Tuesday, April 13, 2010

"A" House

The house at 335A East 8th Street was one of two homes on East 8th Street in the City of North Vancouver that had the letter "A" as a recognized part of its mailing address. Another was down the street at 333A East 8th Street. However, the "A" designation did not start out that way. The original main house right on 335 East 8th Street was built in 1912 by Victor Larson. (See Blog Post April 12, 2010 "Victor Larson House".) There is no listing of another house on the property at that time. However, by 1925 there is another listing at 335 East 8th Street. The listing is 335 East 8th Street (rear) and its first resident was Percy P. Broadfoot, manager of Percy Broadfoot Manufacturers. (See photo below of City Directory ad.) The 1926 City Directory has the same listing at 335 East 8th Street (rear) and the same ad.

1925 City Directory

In 1927 the address (rear) is acknowledged although there is no resident; the listing is recorded as "Vacant". In 1931 there is a listing of a resident at 335 East 8th Street (rear). This was Gordon B. Davies, a logger. In 1940 and 1941 Broer A. and Dorothy E. Kruse were living in the house. Broer was a mill worker at Glaspiel Lumber. By 1950 the resident was Mrs. Catherine MacPherson, retired. By 1960 K. A. Askre had moved in. And by 1971 the (rear) listing official became known as "a" , 335a East 8th Street, in the City Directory. The residents at this time were Minnie and Eric Lester, retired. There was no response to inquiries from the City Directory in 1980, but again the 335a East 8th Street address was acknowledged. In 1991 Doug P. MacLaren lived at 335a and in 1996 it was Anna and Brian Johnson, a carpenter.


The house at 335A East 8th Street was a garage sized house sitting on the north side of the lane off the backyard of the larger house at 335 East 8th Street. In the year 2000 when the photo above was taken it was a gaily painted house with a front porch facing not the lane but west and a blue front door. A border of rocks and pink and white flowers marched up to the front steps.

The photo of 335A East 8th 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 from the present or previous home owner sometimes including personal photographs. Following an exhibit at Presentation House the collection was given to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

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. A photo was delivered to the home at 335A East 8th Street. In December of 2007 Suzanne Wilson took a B&W photo of the house as part of a project for the North Vancouver Archives to document houses to be demolished. Both the year 2000 and 2007 photos can be seen at the North Vancouver Archives.

Demolition: Permit applied for by 335 East 8th Street in 2007   The new house built at the rear of 335 East 8th Street has now graduated from "rear" and "a" to 335 and the 335 address has been assigned 337 East 8th Street.(See Blog Post April 12.)

Photo: Taken as part of Suzanne Wilson's Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home.

Monday, April 12, 2010
Victor Larson House

The City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994 page 126 shows a photo of this 1912 home built by Victor Larson at 335 East 8th Street. The house with the bay on the west side, a front porch on the north side, and a back porch on the south side was originally built for $2000. In 1913 a Building Permit was granted for a $150 house repair. The photo above combined with the Heritage Inventory photo show later additions of dormers in the roof on both the east and west side of the house.

Although Victor Larson is not listed as a bone fide architect in the Heritage Inventory, he did build numerous houses in the City of North Vancouver. In fact, he built 7 homes between the years 1913 and 1937 at construction costs of $1000 to $2000 a piece and a garage with a price tag of $50.

122 W. 22nd Street 1913 $2000

608 E. 3rd Street 1920 $1500
145 W. 2nd Street 1921 $1200
733 E. 7th Street 1924 $1500
307 E. 8th Street 1929 $1500
317 E. 8th Street 1931 $1000
323 E. 8th Street 1935 $1000
145 W. 2nd Street 1937 $50

And then there was his own house built for $2500 at 339 East 8th Street for $2500 where he is listed as architect and builder.

Victor Larson, cannery man is listed as the owner of 335 East 8th Street in both the 1925 and 1931 City Inventories. However, in 1931 there is another, new and very interesting listing at 335 East 8th Street. (rear) is added to the 335 East 8th Street address. Future listing indicate that (rear) is not referring to the rear of the house, but an additional house on the rear of the property at the lane. The first resident of this house, in 1931, was Gordon Davies who worked as a logger. (See tomorrows Blog Post for more on this house.)


