Friday, August 20, 2011
A Long History

The house at 252 West 13th Street has a long history and it started in the year 1922. This was the year the builder of the $4000 house was listed in the Building Permit Book at the North Vancouver Archives as A. Walsh. The builder of a $100 house addition in 1936 was listed as E. H. Markle.

In 1925 the resident was John F. Vance an analyst for the City. In 1931 Reginald A. Berniston was living in the house. He and N. Elvina Berniston lived in the house in 1940 as well. In both of these years Reginald Berniston was working as a clerk at the Royal Bank. In 1945 Carl M. and Blanche E. Johnson were the owners. Carl Johnson worked in radios and electronics at 1433 Lonsdale Avenue.

In 1950 and 1960 the owners were Peter M. and Catherine M. Fraser. Peter Fraser worked as a mechanic at Begg Motors in 1950 and in automotive repairs at 221 West 1st Street in North Vancouver in 1960. In 1971 John and May Rhead were the residents. John Rhead was employed as a painter at Enno's Custom Boats. The resident in 1980 was W. Rose. By 1986 George A. and Janet Perryman owned the house. They were also reported as the owners in 1991 and 1995, at which time they were retired.

The photo of 252 West 13th 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 additional information This was true in the case of 252 West 13 St. In this case it was a Development Proposal Sign to allow the building of a triplex. (See photo below.) (See Link.)

A "North Shore News" photo of the actual demolition in September 2001 was added later. (See photo below.) Queen Mary Elementary School is in the background.

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 252 West 13th Street had been demolished and a series of three row houses had been built.

Demolition: September 2001.
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.
Link: http://search.suttonwestcoast.com/listings/info/p-2-252-w-13th-st#listings/info/p-2-252-w-13th-st

Thursday, August 19, 2010
Early St. Patrick's

There is no listing in the North Vancouver Building Permit for this house at 240 St. Patrick's Avenue. The first listing in the City Directories seems to be 1925 under the name of Fredrick G. Davies. Fredrick Davis was an accountant.
(The 1916 City Directory is listed not by address, but by name and there is no listing of Fredrick G. Davies in that publication.) In 1931 the resident was C. W. Harris. C. W. Harris was the proprietor of Harris Tug Line. By 1940 only Mrs. Madeline Harris is listed, and she is listed as not only the resident but also the owner.

After that were a series of residents but no ownership was reported all the way to 1995. In 1945 the residents were George C. and Muriel M. Curry. George Curry was a carpenter for the North Vancouver Ship Repair. In 1950 the residents were Robert J. and Lucy H. Bone. Robert Bone worked for Home Oil Distributors. In 1960 the residents were Cornelius and Jacoba Sas. Cornelius Sas was a welder at Alsten Wood Products. In 1971 the residents were John M. and Helen Deas. John was a benchman for A. Gair and Sons. In 1980 the property was reported in the City Directory as being "Vacant". Then in 1991 the resident was Donna Whitekerry. In 1995 there were two residents: Audrey Ollnoyk who reported that she moved in the year 1991 and Brian Hicks, a painter. Neither Audrey Ollnoyk nor Brian Hicks were listed as living at the 240 St. Patrick's Avenue address in the 1999/2000 North and West Vancouver Phone Directories.

The photo of 240 St. Patrick's 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 their home owners copies of 1000 photos taken for the Y2K Project. At this time it was discovered that the home photographed at 240 St. Patrick's Avenue had been demolished and a new duplex 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.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

1921 Home

The original home at 133 West 23rd Street was built for $1,500 in 1921 by H. Hutchenson for owner R. W. Reid. Robert W. Reid was still living in the house in 1925 at which time he worked in sales at Spencers Department Store.

In 1931 the resident was Edward M. Dennis who was employed at IXL Laundry. In 1940 Frank A. and Bessie S. Canessa were living in the house. Frank Canessa was a master mariner. In 1950 the residents were Sam and Margaret Erskine. Sam Erskine was employed as a laborer by North Vancouver City. In 1955 the owners were Arthur and Frances A. Westmoreland. Arthur Westmoreland was a helper at Burrard Dry Dock. The Westmorelands continued to own the house in 1960 when they reported that they were retired.

