Friday, May 28, 2010
The Blue House With the Rock Wall

The cheery blue house at 303 East 18th Street was built in 1946. The owner of the $2,700 house was Stanley G. Evans and the architect was Jacobson. Stanley Evans was employed as a builder. He continued to live in the house  until at least 1971 at which time he reported to the City Directory that he was retired. In 1980, 1991, and 1995 the house was vacant, there was no return to City Directory inquiries, or the resident could not be verified.

The photo of 393 East 18th 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.



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 303 East 18th Street had been demolished and a new house had been built.


Photo: 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.

Thursday, May 27, 2010
Fifty-five Years in the Capilano Highlands

This $7,500 1947 home was built in the heart of Capilano Highlands in the District of North Vancouver. 913 Belmont Avenue was the address and H. M. Fisher was the owner. Only three years later in 1950 Don F. and Joan K. Corbett owned the house. Don Corbett was the manager at Perfex Ltd., manufacturers of sodium hypo-chlorite bleach and disinfectants at 3460 Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

By 1955 the Rudd family owned the house. They are listed at this address in the City Directories and the North Vancouver phone books through the 2008/2010 issues. That is a total of 55 years in the home at 913 Belmont Avenue for the Rudd family.  In 1955 Wilfred V. and Margaret M. Rudd are listed as the owners. Wilfred was employed as an engineer at H. A. Simons Ltd. In 1960 Wilfred was working as a civic design supervisor at International Power and Engineering Consultants at 570 Dunsmuir in Vancouver. By 1971 Wilfred was an assistant project manager of construction for B.C. Hydro. In 1980 and 1991 only M. M. Rudd was reported as the owner of 913 Belmont Avenue. In 1995 along with M. M. Rudd, Jerrfrey M. Rudd, a physicist at SFU was listed at living at that address as well. The listings in the year 2000 and 2008/2010 phone books is under W. V. Rudd.

There is only one other North Vancouver family researched for this blog that lived in their home longer than the Rudd's 55 years. That family is the Watt's whose house was at 343 Seymour River Place. The Watt's lived in that home for 57  years. (See Thursday, March 25, 2010 Blog Post.)

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

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Hughes Home for 35 Years

The house with its broad front wall fireplace is set back in a  grove of tall cedar trees at 2580 Colwood Dr.  When it was built in 1957 this area of Colwood Drive was a new street. There was no listing for the 2500 block of Colwood Drive even in the 1960 City Directory. F. J. Hamilton built the house on the new street near Edgemont Village for $17,500.  F. Jason Hamilton was still the owner in 1962. At this time he reported to the City Directory that he was a student.

By 1965 the address was listed and Andrew N. and Barbara C. Jacox were the owners. Mrs. Barbara Jacox was employed as a saleswoman at F. Howe and Co. In 1971 Douglas C. and Patricia Miles were the owners of the house. Douglas Miles was a salesman at Carlisle Douglas and Co., stock broker and investment dealers at 890 Pender St. in Vancouver.

The Hughes family moved in 1975 and they stayed. Donald W. and Gwendolyn M. Hughes have lived at 2580 Colwood Dr. for 35 years. In 1980 Donald was president of Steven Jenter Laboratories at 1940 Lonsdale Avenue. In 1991 he reported to the City Directory that he was a physician at 1940 Lonsdale Avenue. He was also a physician in 1995.  As well  in 1995  Jennifer and Stephanie Hughes were listed as students  living at the 2580 Colwood Drive address.

Now there are  new owners  at 2580 Colwood Drive.  The house will be demolished and an architect has been hired to design a new contemporary home in the grove of tall cedar trees.

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

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Galon's Formal Garden

The house with the amazing formal garden in the front yard sat at 306 East 23rd Street. It didn't start out with this garden when it was built for $400 in 1939 by T. Joy Sr. But the Building Permit book does reveal that it did start out with a garage that T. Joy moved onto the property at a cost of $100. In 1944 R. W. Hughes applied for a building permit for a $350 house alteration. The next year, 1945, the residents at 306 East 23rd Street were Peter D. and Lavina Curbello. Peter Curbello worked as a longshoreman. Soon after that, 1947, T. Joy, the original owner of 306 East 23rd Street, was living at 750 Grand Boulevard and applied to build a $100 garage there. In 1945 Robert and Jennie Hughes, the owners who applied for the 1944 house alteration, were back living in the house at 306 East 23rd Street. By this time Robert Hughes was retired. The next owners were Robert H.and Sharon D. M. Spring. Robert Spring was a constable in the RCMP.

Then by 1971 Michael F. and Helen Galan moved in. Michael Galan was employed as an electrician at Ketco Electric at 110 Lonsdale Avenue and in his spare time worked on the garden. He is the one responsible for the formal front garden with its pillars and walkways. By 1980 Michael Galan was employed as a Botond Shipper at Pac Truck and Trailer. In 1991 his employment was listed in the City Directory as a contractor. And in 1991 he reported that he was retired. Michael and Helen were still living in the house when it was photographed for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home.