By 1940 another Larson is listed as owner of the house. This time the Larson is Mrs. Peggy A., a widow. She continued to live in the house in 1950. By 1960, however, two families are reported as living in the main house on the lot at 335 East 8th Street. Arthur G. and Yopi Fennell and Waldren F, and Marion Patrick. Arthur Fennell worked for Pac Saladmaster Distributors, of housewares. Waldren Patrick was a salesman at Tuckett Ltd., tobacco manufacturers and distributors located at 3644 Grandview Highway. In 1971 Weston A. and Norma Patterson lived in the house at 335 East 8th Street. Weston's occupation was carpentry. In 1980 the new householders were Greg and Elizabeth Mclean. Greg was employed as a mechanic at Finning Tractor. The family that moved in by 1991 and continued to live there until at least the year 2000 was that of Angelica and Werner Weiss. During that time Werner was a cabinetmaker at Oscar Grann's Furniture.

The photo of 335 East 8th 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 from the present or previous home owner sometimes including personal photographs. Following an exhibit at Presentation House the collection was given to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

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. A photo was delivered to the home at 335 East 8th Street. In December of 2007 Suzanne Wilson took a B&W photo of the house as part of a project for the North Vancouver Archives to document houses to be demolished. Both the year 2000 and 2007 photos can be seen at the North Vancouver Archives.

Demolition: Permit applied for in 2007.  However, only 335A  (See April 13 Blog Post.) was demolished.  The house at 335 only had an address change, to 337 East 8th Street.
Photo: Taken as part of Suzanne Wilson's Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home.

Sunday Church Feature

Palm Desert Church

Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church was built in 1968 by  Berton Lamb and the Architects were Powell, Morgridge, Richards  Coghlan.   It is a modern cement building in southern Palm Desert at 47321 California State Highway 74 near El Paseo and at the base of Eisenhower Mountain. "President Eisenhower was the honorary building chairman as he attended and was a member for many years up until his death...There is a pew in the sanctuary dedicated to he (President Eisenhower) and his wife ...the stained glass window was placed there because of security concerns when he was in his pew...At the parking lot entrance to the church is a Wayside prayer chapel which is a mini version of the sanctuary and at that location  where the President's limos parked when he was here." e mail Floyd Vail. 

There seem to be many architectural references to skiing in the design of the building. The church itself seems shaped like a  giant cement  ski jump.  The photo above is of the back of the church with the center sanctuary window and framed by towering palm trees. At the  Wayside prayer chapel a large cross is featured on the side opposite the front entrance to the church. The chapel like the rear of the church is framed in tall palm trees. Between the chapel and the church entrance is a walk flanked with date palms. The roof from the entrance to the the rear of the sanctuary  is an extreme curved slope again reminiscence of that on a ski jump. Inside the large modern sanctuary the roof shape also reminds one of skiing.  This time it is the slope and bottom curve of each side of the ceiling which as it meets the side walls. Each side  is curved up like the tip of a ski. 

Traditional Sanctuary Services are held every Sunday at 8:30 and 10:15 am.

Thank you: To Floyd J. Vail for his e mail with information about the church.

Photo: Taken in 2010 by SW.
Link: http://www.pdpresby.org/

Saturday Travel Feature
Green in the Desert Sand

The Palm Desert Visitor Center located in the brand new Chamber of Commerce building was completed in 2009. Both are housed in the Henderson Community Center that sits in the middle of the sandy desert at 72-559 Highway 111 just east of El Paeso. Although designed by architect Narendrea Patel to blend in with the desert it can't be missed. The modern severe angles and smooth cement facade are in distinct contrast to the rough texture of the surrounding desert.

This distinctive "green" building is named for Clifford and Randall Henderson. "Over 30 years ago, before the city was incorporated in 1973, the Henderson family recognized that the center of the Coachella Valley would make an ideal community. The Hendersons first developed 1,600 acres previously used by General George Patton when he trained troops in desert combat during World War II to begin what is now Palm Desert." (From pamphlet Henderson Community Building available at the front desk of the building.)

The 6,300 square foot building is one of the cities first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design buildings. It is designed "with an eye toward solar energy, natural air circulation, resource conservation, and minimal waste...The community building relies on thermally-insulated concrete walls for its natural and green touch...All wall surfaces and a majority of the ceiling surfaces are kept as natural concrete finish which required no paint and no drywall. All floor surfaces were polished concrete, which required no additional finish material to cover the structural concrete. All material had a high percentage of recycled content and all waste was carefully managed and sent to recycling facilities. The building process and use of material greatly reduced CO2 emissions and used fewer natural resources. A high efficiency mechanical system was used. The design provides for a large array of photovoltaic panels on the roof. The entire building shell, including the interior walls, is built from highly insulated panels and covered with high strength concrete." Link 1.

"Materials that are sustainably grown or recycled rather than new materials from non-renewable resources were used. All casework was designed with Bamboo facing." Link 2.

