Friday, July 9, 2010
The House Behind the Gate

The house at 417 West 15th Street is in the City of North Vancouver. The front yard is a beautiful garden with a rustic gate to the sidewalk. Although you can't see much of the dark green house from the West 15th Street sidewalk, you can't miss the house because the number 417 is on this gate. (See photo below.) The rear of the house looks like there have been additions to the original building. French doors open out to the back garden.

There is no listing of 417 West 15th Street at the North Vancouver Archives in the Building Permit Book, the 1940, or the 1950 City Directories. However in 1955 Seigfrid and Gunnel Haller were listed as the residents. Seigfrid Haller worked as a laborer at Allan and Borrie Construction Ltd. which was at 3095 Woodbine Ave. in North Vancouver. In 1960 Mrs. Edith R. Vandenbergh, a widow, was the owner.

In 1971 Mrs. Ruth Kasher lived in the house at 417 West 15th Street. Mrs. Ruth Kasher was employed in the laboratory at Lion's Gate Hospital. In the 1991 and 1995/1996 City Directories she is listed as retired and still living in the house. Mrs. Ruth Kasher is also listed at the 417 West 15th Street in the 2008/2010 Telus phone book. Mrs. Ruth Kasher seems to have lived there for about 30 years, so she must be credited with the beautiful garden.

Demolition: Application applied for in June 2010.

Photos: Taken in June 2010 by SW.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Address Around For 87 Years

Research at the North Vancouver Archives shows that the house at 322 West 21st Street was built by at least 1913.  This information does not come from the Building Permit Book, since there is no listing there for the 322 address. (Listings in the City of North Vancouver Building Permit Book start with the year 1911.) And there is no listing in the 1911 City Directory.  The first listing in the City Directory seems to be in 1913 with Alex McPherson a laborer for the "City".  He is also listed as the owner in 1914 and 1915.  But by 1925 the only listing is Mrs. E. McPherson, a widow.  She continued to live there until 1950.

In 1960 the owners were William and Mary D. Burton.  William Burton was an engine fitter at Burrard Dry Dock. (See Link.)  In 1971 only Mrs. Mary Burton, retired, is listed as owning the house.  Then by 1980 David H. and Gloria Lewis owned the house.  The Lewis's continued to own the house at least through the year 2000 because they participated in the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home.  In 1980 David Lewis reported that he was an electrician.  In 1991 and 1995 he was working as an electrician at Canem Systems Ltd. In the 1995/1996 City Directory Clifton J. Lewis was also reported as living at 322 West 21st Street. At this time he was working as a sales clerk at Lewis Handson.

In the year 2000 David Lewis contributed the history of the house as he knew it to the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home. He also included some of his family history. (See below.)

The photo of 322 West 21st 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. This was true in the case of 322 West 21st Street.


In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to 1000 home owners copies of  photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 322 West 21st Street had been demolished and a grand new home 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.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrard_Dry_Dock

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
St. Andrew

This house at 1624 St. Andrew's Avenue was two blocks north of Lions Gate Hospital in the City of North Vancouver. It was built for $3,000 in 1947 by N. Tomlinson. There is no listing in the 1950 City Directory of any house on the 1600 block of St. Andrew's Avenue. But by 1952 Graham H. and Lilly L. Hossack are listed as owners. The Graham H. Hossacks reported that they were retired. Three years later, in 1955, 1624 St. Andrew's Avenue had a new owner, Mrs. J. Hunter. She was the widow of F. G. Hunter.

By 1960 Mrs. J. Hunter was working as a clerk at The Boulevard. At that time there was a grocery store at 2453 Lonsdale Avenue named The Boulevard. Mrs. Jean Hunter reported to the City Directory that she also owned the house in 1971 and 1980. However, in those years she did not report any place of employment. In 1991 Tina and Cameron Fox were the residents who lived at 1614 St. Andrew's Avenue. In the 1995/1996 City Directory they are listed as having lived there more than 9 years. So they were living there at least in 1985. However, in all of these records they are not listed as owners. Cameron Fox is also listed as living at 1624 St. Andrew's Avenue in the 1999/2000 North and West Vancouver Phone Directory.

The photo of 1624 St. Andrew's 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.


In the month of June 2007 Suzanne Wilson celebrated the City of North Vancouver's 100 birthday by distributing to 1000 home owners copies of photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 1624 St. Andrew's Avenue had been demolished and a there was new construction on the site.


