here it empties into Burrard Inlet at Bewicke Park.


J. Kaliski built the house on the sloping lot of the mountain side for $12,000. Louise and Jacob, a notary public continued to live there at least until 1960. By 1970 J. M Cambell was the owner. And Mrs. Jeannine Campbell, a court reporter for the B. C. Government Attorney General live there in 1980 as well. Again new owners are listed in the 1991 City Directory, Jenny and Malcom McLaws.


It will be interesting to see what use of the sloping lot is made with the building of the new house, and if the tall Cedars still stand.


A Demolition Permit was applied for December 2009.
Photo: January 3, 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.

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

North Vancouver District

1526 Bruce Street, Seylynn Cottage, 1/18/2010

2888 Crescentview Drive, Round 4 Pane Window, 1/28/2010

1502 Fern Street, Seylynn at Fern, 1/20/2010

222 Kensington Court,  Ship Shape, 1/29/2010

981 Leovista Avenue, The James Residence, 1/26/2010

1300 block Marine Drive, Marine Drive Strip Mall, 1/15/2010
600 block Mountain Highway, Lynnmour United Church, 1/17/2010
652 Mountain Highway, St. Denis/Mountain Highway, 1/19/2010

1550 Phillips Avenue, Jehovah Witness's on Phillips, 1/10/2010
4041 Prospect Road, A Gate in the Bush, 1/15/2010

1089 Ruthina Avenue, $125,000 Buys Ruthina, 1/8/2010

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

Washington

Spokane Washington, Saturday Travel Feature, Spokane Railroad Tower,
                  1/2/2010

FEATURES
 Friday Special Features

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 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.
 

Photo: Taken May 2007 by SW.

Link: http://www.balboa-island.net/h.htm
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balboa_Island,_Newport_Beach,_California

Friday, January 29, 2010
Ship Shape

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
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.