Saturday Travel Feature
Catalina Casino

"26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me, the island of romance" (the song recorded by The Four Preps in 1958) and the gorgeous Art Deco Catalina Casino. The casino was built on Sugarloaf Point in 1928 by Wrigley, of Wrigley chewing gum fame. It replaced a 12 story dance hall on the same site, appropriately named Sugarloaf Casino. "The lower level of the Casino houses the Avalon Theater. The upper level houses the world's largest circular ballroom with a 180-foot (55 m) diameter dance floor. French doors encircle the room, and balcony views are spectacular." Wikipedia. Today, the Catalina Casino is open for tours.


Catalina Island itself is 22 miles long and 8 miles wide. "The total population as of the 2000 census was 3,696 persons, with almost 85 percent living in its only city of Avalon ." Wikipedia. "The use of motor vehicles on the island is restricted; there is limit on the number of registered cars, which translates into a 10-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart." Wikipedia. Crossing the actual 22 miles of Pacific Ocean to get to the Island itself is by Cruise Ship, the "MARINA FLYER", a high-speed 149 passenger catamaran making the crossing to Avalon in about 1 hour 30 , or to fly to the Island "Airport in the Sky".


The first person to swim to Catalina Island was George Young. He won the Wrigley Ocean Marathon swim across the Catalina Channel in 15 hours, 44 minutes, and 30 seconds on January 15, 1927.


Besides the Casino, the Island also boasts California's first permanent desalination plant which opened in 1991.


Photo: Taken May 2007 by SW.

Friday, January 8, 2010
$125,000 Buys Ruthina

This 1956 home is in the Canyon Heights area of the District of North Vancouver. 1089 Ruthina Avenue is off Montroyal Blvd., just east of Capilano Road. A bit farther north on Capilano Road and you will be at Grouse Mountain Gondola, ready to go up for a day's skiing. Because of its proximity, some home owners in the area call Grouse Mountain "their mountain".


The house was built by H. D. Evens, but the following year R.D. Thomas put on an addition for $600. This brought the total value of this home to a whopping $131,000. The house that will be built on this lot today has not yet been priced, but similar houses in the area by the same builder are  listed at over $1,000,000. What would Mr. Evens or Mr. Thomas thought of that.


The house planned for the site will be built by Noort Homes, builder of numerous home throughout the lower mainland and Vancouver Island since 1960. The Ruthina Place home will be 4937 sq. ft. with 6 bedrooms, 1 den, 5 full bathrooms, a rec room, and a media room. Maybe Mr. Evens and Mr. Thomas wouldn't be surprised at the planned price tag. Look at the Noort Homes website for a complete building plan.


A North Vancouver District Permit for Demolition of 1089 Ruthina Avenue was applied for in September, 2009.


Photo: Taken October 4, 2009 by SW.

Link: http://www.noorthomes.com/

Thursday, January 7, 2010
104 Fires in the City

The Villa St. Georges Apartment Building at 1033 St. Georges Avenue was built of red brick and white stucco and stands on the south west corner of St. Georges and East 11th Street. It is across the street from St. Andrew's United Church. Other apartment buildings in the area have equally romantic names. On St. Georges Avenue are The Royal St. George and St. Georges Place. On the adjacent 11th Street are The Spanish Villa and the Royal Villa.

The Villa St. George was severely damaged by fire January 2009. 35 people lived in the self owned apartments of this wood framed building. The fire gutted the top floor of the three storeys. One tenant was killed, "two firefighters injured and at least five residents as well as three police officers were treated for smoke inhalation." CBC website. Sandy Miller, the Assistant Chief-Prevention, North Vancouver City Fire Department reports that this same year 104 fires in the City of North Vancouver were reported to the Office of the Fire Commissioner in Victoria.

Fires have destroyed other prominent buildings in the City of North Vancouver. Paine's Hardware, in the Aberdeen Block at 78-90 Lonsdale Avenue was built in 1910-1911. Until the fire on New Year's Eve 1997 it maintained its old fashion charm and stock. It has been rebuilt as an apartment building with stores on the street floor. The Barraclough Block at 201-203 Lonsdale Avenue was built in 1929 with a second floor being added in 1940. When it burned, also in 1997, it was housing the popular Great Outdoor Equipment Ltd. It has been rebuilt in the same style with a modern two storey apartment building on top. The street floor store is now RDS Skate and Snow Supply with a floor of apartments above.

A Permit for Demolition of 1033 St. Georges Ave. was applied for in November 2, 2009.  It was demolished by December 2, 2009.  A new 54 unit apartment building built on the original foundation is proposed.

Photo: Taken September 12, 2009 by SW.
Books: The Ambitious City, A History of the City of North Vancouver
             by Warren Sommer.

            Heritage Inventory, City of North Vancouver, 1994.
Web site:The History of Metropolitan Vancouver/Chronology/1941.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Upper Mosquito Creek

649 Sylvan Avenue is in the Forest Hills area in the District of North Vancouver. This area is west of Mosquito Creek and south of Montroyal Blvd. Mr. J.N. Smith built the unpretentious house in 1956 for $1200. However, even an unpretentious house can have distinctive features. Of particular note is the wrought iron railing that extends across the front of the house. It has a decorative triple curved design. A similar double curve design trims either side of the top of the roof supports. The view from the front yard is special as well, to the west of the house you can see one of the foot hills of West Vancouver. And in a more recent renovation, two skylights brighten the rooms on the right side of the house.


