Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wartime Home on 4th Street  

The house at 549 East 4th Street was one of the many homes built in 1941 as Wartime Housing.  "February 28, 1941, Wartime Housing Limited (WHL) was incorporated. It will build rental units across Canada for war industry workers. On the north shore 750 single family homes will be built, as well as barracks-type apartments for single workers, Westview School, a recreation centre, and a fire hall. (The houses were supposed to have been removed at the end of the War, but 135 units survive, some into the 1990s.)" (See Link 1.)  The original homes were on one floor and had a living room, two bedrooms, and a kitchen.  The Wartime House at 549 East 4th Street had additional rooms but  survived until 2010.

In 1945 the City Directory lists the residents as R. J. and Alice E. Miller.  Roy Miller was employed at NVSH.  In 1950 the owners were Hugh R. and Mildred A. Gwynn.  Hugh Gwynn was an engineer at C H Cates.    In 1960 Mrs. Beda J. Jacobson, widow of F. Jacobson was the owner. 

In 1971  Ronald G. and Gayle Y. Assaf were the owners.  Ronald Assaf was an electrician at S. Glover Electric.  Mrs. Gaye Y. Assaf was a secretary at Kariboo Industries.  In 1980 the owners were Stan and Marguerite Patykewich.  Stan Patykewich worked as a floor covering salesman.

About 1987 Mike N. Edel became the owner.  He lived there until at least 1995/1996 and worked as a technician at Chubb Alarms.  In 1995/1996 Lyndi Ainsworth was also a resident at 549 East 4th Street.  She was the accounts manager at AD Team Marketing 1986 Inc.

A new home will be built by Blake Developments.  (See Link 2.)

Reference:  To see photos of other Wartime Housing see City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.

Demolition: Permit applied for in November 2010.

Photo: Taken in November 2010 by SW.

Link 1: http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology1941.htm

Link 2: http://blakedevelopments.ca/Blakedevelopments.ca/Welcome.html



Happy 43rd Wedding Anniversary Alan and Suzanne

First Methodist Church of Hollywood,

Hollywood, California

The First Methodist Church of Hollywood (now called Hollywood United Methodist Church)  at 6817 Franklin Ave. is just north of Hollywood Boulevard and Grauman's Chinese Theater. It is also on the corner with North Highland Boulevard which was in the opening scene of "The Godfather". To the west of the main church (the door entrance can be seen on the left end of the photo above) is a smaller Chapel and parlor.  Between the two is a patio lined with 10 foot high poinsettia plants that have been donated over the years.  The formal Chapel and large parlor has many Spanish architectural features and much heavy dark wood.

"The vision for Hollywood United Methodist Church as "a sanctuary of hope" began back in 1909 when the first congregants started to organize. Eventually with an ever-expanding business community and a growing congregation, a bold step was undertaken to purchase a lot on the corner of Highland and Franklin Avenues at the base of the Hollywood Hills, and to build a new home.

"Construction began in 1927, with the Recreational Building built first to house the congregation's worship services, after which the Sanctuary and Education Building would be constructed. A series of set backs challenged the congregation during construction, including the discovery of soft, unstable ground on the site for the Sanctuary. Monstrous holes were dug by workers who labored 65-feet below ground. To stabilize the footing and foundation, massive pits and wells were filled with enough concrete to equal 15 railroad freight cars.

"The congregation's faith and perseverance was finally rewarded on March 16, 1930. The majestic building was unveiled to enthusiastic acclaim, launching its distinguished reign as a Hollywood landmark. An historic postcard describes the church building as "...one of the most famous churches on the Pacific coast," with an atmosphere of "...reverence in symbolic beauty and compelling stillness."In December 1981 the church was declared Historic-Cultural Monument #248 by the City of Los Angeles."(See Link 1.)

 The Vancouver Sun

      Saturday, February 9, 2008

      Arts and Life, Section E

      Weekend Mix

       ‘Wedding Plans and Memories’

Suzanne Wilson

My husband of 40 years and I were eating breakfast and reading the weekend Sun and National Post  at The 80’s Restaurant in North Vancouver when the phrase “caught the bride’s bouquet” “caught” my eye. 

Yes, “I still remember when ‘we’ got married like it was yesterday”.  I especially remember throwing my bouquet.  And I most certainly remember “who caught it”.