Inside are an entrance hall, four conference rooms with seating up to 20, and kitchen facilities. The walls are hung with photos from the Palm Desert Historical Society. On the rear of the building are large floor to ceiling windows looking out into the desert garden. Shade for the windows is provided by a distinctive red  high curved screen structure. Other curved rear cement walls are covered in small pot hole type windows that give light but again protect those inside from the bright sun. Floor to ceiling doors are featured throughout the building, even to the rest rooms. A certified farmer's market is held in the Chamber of Commerce parking lot in front of the building  Wednesday and weekend mornings during the months of February to June.

For more interior and exterior photos check out the Links below.

Photo: Taken in 2010 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/April-2009/PSST-The-Gold-Standard-for-Green/
Link 2: http://california.construction.com/features/2009/1201_HendersonCommunityBuilding.asp
Link 3: http://www.nikiomahe.com/architecture-design/henderson-community-building-by-patel-architecture-in-united-states/

Friday, April 9, 2010

Shell Game

No more driving up to the pumps on the southeast corner of 13th and Lonsdale to fill up your gas tank or zip into the Shell Station convenience store for a litre of milk. The North Shore News announced the station was closing on September 9, 2009. It was empty and surrounded by fencing on September 10th. Keshvar Eidipour operated the convenience store for 14 years. Buying gum or milk always included a friendly chat. It was the only Shell station in North Vancouver City. It is estimated that the corner lot, which includes the Shell gas station and adjacent oil change shop, is assessed at close to five million dollars and will be sold for development. The City's official community plan allows for mixed-use construction.

A  reference to a building on the corner of 13th and Lonsdale can be found in the 1885 City Directory.  It is described as a "shack on 13th...15 feet square...with a capacity of 25 people."  It was referred to as Dorman's Shack.  Frank Dorman was a brick manufacturer and had a brickyard at Roche Point.  Even as late as 1910 the Fire Insurance Map shows a "shack" on 13th St. at Lonsdale.

It seems that the Anglican Church organized services here in 1891, The History of North Vancouver British Columbia Canada. They later built a frame building on West 13th Street and dedicated it to St. John the Evangelist.  In 1903, the Presbyterian Church held its first service in Dorman's Shack, St. Andrews United Church Sunday Bulletin, Feb., 26th 1978.

A permit for demolition of 1250 Lonsdale Avenue Shell Station was applied for in September 2009.

Photo: Taken October 2009 by SW.

NOTE:Thanks to Benjamin Alldritt's September 9, 2009 North Shore News article for information on the Shell station at 1250 Lonsdale Ave.

1938 Eyebrow Roof

Thursday, April 8, 2010
1938 Eyebrow Roof


In 1938 the owner, G. Meyers, built this home at 1240 West Keith Rd. for $400. The red brick chimney, multi-paned windows, white exterior, and eyebrow roof over the front door give it a country cottage look. A peek through the side revealed a large fireplace and dark beaded outline in the hardwood floor.

The garden added to the country cottage look. On first walking up the sidewalk from the street, formal rose gardens, then a hedge with a white picket fence gate greeted me. Inside the hedge were the remains of what must have been an extensive garden. Now only the dirt holes from where the plants had been dug up remained. The garden must have been loved for someone to take the time to remove so many plants to a new home.

The 1200 block of West Keith Rd. is tucked away at the end of West 19th Street, west of Heywood Park. It is on the high bluff above Marine Dr. 1240 is on the north side of the road, but the backyards of the homes on the south side have spectacular views of downtown Vancouver.

A permit for demolition was applied for from North Vancouver District in August 2009.


Photo: Taken August 2009 by SW.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
One Big Address

The house behind the fence with the really big numbers making clear its address is at 658 East 5th Street.  No doubt about that.  It was built in 1941 as a Wartime House (See Blog Post March 22nd)  However, as can be noted from the photograph the house peeking above the fence has been modernized.  A porch and  rectangular front windows have been added, at least.  See the March  23rd Blog Post with the photo of the house down the block at 662 East 5th Street to see more of what the original 1941 house must have looked like.

In 1945 Gordon and Elizabeth E. Stewart owned the house.  Gordon worked   at Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver.  Many of the Wartime Home owners were employed at Burrard Dry Dock where the WWII ships were built. By 1950 Elizabeth is listed in the City Directories as a widow.  She continued to live there for at least another 20 years, until at least 1971.  Another woman owned the house after that.  It was Mrs. L. A. Gurnsey a teacher in the Burnaby School District.  Although she is listed as C. W. Gurnsey in the 1991 and 1995/96 City Directories, her occupation remained the same. 

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 658 East 5th Street had been demolished and a new home had been built.

Photo: Taken as part of Suzanne Wilson's Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home and on file at the North Vancouver Archives.

Y2K Project:  See Blog Post February 26, 2010.