The Galon home and garden at 306 East 23rd Street has been  demolished and two new homes have been built with separate garages on the lane.


Demolition Permit: Applied for in August 2007.
Photo: Taken for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home by SW. A black and white negative was also taken as part of the Demolition and Construction project by SW. Both are on file at the North Vancouver Archives.

Monday, May 14, 2010

House of Multipaned Windows

This house with two three panel sets of multi paned windows sits at 647 East 22nd Street in the City of North Vancouver. It is snug between Greenwood Park on the north, Grand Boulevard to the south and the Upper Levels Freeway on the east. Queensbury Elementary School is just a block away. There is no listing of this address in either the Building Permit book or the 1940 City Directory.

However, by 1945 George S. and Ellen M. Pow owned the house. George Pow was employed as a pressman at North Shore Press. In 1950 another George was the owner. This time it was George B. and Lilias G. Wight. This George was employed as a driver for Laurance and Lawrence. In 1960 Cecil J. D. and Margaret J. Gillies were reported as the owners. Cecil was an engineer at Vancouver Ice. The residents in 1971 and owners in 1980 were Michael F. and Anne M. Ryan. Michael Ryan was a mechanic at Hoffar's Ltd., marine engineers at 2350 Willingdon in Burnaby. In 1980 Michael F. Ryan worked as an engineer at Cullen Diesel which was at the 2350 Willingdon address. The residents at 647 East 22nd Street in 1991 and 1995 were John and Susan Martin. John reported being retired in both years. They must have moved there in 1989 because they reported in 1995 that they had lived there for 6 years.

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 647 East 22nd Street had been demolished.  A large new home has been built with a separate garage on the lane.



Photo: 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.

Sunday Church Feature
La Seu Cathedral, Palma, Mallorca

  "La Seu is a gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, built on the site of an existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and 44 meters of nave height. Designed in Spanish "levantino" Gothic style with influences of the North European gothic, it was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits overlooking the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea, protected by the old town walls...Fifty years after a restoration of the Cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited in 1901 to take over the project." (See  Link 1.) (See May 16, 2010 Blog Post for another Gaudi church.) This massive Gothic Cathedral dominates the city skyline of Palma, Mallorca.  "If you catch the sun falling through the rose window on a bright morning, every nook and cranny in the Mallorca cathedral lights up like a rainbow and you will understand why it is commonly referred to as ‘The Cathedral of Light’." (See Link 2.) This rose window measuring 100m2 is the largest Gothic rose window in the world. It is divided into 24 triangles, half of which form the Star of David. (See Link 3.)

"On this side(the side facing the ocean) also lies the jewel in the crown of the Mallorca cathedral - the Mirador portal. (See photo below.) This is the huge arched entrance half way along the façade, which surely contributes the most important Gothic group of sculptures in Mallorca (Majorca). Between 1380 and 1422, Northern European and Mallorcan artists worked on this Gothic masterpiece, with the Mallorcan architect and sculptor Guillem Sagrera being the leading local contributor.

"Within the arches are two clearly differentiated horizontal sculptures: the first depicting the Eternal father with adoring angels and the other, directly below, the last supper. On the pillar between the two doors is a delightful Virgin Mary with child and in the niche of each arch are the sculptures of five saints; James, John and Peter on the left, and Andrew and Paul on the right. Together, they make this portal one of the most important examples of Mallorcan medieval art on the island." (See Link 2.)

Photos: Top-Front of Cathedral with rose window and palm trees of Mallorca. Middle-Front of Cathedral with rose window, top of arch above front doors, twin towers, and central angel statue on roof peak.  Bottom-Detail of side entrance described.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Seu
Link 2: http://www.northsouthguides.com/mallorca_cathedral.html
Link 3: http://www.mca-hotels.com/holidays-guide-mallorca/8/12/23/palma-de-mallorca/monuments/seu-cathedral/

Saturday Travel Feature

Ayuntamiento of Palma de Mallorca

"Palma is the major city and port on the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of the island on the Bay of Palma. The population of the city of Palma proper was 401,270 in 2009. It is the twelfth largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Mallorca live in Palma."Link 1.

"Ayuntamiento of Palma" is the Town Hall where the city council meets. The street name is mounted on the corner of the building "Place de Cort". "The city hall also known as "Cort", is a Baroque structure built on top of an old sixteenth-century hospital." Link: 2 Its large center clock, iron balcony, and ornate cornices above the doors and windows are distinctive features. It was built in the 17th century.

Mallorca is well known among fashionable women for its production of beautiful man made pearls.  "Majorca pearls are imitation pearls manufactured on the island of Majorca. Local Mallorca women have specialized in the artistic fabrication of faux pearls since the 19th Century and are worldwide recognized for its quality and perfection: Majorca pearls have such a resemblance to the natural pearls that only experts can tell them apart." Link 3.

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Mallorca by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma,_Majorca
Link2:http://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/palma_mallorca_tour.php
Link 3: http://www.bestofmallorca.net/activities/trips/majorca-pearls