Alan and I were married in the chapel of the First Methodist Church of Hollywood December 1, 1967.  The reception followed in the church parlor across the hall.  When it was time to throw the bouquet I climbed the beautiful Spanish tile staircase.  I turned around and I threw the flowers over my head. The bouquet flew. I looked to see who would catch it. My friend’s faces turned upward, arms raised in anticipation, and then they stopped. There was the bouquet, “caught” by the six sided chandelier that lit up the hall. 



A pole to open high church windows was fetched and the bouquet tumbled from the chandelier and was “caught” by a good friend and neighbor.  It did its magic.  She was married the following summer at Knott’s Berry Farms.  She threw her bouquet from a staircase on a fake exterior facade.  There was no chandelier, only a young girl to “catch” it.

Photo: Top photo of First Methodist Church of  Hollywood, thank you to cardcow.com

Link: http://www.hollywoodumc.org/History-Hollywood-United-Methodist-Church.aspx

END OF MONTH INDEX
NOVEMBER  2010

CANADA

British Columbia

City of North Vancouver

426/428 East 1st Street, "High on the Hill", Friday, November 12, 2010.
362 East 12th Street, "Pumpkin on the Porch", Monday, November 29, 2010.

252/254 East 19th Street, "Tire Swing", Monday, November 1, 2010.

303 East 26th Street, "Red Maple Leaves", Monday,  November 7, 2010.
83 Chesterfield Avenue, "1904 Gross House", Wednesday, November 24, 2010.
788 Copping Street, "No Demolition Necessary", Friday, November 26, 2010.

Foot of Lonsdale Ave., "Burrard Dry Dock #4 and #10", November 5, 2010.

1849 Larson Road, "Two Streets for One", Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

430/432 West 6th Street, "Doors of Green and Brown", Wed., Nov. 10, 2010.
735 West 15th Street, "Certiwood", Monday, November 15, 2010.

415 West 16th Street, "The Spence House", Tuesday, November 9, 2010.

North Vancouver District

527 North Dollarton Highway, "Naas Family-40 Years", Monday, Nov. 22, 2010.

2895 Edgemont Blvd., "The Reverend's House", Tuesday, November 16, 2010.

3945 Lynn Valley Road, "One Block From Lynn Canyon Park", Wed., 11/3/ 2010. 1101 Prospect Avenue, "An Independent Woman", Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010.

3601 Mount Seymour Parkway, "Triumvirate on Mount Seymour Blvd.",

              Wednesday, November 17, 2010.

3515 Mount Seymour Parkway, "The House in the Middle",

             Thurs., Nov. 18/2010.
3633 Mount Seymour Parkway, "Watt on the Corner", Friday, Nov. 19, 2010.
1340 Sunnyside Drive, "That's Jack London's Place", Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010.

UNITED STATES
California

California, Saturday Travel Feature, "The Getty Center", Brentwood,

                 Los Angeles, California.

Washington

127 Twelfth Avenue, Sunday Church Feature, St. John's Episcopal Cathedral,

                     Spokane, Washington.

418 Evans Street, Sunday Travel Feature, "Community United Methodist      

                     Church", Leavenworth, Washington, Sunday, November 14, 2010.
514 Jefferson Street, Thanksgiving, "Celebrating With Jefferson," Spokane,
                    Washington, Thursday, November 25, 2010.

Front Street, Saturday Travel Feature, "The Gazebo", Leavenworth,

                     Washington, Saturday, November 5, 2010.

East End of Front Street, Saturday Travel Feature, "Festhalle", Leavenworth,

                     Washington, Saturday, November 13, 2010.

South of Front Street, Sunday Travel Feature, "St. Joseph Catholic Church",

                     Leavenworth, Washington, Sunday, November 6, 2010.

England

Thames River, Saturday Travel Feature, "Henley-on-Thames",  

                  Saturday, November 20, 2010.

France

Paris, Sunday Church Feature, "Notre-Dame Cathedral", Sunday,

                  November 21, 2010.

Saturday Travel Features

California, Saturday Travel Feature, "The Getty Center", Brentwood,

                 Los Angeles, California.

England, Thames River, Saturday Travel Feature, "Henley-on-Thames",  

                 Saturday, November 20, 2010.

Washington, Front Street, Saturday Travel Feature, "The Gazebo",
                Leavenworth, Washington, Saturday, November 5, 2010.

