Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Facer House

The Facer's, Albert and Vivian, built the house at 564 Granada Court and then lived in it, and lived in it, and lived in it.    Vivian and Albert were the owners when it was built in 1956 for $14,000.  In 1960 Albert was working as the proprietor for Crown Chimney Sweeping and in 1971 he was the president of Crown Roofing.  By 1980 Crown Roofing had become a Limited Company and Albert continued to be president.  In the 1991 and 1995/96 City Directories only Vivian Facer retired is listed.  Her name continues to appear in both the year 2000 and 2008/2010 phone books. So for 54 years a member of the Facer family lived at 564 Granada Court and now a permit for demolition has been applied for.  They will be the only family to have ever lived in there.  It can truly be called "The Facer House".

The Facer House is typical of houses built in North Vancouver in the 1950's and the 1960's.  Many of the features are demanded by the West Coast topography and climate.  Because it is built on the side of a mountain the slant of the lot calls for a retaining wall.  Here it is a wall of stone.  Because of all the grey and rainy weather light inside becomes a priority.  Hence there is the south wall of windows: windows in the living room, in the kitchen and even a row of small windows up into the eaves.  When the grey sky lifts for the six weeks of Vancouver summer the southern sundeck and windows make the green awning across the right side of the house a necessity.  In the first floor of the house is a carport.  Because of Vancouver's mild climate garages aren't really called for, although cover from rain is.  And because of the carport and the incline of the hill the living area is on the second floor.  This is typical of many Vancouver area homes.  It is like" living in the sky".  Behind the house can be seen a new home showing  today's featured construction.  Also, can be seen two local mountains.  The slope of Mount Fromme is in front and Grouse Mountain higher and in back of it.

Granada Court is a cul-du-sac west of Delbrook Avenue in the District of North Vancouver.  Actually this whole area is called Delbrook.  Mosquito Creek  Park borders  the end of the cul-du-sac.  The Facer's had a quiet and beautiful corner of the world to spend their lives.

Demolition Permit: Applied for January 2010.

Photo: Taken  in January 2010 by SW.

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Sunnyside

This dark deserted looking house is found on of all places, Sunnyside Drive. Perhaps the sun reflecting in the front sliding glass doors suggests happier, sunnier days for the house.

The driveway leading right up to the front door certainly would be welcoming. And the number of owners that built and built on to the house indicate that at one time it was cared for. The first building on the lot was commercial and built by S. Fraser for $1500 in 1926.  A commercial building may sound strange at this remote location at that time.   Remember, there was no Upper Levels Highway and the winding road was in the wilderness. But it is more  understandable when it is found in the 1926 City Directory to probably have been Hill's Taxi. At that time, no numeral addresses were listed on Sunnyside Dr., only ns for north side of street, and Hill's Taxi is the only commercial listing.  Later, in 1933 a new owner J. Stally ponied up a $1000 to actually build a house. In 1939, another new owner, E. Thomas made some house alterations. This time to the tune of $4500.

All this building on 1340 Sunnyside Dr. took place in the Lionsview area of the District of North Vancouver. The actually street is between the Murdo Fraser Golf Course and the Upper Levels Highway, east of Capilano Rd. Only the hum of the cars on the Upper Levels Highway lets you know that the windy road through the densely wooded area isn't in the middle of a forest.

Demolition Permit: Applied for from the District of North Vancouver in

              September 2009.

Photo: Taken  October 2009 by SW. 

Reference: Building Permits District of North Vancouver Compiled by J. R. Faulkner includes building permits from 1922 to 1952. It is available at the North Vancouver Archives in the Community History Centre in the old 1920's Lynn Valley Elementary School at 3203 Institute Rd., near the corner of Lynn Valley Rd. and Mountain Highway.

Sunday Church Feature

Trinity Methodist Church
Milwaukee, Wisconsin



"The Methodist denomination organized the first church in Bay View. (An area on the south side of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.) It was a small wooden church built in 1868 by English immigrants on the land donated by the Milwaukee Iron Company at what today is 2471 and 2473 Wentworth Avenue. In 1887 the congregation moved to this (at 2772 South Kinnickinnic Avenue) Victorian Gothic cream city brick edifice designed by parishioner William Davelaar." (See Link.)


On Sunday mornings in the 1940's and 50's the church bell door would be opened from the stair landing in the front hall and the rope would be pulled. The bell in the steeple would ring out signaling to the community that the church service was beginning. The inside of the church was unique. The sanctuary of dark wood was designed "in the round". The church chancel, altar, and communion rail were a semi-circle at the front of the sanctuary. A large array of tall organ pipes formed the backdrop for the altar. The five aisles were arranged like spokes on a wheel. At Christmas the choirs with their candles filled these aisles, surrounding the congregation, as they sang Christmas carols. On the east side of the sanctuary tall two storey dark wood folding doors separated the sanctuary from the Sunday School area. This area also had a balcony. On special days the doors could be opened to facilitate a larger capacity in the sanctuary. Downstairs were two halls. One with a terrazzo floor and kitchen which could be used for church dinners. At Christmas in the 1950's all four choirs would sit around large rectangular tables and sing Christmas carols. Featured would be the singing of "Christmas is Coming" and the presentation of the "figgy pudding". The other room was not only used for rummage sales and square dances, but also had a stage for performances.