There was "no return" to inquiries by the City Directory staff in both 1971 and 1991. But in 1980 Karen Lister reported that she was living in the house. And in 1995 Darren Wright, a stationary wholesaler for Mills Printing, responded that he had lived in the house for 2 years.

The photo of 133 West 23rd 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.

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 133 West 23rd Street had been demolished.

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, August 17, 2010
Margaret  on Virginia

The green single level house at 4119 Virginia Crescent in the District of North Vancouver was built in 1951 for $12,000 by Vailand Construction.  By 1955 it had been bought by E. Don and Eileen M. Jones.  E. Don Jones was an accountant at Allianceware. 

In 1960 Rodrick F. and Kathleen M. Hood were the owners.  Rodrick worked as a sales representative for Line and Cable Accessories.  The owners in 1971 were Hans A. and Ulla Alwart.  Hans Alwart was employed as a salesman at Woody Gundy Securities.

By 1980 the owners of the house at 4119 Virginia Crescent were William and Margaret Martin.  William was the sales manager at College Printers.  Margaret Martin reported that she was the owner and retired in 1991 and 1995.  The listing in the 2008/2010 North and West Vancouver Phone Directory is under William Martin at 4119 Virginia Crescent. 

So the Martin family lived at 4119 Virginia Crescent for at least 30 years.  And during that time they  watched their two backyard cedar trees grow to an impressive and majestic 60 feet.

Virginia Crescent is at the top of Sunset Boulevard, north of Edgemont Village, with MacKay Creek Park  immediately to the east.

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

Monday, August 16, 2010
1949  Post and Beam

The 1949 post and beam construction house at 3636 Glenview Crescent is 983 sq. ft. with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It sits on a 11,200 square foot lot in the Capilano Highlands area of the District of North Vancouver. The lot backs up to Mosquito Creek Park.

The house was recently listed for sale for $848,000 by Sutton Rassmusen Group Realtors. It sold and a new 4,575 sq. ft. four bedroom house by Kombi Homes is proposed to be built on the lot after the present house is demolished. (See Link.)

The 1955 owners of 3636 Glenview Crescent were Michael and E. Caroline Smith. Michael M. Smith was an architect at Polson and Siddall. In 1960 the owners were Francis J. S. and Edith L. Sanderson. Francis Sanderson was a manager at the Canadian Division of United Petroleum Gas. The 1980 owners were Dirk and Diana Piket. Dirk Piket worked as a carpenter.

In the 1991 and 1996/1996 City Directories, R. A. Reid was reported as the owner. However in these publications the street is listed as Glenview Drive; no Glenview Crescent is noted. In the year 2008/2010 North and West Vancouver Phone Directory R. A. Reid is listed as living at 3636 Glenview Crescent. In both 1991 and 1995 R. A. Reid's occupation is recorded as a real estate salesman for Bell Realty. He reported in the 1995 edition that he had lived at 3636 Glenview Crescent for over 9 years. So as of now, he has probably lived there for about 25 years.

Demolition Permit: Applied for in July 2010.
Photo: Taken in July 2010 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.rasmussenbros.com/Blog.php/528

Sunday Church Feature
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford, California

"Stanford Memorial Church (also known as MemChu) is located at the center of the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. It was built during the American Renaissance[1] by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband Leland. Designed by architect Charles A. Coolidge, a protegé of Henry Hobson Richardson, the church has been called "the University's architectural crown jewel".[2]


"Designs for the church were submitted to Jane Stanford and the university trustees in 1898, and it was dedicated in 1903. The building is Romanesque in form and Byzantine in its details, inspired by churches in the region of Venice and, especially, Ravenna. Its stained glass windows and extensive mosaics are based on religious paintings the Stanfords admired in Europe. The church has four pipe organs, which allow musicians to produce many styles of organ music. Stanford Memorial Church has withstood two major earthquakes, in 1906 and 1989, and was extensively renovated after each.