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.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Let The World Hear Music

1707 Grand Boulevard is on the corner of Grand Blvd. and East 17th St. Across the street to the east and to the south are the green lawns of Grand Boulevard and  Boulevard Park. Grand Boulevard to the east is dotted with specialty trees, rhododendron bushes, and a walking path up the centre.  Boulevard Park to the south features a children's playground, a soccer field, tennis courts, and slopes for winter sled riding. This high spot is also the best place in the City of North Vancouver to sit on the grass and watch the summer fireworks festival fired off from a barge in Vancouver's English Bay.

There is no listing in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives for this house with its park views. In 1955 there is a listing in the City Directory. In that year Doug H. and Ivy Mathieson owned the house. Douglas Mathieson was a driver for Vancouver Supply. In 1960 Mrs. C. J. Westall was the owner. Mrs. Westall ran Westall's Hairdresing Salon at 577 Granville Street in Vancouver.

Then by 1971 Edwin and E. May Lowe were living in the house at 1707 Grand Boulevard. Edwin was a piano teacher. Edwin and E. May Lowe were the owners in 1980 when Edwin was not only a piano teacher but also the organist at St. Andrew's United Church in North Vancouver. Edwin Lowe is listed as a piano teacher and organist at St. Andrew's United Church in the 1995/1996 City Directory. Edwin Lowe is also listed at 1707 Grand Boulevard in the year 2000 phone book and was living in the house when it was photographed for the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home by Suzanne Wilson. Edwin Lowe was well know by his many North Vancouver piano students and the congregation of St. Andrew's United Church.

For more information on Grand Boulevard see Blog Post published on June 23, 2010.

Demolition: Permit applied for June 2010.
Photos: Taken in June 2010 by SW. Black and White negative and contact sheet photo on Roll #113 of the Demolition and Construction Project 2001 to 2010 by SW. On file at the North Vancouver Archives in the Year 2000 Photography Project, Your House/Our Home by SW.

Monday, July 5, 2010
Perhaps Two Families

Perhaps only two families ever lived at 402 East Keith Road. The first family was that of Hector A. and Katherine M. Rossetti. There is no entry for 402 East Keith Road in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives. And there is no entry for that address in either the 1950 or 1952 City Directories. However the Rossetti's are listed as the owners in the 1960 and 1971 City Directories. During all that time Hector Rossetti was employed as a teacher in the North Vancouver School District. In 1980 there was "no return" to inquiries by the City Directory staff.

The second family that lived in the house was that of R. and Darlene Bayne. They were listed as the owners in 1991. R. Bayne worked at United Refrigeration. In the 1995/96 City Directory the owner Darlene Bayne reported that she had lived there over 9 years. So she and R. Bayne had moved in at least by 1986. Another Bayne is reported in the 1995/96 City Directory, Tiffany Bayne, a student. The Bayne family is also reported as being at 402 East Keith address in the 1999/2000 and 2006/2007 North and West Vancouver Phone Directories.

The house sits on the north east corner of East Keith Road and Ridgeway Avenue. It was painted the aubergine color just in the past few years. For months before, samples of the three colors being considered were dabbed on the front of the house. Along with the aubergine sample was on of a gold color and one of a taupe tone.

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

Happy July 4th
Sunday Church Feature
Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco, California

"Holy Trinity Cathedral Parish traces its history to December 2, 1857, when the first Orthodox Society was founded in San Francisco. Ten years later, on September 2, 1867, it was incorporated as the Greek Russian Slavonian Orthodox Eastern Church and Benevolent Society. During these years, the Orthodox population of the Bay Area was spiritually and sacramentally served by chaplains from Russian Navy ships that frequented San Francisco Bay.




"During the Holy Week of 1868, an Orthodox Priest was sent to the City from Alaska to conduct the Paschal services here. That priest, Father Nicholas Kovrigin, became the first permanent Orthodox minister in San Francisco Another Alaskan missionary, Archpriest Paul Kedrolivansky, became the first Rector of the San Francisco parish (+1878).


"In 1872, the Right Reverend Bishop John  transferred the headquarters of the ruling hierarch of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska to San Francisco. Since then, it has been a cathedral church...