One area resident reported that many of the homes in this area were built on fill. Now that the fill has settled, cracks have formed in the foundations. For that reason when extensive renovations are desired, new foundations, and therefore, new houses seem to be the best plan.


A Permit for Demolition to the District of North Vancouver was applied for in August of 2009.


Photo: Taken August 27, 2009.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Mirror Image

The house that has been demolished at 384 East Keith Rd. in the City of North Vancouver was the mirror image of the bright red house beside it. Only the house that was demolished was yellow. In fact, a remnant of the house can be seen in the photo on the right, a part of the yellow front wall. The twin houses were placed on their lots so the edges of the roofs touched. The new house being built is narrower than the old one, allowing more space between it and its look alike neighbor.


Both 384 East Keith Rd. and its neighbor to the west, 382 East Keith Rd. were built for $800 a piece in 1912 by J. L. Gallegher. By 1925 Josiah L. Gallegher was an insurance agent and had moved farther east on Keith Rd., to 418.. In 1941 G. M. Fox put an addition onto the house at the 384 address.


Also in the 1940's feed trucks from Vancouver crossed the 1920's Second Narrow's Bridge and drove up Keith Road to bring chick starter, rolled oats, and wheat to the chicken farms of North Vancouver.

Photo: Taken August 27, 2009 by SW.

Monday, January 4, 2010
The Tiny House


This tiny distinctive two story home was in the Cloverley area of the City of North Vancouver. The City of North Vancouver is approximately four square miles bounded by the Burrard Inlet on the south, and North Vancouver District on the north, east, and west. The Cloverley area covers the south east part of the City from Queensbury Avenue and Keith Road to the eastern border.


The house at 805 East 5th Street was on the south east corner of 5th and Sutherland Avenue. It was probably built before 1911 because it does not appear in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives. (Building Permits in the City of North Vancouver were established in 1911. In the years 1907 to 1910 information can be found in the Assessment Rolls.) In 1925 Hilda Green lived in the house. And in 1926 the home owner was building contractor Robert Salkald.


By 1931 Frank Vacher had purchased the house. He previously lived on Hastings Street in Vancouver and worked as a cook at Club Lunch. In 1939 Blanch, possibly his widow by that time, gained a building permit for a $150 addition. She is definitely listed as a widow in the 1940 City Directory. The photo is the rear of the house and possibly the $150 addition which could have been the back porch area, the side punch out or perhaps the second story dormer.


By 1950 Robert Vacher, Blanch and Frank's son, a carpenter's helper at CH Cates is listed as living in the house. In 1980 Pierre Robert Vacher was working at the Lynn Valley Barber Shop. He continued to live in the house until his death in 2009.


This tiny house with bushes in the front had a large gardenless yard on the Sutherland Avenue side and a garage on the lane. From this yard is a view of Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, and Burnaby beyond. This house was a favorite of  Trick or Treaters in the 1970's. Children came from the steep stepped homes a block away on Shavington and Cloverley Street to this flatter area. They remembered this house, because most  gave out candy, popcorn or apples while Robert Vacher gave out real nickels.


The house was demolished in October 2009. The area chit chat is that a house is being built for a daughter one of  Robert Vacher's neighbors.


Photo: Taken July 18, 2009 by SW.

Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday Church Feature
St. Richard's of Norgate

St. Richard's Anglican Church at 1398 West 15th St. in the District of North Vancouver is on the corner of Philips Avenue and West 15th Street. It was the sixth mission of St. John's Anglican Church and started to provide a Sunday School in the new housing development in the Norgate Park area. Sixty families were contacted and the diocese granted a loan of $1,075 to the parish for the lot purchase and construction costs. The church hall cost $2,200 and was dedicated in 1950. The actual St. Richard's Anglican Church cost $47,000 and was dedicated on February 1, 1955, It became a separate mission parish in 1957.


Norgate Park is an area south of Marine Drive, north of , east of the Native Lands, and west of Pemberton Avenue It consisted of mainly one story ranch homes built on cement slabs for veterans from WWII. Some of these veterans brought their war brides from England here to their new home in Canada. Today the area is simply called  Norgate. Except for renovations like making rooms out of the garage areas, most of the homes remain the same. A few two story homes have been built, mainly versions of the 'Vancouver Special".


The original 1950 Sunday school church building was a rectangular hall positioned with the narrow end facing Philips Avenue. It sat at the location of the present St. Richard's. In 1955 to facilitate the building of a new larger church the hall was moved to the east side of the lot and turned to face 15th Street. The building is now called the St. Richard's Church Hall and serves the community as the Acorn Early Education Centre, Norgate. The present church building has its entrance on 15th Street, but is positioned with the narrow end on Philips Avenue.


This church that hummed with the children from 60 families in 1955 no longer has a Sunday School. In fact, the total church congregation on a Sunday morning is about 20. The Korean Stump Presbyterian Church congregation worships in the sanctuary on Sunday afternoons.  St. Richard's Anglican Church is the only Christian church building in the Norgate area, and at 10:00am every Sunday morning the rope is pulled to ring the bell to tell the community the Sunday church service is starting..


The year 2010 may bring an end to the ringing of this bell, since St. Richard's is in the throes of closing.


Photo: Taken 2007 by SW.
Closed: As an Anglican Church in 2011. Congregation welcomed by St.
                Catherine's Anglican Church.

Note: Suzanne Marie Wilson attended this church until its closing. Her
               granddaughter Holly Marie Misner was baptized here in
               September 2007.
Update: A June 10, 2011 North Shore News article reports that the church
               is for sale.
More information: See blog http://www.churchesonsundays.blogspot.com/