"Stanford Memorial Church was the earliest and has been "among the most prominent" non-denominational churches on the West Coast of the United States.[3] Since its dedication in 1903, the church's goal has been to serve the spiritual needs of the university in a non-sectarian way.[2] The church's first chaplain, David Charles Gardner, began a tradition of leadership which has guided the development of Stanford University's spiritual, ethical, and academic relation to religion. The church's chaplains were instrumental in the founding of Stanford's religious studies department, moving Stanford from a "completely secular university"[4] at the middle of the century to "the renaissance of faith and learning at Stanford"[5] in the late 1960s, when the study of religion at the university focused on social and ethical issues like race and the Vietnam War.


"Stanford Memorial Church has suffered two major earthquakes, in 1906 and in 1989. Although extensively damaged, the church was restored after each. The 1906 quake wrecked much of the church, felled the spire, cracked the walls, and "injured beyond repair" the mosaics and Carrara marble statuary in the chancel.

"The mosaic project (See photo directly above.) began in 1900 and took five years to complete.[7] Jane Stanford chose mosaics to decorate her church because of the similar weather in Italy and Northern California, where the moderate climates and rainy seasons in both settings protect the images from erosion and clear the pollution that accumulates on many buildings in large cities. As Hall states, the "mosaics on the facade are always clear and brilliant."[81] Their "shimmering quality" was created by different tones of green and gold;[71] the artists that installed the mosaics had over 20,000 shades of colors to choose from.[82] The images cost US$97,000,[8][note 8] and were based upon original watercolors created by artist Antonio Paoletti.[note 9] Jane Stanford worked closely with Paoletti, planning a combination of Old Testament and New Testament scenes that represented men and women equally." (See Link.)


Photos: Taken in Stanford, California in 2009 by SW. (In the top photo the tree on the right with the lavender flowers is a Jacaranda.)
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Memorial_Church

Saturday Travel Feature
SFAI, San Francisco, California

"San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus is in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. SFAI was founded in 1871, and is one of the oldest art schools in the United States.

"SFAI offers Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Master of Fine Arts degrees and Post-Baccalaureate certificates.

"The San Francisco Art Association (SFAA) was founded in 1871 and it opened the San Francisco School of Design in February 1874 under the direction of landscape painter Virgil Macey Williams. In 1893 the name was changed to California School of Design and the association affiliated with the University of California and inherited the mansion of Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill. Its museum functions continued under the title of the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art.

"The fire following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed both the mansion and the school. A year later, the school was rebuilt on the site of the old mansion and renamed the San Francisco Institute of Art. In 1916 the SFAA merged with the San Francisco Society of Artists and assumed directorship of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, then located in the Palace of Fine Arts, a relic of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The school was also renamed the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA). In 1926 the school moved to its present location at 800 Chestnut Street in San Francisco. In 1961 the school took its modern name, the San Francisco Art Institute.


"In 1969, a new addition to the building by Paffard Keatinge-Clay added 22,500 sq ft (2,090 m2) studio space, a large theater/lecture hall, outdoor amphitheater, galleries, and cafe.[1]" (See Link 1.)

"The Making of a Fresco" was painted in 1931 on the wall of the main floor gallery off the central plaza of the San Francisco Art Institute. It is one of four murals painted in San Francisco by the the Mexican artist. (See Link 2.) Other features of the SFAI building at the top of the Chestnut Street (800 Chestnut Street) hill are: the central plaza fountain, the ornate front entrance archway, and the rooftop area large enough to hold graduation ceremonies and giving a breathtaking view of San Francisco.

Photos: Top photo, SFAI tower, taken from cover of 1997 Commencement Day Program. Bottom photo, Diego Rivera murals inside SFAI, taken from cover of 19997 Commencement Day Program.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Art_Institute
Link 2: http://www.sfai.edu/page.aspx?page=34

Note: Amy Wilson, daughter of Suzanne Wilson, was granted a SFAI Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1997 and a SFAI Master of Fine Arts degree in 1999. She is a painter and teaches art at Diablo Valley College. (See Blog Post July 3, 2010 "Developing Environments, SF".)