"After WWII, husband and wife Lillian and Willis Leenhouts designed an educational wing and remodeled the church interior, installing new stained glass windows." These renovations were completed in the early 1950's. The church sanctuary now had a traditional layout with the chancel and altar in the front backed by modern stained glass windows. The dark wood was replaced with light blond wood. A formal parlour in honor of Mabel Bullock and a small chapel were also established on the main floor of the church. Later the parlour was moved across from the doors leading to the sanctuary to facilitate morning coffee following the service. An addition was constructed on the front of the building to provide for a church office. An education wing was also added.


In 1968 the Bethel Evangelical Church congregation merged with the Trinity Methodist Church congregation to become Bay View United Methodist Church. Bethel Evangelical Church was built in 1897 at 2392 So. Woodward St. In 1968 it was sold to the Assembly of God for $40,000. That congregation outgrew the building and again sold it in 2001.

Photo: Taken in 2006 by SW.

Link: http://www.bayviewumc.org/
Note: Suzanne Wilson attended this church as a child.

Special Saturday Travel Feature
Brinton in Milwaukee

"There was a mill and on that mill there was a walk and on that walk there was a key." This was a jump rope jingle chanted by little girls in the 1940's in Milwaukee Wisconsin .  At that time Milwaukee Wisconsin was the 13th largest city in the United States and was known for having more churches than any other city.  Oh, yes, and beer companies, too.  
As to the little girls, the ones that lived on the south side in the area known as Bay View  went to Beulah Brinton Community Center to learn how to dance. One of the dances was the "Flower Dance" growing from a seed, to a bud, to a full bloom, then whilting and dying. Later the little girls, now teens, went to their first dance there. The home in the photo above is that of Beulah Brinton.


The house at 2590 South Superior Street was built in 1872.  It is among the best examples of a Victorian Gothic home in the city of Milwaukee. It is in the area of Milwaukee known as Bay View.  Bay View is three miles from downtown Milwaukee and on the south east shore overlooking Lake Michigan. The many architectual features of the house include a front bay window, ionic columns supporting the front porch and balustrade above the porch, and white clapboard siding. The house has been restored by the Bay View Historical Society after puchasing it in 2005. An old bedroom on the second floor is the office of this organization that started in 1979.


Beulah Brinton owned the house with her husband Warren who was a supervisor for the Milwaukee Iron Company.  Beulah was community minded and started a library in her home.  She also conducted English language and homemaking classes for immigrant women.  She furnished rackets and balls for their children to play tennis on her courts next to the house.  The Beulah Brinton Community Center was established in 1911.  In 1924 it moved into an old firehall some blocks from Mrs. Brinton's home. In 1977 the community center moved into a new building. Today the Beulah Brinton Community Center at 5555 Bay Street in the Bay View area of Milwaukee offers programs six days a week.  On Sundays it is available for rentals.  One of its recent events has been the Second Prom Program, giving an opportunity for members of the community to relive their high school years.


Link:  http://www.bayviewhistoricalsociety.org/Bayview%20Yesterday.html
Photo: Taken September 2006 by SW. 
Demolished:  Firehall #11 that became the 1st Beulah Brinton Community
              Center in 1924 was demolished in 1977.

Friday Special Feature

Special 2010 Olympic Feature

Pacific Coliseum Banner

"Pacific Coliseum (100 North Renfrew Street) is an indoor arena at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Completed in 1968 at the site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281 for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713.

"The Coliseum is currently the home of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. The arena also hosts a variety of events and concerts. It has also been chosen as the venue for figure skating and short track speed skating in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

"Other hockey tenants of the Pacific Coliseum have been the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL from 1970-1995 and the WHL from 1968 to 1970, the Vancouver Blazers of the WHA from 1973-1975 and the Vancouver Voodoo of the RHI from 1994-1995."

Designed by W. K. Noppe in 1966–67, with its simple geometric shape and distinctive ring of white panels, the building can be classified as formalist architecture. " Wikipedia. Construction of the original building cost $6 million. Renovations for the 2010 Olympics cost $20.4 million. The money for the renovations was provided by the Canadian and British Columbia governments.

The green and blue colors for the over 6,000 banners  in Vancouver were chosen by VANOC. They were created to represent the look of Vancouver. And VANOC was right since there has been not a single snow fall in the city of Vancouver this year. The grass is bright green and the forsythia, crocuses, and even an occasional daffodil are dotting the gardens. Half of the cost of the banners was in their creation, the other half in mounting them on light posts and buildings. The large banner covering the north side of the Coliseum depicts a figure skater and speed skaters,both of which will be competing at this Olympic venue.

Photo: Taken January 2010 by SW.

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

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.