Friday, June 11, 2010
50 Years on Woodbine Drive

The green shuttered house at 2911 Woodbine Drive has actually been there for 60 years. But it is the family that presently owns that has been there at least 50 years.

This home is a stones throw from Edgemont Village in heart of the District of North Vancouver and was built in 1950. The owner was D. Shattock and the construction cost was $10,000. In 1955 Robert L. and Roberta E. J. Wilson were the owners.

But by 1961 the Caesar family had moved into the Woodbine Drive home. They not only moved in but applied for a building permit for a $300 carport. Robin L. Caesar and his wife Judy/Judith are listed in the Building Permit books as living there through 1996. And they are listed in the North Vancouver Phone Books as continuing to live there in 2008. However, only J. Caesar is listed at that address in the 2010 phone book.

In 1961 Robin Caesar was employed as a forester at C. D. Schultz and Co. In 1971 he was the operations manager at C. D. Schultz and Co. From 1980 to 1996 Robin L. Caesar is listed as the president of R. L. Caesar and Associates Ltd. In 1995/96 Judith Caesar is also employed at R. L. Caesar and Associates Ltd., as the office secretary.

Demolition Permit: Applied for in June 2010.
Photo: Taken in June 2010 by SW.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Office Building at Lynnmouth Park

This four storey modern office building featuring broad expanses of widows is on the north east corner of Brooksbank Avenue and Cotton Road in the City of North Vancouver. The four storey section of the building extends north along Brooksbank Avenue to include a two storey section of additional offices. The whole complex runs adjacent on the east to Lynnmouth Park with its rushing Lynn Creek. Across Brooksbank Avenue to the west is the Park and Tilford Shopping Center. And across Cotton Road on the south is the large area of businesses and industry that continues to the waterfront.

The 212 Brooksbank Avenue address refers to only the four storey part of the office building. There is no listing in the Building Permit Book or the 1971 City Directory for this address. However, in the 1975 issue there is a listing, that of Chemex Labs Ltd., a chemical manufacturer.

In 1980 other residents at that address are listed as well as Chemex Labs Ltd.:
     Concord Sales Ltd, food brokers
     Acrodyn Manufacturing Co.
     Smith Barry D and C Ltd.

In 1991 these residents are listed at 212 Brooksbank Avenue:
     Chemex Labs Ltd.
     Anatek Microcircuts Inc.
     Barry Henderson
     Acrodyne Fabricators Inc.

In the 1995/96 City Directory these residents are listed:
     Acrodyne Fabricators Inc.
     Allan Crawford Associates Ltd.
     Accurex Technology
     Chemex Labs Ltd.

The 212 Brooksbank four storey building had been observed to be in use until last year, 2009. However, now a For Sale Sign and a Rezoning Application Sign have been posted. The Rezoning Application Sign states that the four storey 212 Brooksbank Avenue building will be demolished. (See signs below.)

Photos: Taken in May 2010 by SW.

Update:  August 2011. The entire complex in the Rezoning Application sign

                  has been demolished.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Mosquito Creek Park

The northern part of Mosquito Creek Park runs from the North Shore Mountains south to just above Queens Road. This area is in North Vancouver District. The southern part of Mosquito Creek Park runs from the Upper Levels Highway south to Larson Road. This area is in the City of North Vancouver and this is where the house at 1708 Fell Avenue was built with Mosquito Creek Park across the street.

There is no listing in the Building Permit book as to the date the 1708 Fell Avenue house was built. There is also no listing of that address in the 1950 City Directory. However, in the 1955 City Directory there is a listing, that of L. F. and Lucille Audet. L. C. Audet was working as a carpenter at that time. Lucille and Lucien Audet continued to be the owners at least until the year 2000 at which time the above photo was taken. Lucien is reported to have worked as a carpenter all the years through 1971. Then in 1980 his employment is listed as a contractor. In 1991 and 1995/1996 the business L. A. Acoustic Applicators Ltd. is also listed at 1708 Fell Avenue. That is at least 45 years Lucien and Lucille Audet lived across from Mosquito Creek Park with its creek that was filled with water from the North Shore Mountains.

The photo of 1708 Fell Avenue 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 of the house or a photo.

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 1708 Fell Avenue had been demolished and a new house had been built.

Photos: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Two Stories, Two Paint Jobs

Above the Upper Levels Highway, in the City of North Vancouver, at the juncture with East 26th Street was the "little house" at 2556 Chesterfield Avenue. Because East 26th Street did not go through Chesterfield Avenue on its way to Lonsdale Avenue the living room of the "little house" looked out into East 26th Street. The origins of this "little house" has two stories: one from North Vancouver Archives research and one from the year 2000 owners.

The story according to the Building Permit book at the North Vancouver Archives is that the house at 2556 Chesterfield Avenue was built in 1920 for $300 by C. E. Martin. In 1931 C. E. Martin also applied for a $300 house addition. By 1925 John M. Ashton was living in the house. John Ashton worked as a stationery engineer. He was also living there in 1931 at which time he was employed as a laborer at Vancouver Creosoting. In 1940 Mrs. A. M. Hill, a widow, was the resident. And in 1950 and 1960 William H. and Ethel M. Dryer were the owners. William Dryer was retired. In 1960 Ethel Dryer, a widow, was the owner. At that time Ernest Dryer, a construction worker, was also listed as living at 2556 Chesterfield Avenue. By 1971 the resident was Miss Karen Romas. And from *1976 to 1983 the residents were David and Jean Dyck. Jean possibly worked as a teller at National Trust (The address of this National Trust employee was not listed in the City Directory.) The City Directory listings for 1991 and 1995/96 record only Vacant and then Under Construction. The construction was possibly the rooms added onto the back of this very "little house".