"The bell tower of the Cathedral is adorned with a set of five wonderful bells donated by the Emperor Alexander III in 1888. Two other bells were locally recast from older bells that melted during one of several fires that seriously damaged the temple in the course of the years. (To actually hear the bells click on the Link, the "The Bell of Holy Trinity Cathedral".)


"The temple itself is illumined by a grand chandelier donated by the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. According to tradition, the Emperor also donated a richly decorated icon of his patron saint, Nicholas of Myra and Lycia, to the Cathedral.


"There are many gorgeous old icons on the Cathedral's walls. In 1993-94, its iconostasis icons were painted in old Russian style by iconographer Dimitry Shkolnik.


"Today, as at the very beginning of its history, Holy Trinity Cathedral is a multinational, or, more accurately, an American Orthodox community, the only Orthodox church in San Francisco where the services are conducted in English (with some Slavonic). Our community is wholeheartedly open to all and any Orthodox Christians. The majority of our parishioners today are "converts" -- Christians who have been consciously searching for the true faith and have found it in the Holy Orthodox Church." (See Link.)

Link:  http://www.holy-trinity.org/
Photo: Taken of Holy Trinity Cathedral at the corner of Van Ness and Green Street(1520 Green Street) in San Francisco in 2001by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Developing Environments, SF

Link 1  tells the story of the building at 540 Alabama Street "In the early seventies, a small group of artists and urban dreamers converged on a vacant three story wearehouse with the objective of transforming it into a community in which they could both live and work. After twenty-five years and all the major building improvements long completed, the artists today concentrate on their individual creative pursuits. The Developing Environments community encompasses a broad range of backgrounds and creative endeavors.  Painters, musicians, sculptors, print makers, graphic designers, computer artists, dancers, photographers, circus and theater performers occupy its thirty-six studios." 

The story lore passed down by the  residents is somewhat different.   When San Francisco was filled with hippies and flower children some of them found their way to the Mission warehouse area to find housing. One of the warehouses they found was at 540 Alabama Street. The upper two floors of the three storey building with large windows filled with makeshift tents.  Slowly temporary walls replaced fabric tent walls.  The walls were at odd angles, making odd shaped rooms as they were needed.  The center of each warehouse floor was left open for a communal space.  Here in 1972 the Royce Family established the artist coop Development Environments.  The haphazard living spaces were made into live/work units for artists.  Some of the apartments had water, some had kitchens.  The 20 foot ceilings allowed for lofts for sleeping areas to be built.  Bathrooms were communal and down the hall. The floors were the original cement of the warehouse.  A large freight elevator was available for the artists to move their heavy sculptures and large pieces of art work. (See photo below.) There are many stories which are said to take place in Developing Environments: a hanging on the top floor, the Treee Frog kidnappings, Project 2, and Dirty Pierre's Party Palace.

Today only artists can apply to live in the building. The artist is interviewed and submits a portfolio.  Monthly rents continue to be way below San Francisco housing prices, but residents are responsible for the upkeep of the building so must  volunteer for cleaning, painting, and maintenance workbees.   The Royce Family still owns the building under the name of Mariposa Trust and in 2010 Developing Environments will celebrate its 40 anniversary.

There are 36 live/work units in the building. Some of the artists who live there are: Amy Faville Wilson, a painter with work in the permanent collection at The Legion of Honor (See Link 2 and postcard photographed below.) and her husband Jody Hart, a writer; Brett Reichman, a painter with work in the collection at MOMA (See Link 3.); Karen Quest, a cowgirl performer (See Link 4); Shawn Harris, a photographer (See Link 5.); Moshe Cohen a clown with Clowns Without Borders (See Link 6.); and Bess Bair, who tap danced across the Golden Gate Bridge in 1976.

Link 1: http://www.lightdark.com/deweb/index.html
Link 2:http://artistregistry.artadia.org/registry/view_artist.php?aid=175
Link 3:http://www.artnet.com/artist/14086/brett-reichman.html
Link 4: http://www.kellypro.com/ImaginativeActs/KarenQuestCowgirlTricks.htm
Link 5:http://www.shawnrayharris.com/
Link 6:http://www.yoowho.org/
Photos: Taken in 2009 in SF at Developing Environments at 540 Alabama St. by SW. (Copy of advertising post card for Open Studios.)
Note: Artist Amy Wilson Faville is the daughter of Suzanne Wilson.