During the inclusion of the 2556 Chesterfield Avenue house in the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home Kevin Grant and Kimberley Bradbury were the owners and they told the story written below.

When the year 2000 photo was taken it was mentioned that the house was soon to be repainted. It was also requested that another photo be taken when that was completed. The photo at the end of this blog post is of the new paint job and was taken in November of the year 2000.  The 2006/2007 North Vancouver Phone Book lists Kevin Grant as still living at 2556 Chesterfield Avenue.

The photos of 2556 Chesterfield Avenue were 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 of the house or a photo. This was true in the case of 2556 Chesterfield Avenue.


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 2556 Chesterfield Avenue had been demolished and a new house had been built. Demolition and Construction Project records show that the house was demolished in 2005.


Demolition: Took place in the year 2005. A black and white negative of the house at this time is on file at the North Vancouver Archives.
Photos: Taken in the year 2000 by SW.
Reference: The Year 2000 project was donated by Suzanne and Alan Wilson to the North Vancouver Archives and is available for viewing.
* Reference: From 2011 e mail from Jean Dyck.

Monday, June 7, 2010
A View of the North Shore Mountains

This one storey home was built at 405 West 28th Street in 1947 for $4,800. The 1947 owner was M. Dery. In the 1950 City Directory the only reference to the 405 West 28th Street house was "New House".

The house sits on the south west corner of West 28th Street and Jones Avenue, three blocks north of the Upper Levels Highway and two blocks south of West Queens Road. It is a short two block walk to Larson Elementary School.

In 1960 Doug and Margaret R. Brabner were the owners of the house. Doug was a radio operator and Margaret worked as a maid at North Vancouver General Hospital. In 1971 the owner was Bruce T. Budd, a chartered accountant for James Brown. And in 1980 Chris M. and Carol Bond were the owners. Chris bond was employed as a controller. After that time no information is available in either the 1991 or 1995/96 City Directories. But the house at 405 West 28th Street in the City of North Vancouver still stood with its view of the North Shore Mountains. Now it will be demolished.

Demolition Permit: Applied for May 2010.
Photo: Taken in May 2010 by SW.

Sunday Church Feature

Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta, Malta

"This small church was the first to be built in Valleta by the Order of St John. Initially it was a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Victory. The name was appropriately chosen to commemorate Malta's triumph over a Turkish invading force during the Great Siege of 1565. Works began in 1567, and traditionally it is considered to be the site where the first stone of the new city of Valletta was laid with unprecedented pomp and the unbounded joy of the population on 28 March 1566.

"Our Lady of Victory church served as the first church of the Order in Valletta until 1577, when the Conventual Church of St John was completed. Grand Master La Vallette was initially buried in the former church. Upon completion of St. John's, his remains were moved to their final resting place within the Co-Cathedral.


"The church underwent modifications towards the end of the seventeenth century and was remodelled once again in the mid eighteenth century." (See Link 1.)

                                 Main Altar 


"In the late 1690s Grand Master Ramon Perellos ...commissioned the placement of a bust of Pope Innocent XI above the central window, while in 1752 Fra Gerolamo Ribas Montelieu, Bali of Majorca, enlarged the church, which has a plain rectangular nave with a ribbed barrel vault and a semicircular apse." (From information posted at the church.)

Photo: Exterior taken in April 2010 in Valletta, Malta by SW.
              Main altar-Google photo.
Link 1: http://www.visitmalta.com/church-of-our-lady-of-victory

Saturday Travel Feature
Main Guard Building in Palace Square 
Valletta, Malta

"The Main Guard building, which originally housed the palace guards, is located on the square opposite Grand Master’s Palace (see separate entry) and is a Classical-style building with Doric columns on the façade. After the Knights left, it was used by the British, partly as an Officer’s Mess; there are more than 300 wall paintings and numerous examples of regimental badges etc. The building is currently being used as the Libyan and the Italian Cultural Centres and hosts numerous events. The 17th century Hostel de Verdelin is on the northeast side of Palace Square." (See Link 1.)

Note the flag of malta, with its bands of red and white and the George Cross on the white, flying above the Main Guard Building.




The front of  the Main Guard Building is Palace Square  a place of entertainment for tourists. If you are lucky you will see the band in traditional national costumes marching through town. They are accompanied by a team highly athletic flag twirlers.  At the end of their parade the band and flag twirlers give a colorful performance in the plaza in front of The Court House. (See photo above.) Later, the square also features dancing fountains which are accompanied by music. On the right end of  the Main Guard Building is a free contemporary art gallery that welcomes tourists.

Photos: Taken in April 2010 in Valletta, Malta, by SW.
Link 1: http://www.amaltaattraction.com/malta-attractions/main-guard-building.htm