Washington, East End of Front Street, Saturday Travel Feature, "Festhalle",
                     Leavenworth,  Washington, Saturday, November 12, 2010.

Sunday Church Features

Washington, Below Front Street, "St. Joseph Catholic Church",Leavenworth,
                     Washington, Sunday, November 7, 2010.Washington, 127 Twelfth Avenue, Sunday Church Feature, "St. John's

                     Episcopal  Cathedral", Spokane, Washington, Sunday,
                     November 28, 2010.
Paris, Sunday Church Feature, "Notre-Dame Cathedral", Sunday,

                  November 21, 2010.

Washington, 418 Evans Street, Sunday Church Feature, "Community United
                     Methodist  Church", Leavenworth, Washington, Sunday,
                     November 14, 2010.

Special Feature

Remembrance Day, "The Wall", Thursday, November 11, 2010.
Thanksgiving, "Celebrating With Jefferson," Spokane, Washington, Thursday,
                    November 25, 2010.

Photo: "Engagement Rings" taken in Stanley Park Christmas 2006 by SW.

Link: http://vancouver.ca/parks/arts/sculpture_biennale.htm

Monday, November 29, 2010

Pumpkin on the Porch

The house on the corner of East 12th Street and Ridgeway Avenue had a pumpkin standing guard on the corner of its porch.  This grey stucco house at 362 East 12th Street is not listed in the Building Permit Book or the 1950 City Directory at the North Vancouver Archives. However, it was listed in the 1960 City Directory.  The owners were William F. and Margaret H. Cocks.  William Cocks worked as a ticket agent for the Black Ball Ferries.  In 2009 the Black Ball Ferries celebrated their 50th anniversary.

"In 1959, Black Ball Transport, Inc. built an auto and passenger ferry, naming it the M.V. Coho, after the magnificent silver salmon found in Puget Sound and adjacent waters. Philip F. Spaulding and Associates of Seattle designed the vessel, and her keel was laid January 12, 1959 at the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle. She made her first commercial sailing to Victoria, B.C. on December 29, 1959. Initially, the M.V. Coho not only serviced the Port Angeles to Victoria vehicle and passenger route, but also carried freight trucks between Seattle, Port Angeles, Port Townsend and Victoria for Black Ball Freight Service. In 1973, Black Ball Freight Service was sold to ROCOR International, but Black Ball Transport, Inc. has continued to operate the M.V. Coho on the Port Angeles to Victoria vehicle and passenger route to this day. " (See Link 2.)

By 1971 Eugene B. and Carol L. Terrillon were the owners of 362 East 12th Street.  The Terrillon family continued to be listed as the owner of the house at least until the 1995/1996 City Directory.   In 1980, 1991 and 1995/1996 the owners were Eugene and Gloria Terrilon. (Note Spelling.) In 1971, 1980, and 1991,  EugeneTerrillon/Terrilon  was employed as a bridgeman at B.C. Government Highways

Public notice of a public hearing on November 15, 2010  considered the amendment to Zoning Bylaw 1995 #6700 to reclassify the property from "One-Unit Residential 1" to "Comprehensive Development 596". ( NSNews  10/10/2010)  This  will allow the existing corner lot to be divided into two equal lots with a single family house on each.  The house closest to the corner will also have an accessory secondary suite. (See Link 1.)

Photo: Taken in November 2010 by SW.

Link 1: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6aK4mjoeGfgJ:www.cnv.org/c//DATA/1/155/2010%252004%252014.DOC+362+East+12th+Street,+NOrth+Vancouver&cd=3&hl=en

Link 2: http://cohoferry.com/main/?history

Sunday Church Feature
St. John's Episcopal Cathedral
Spokane, Washington

St. John's Episcopal Cathedral at 127 Twelfth Avenue commands the escartment south of the downtown area of Spokane.  Its spires and carillon bells are  beacons to the Christian community throughout the city.

"Notice the large rose window over the west entrance as it changes colors with the varying light of day."(See photo above.) (Reference.)

West entrance

"Often called the finest cathedral in the North west because of its beauty and authenticity, this Gothic-style cathedral was constructed between the years 1926 and 1954. Architect Harold C. Whitehouse adhered strictly to the principles of Gothic design in construction in this "labor of love".  Mr. Whitehouse worshipped here every Sunday until his death.  The solid masonry tower, which houses a carillon, stands 166 feet above the cathedral floor.  The interior is well worth a  tour." (Reference.)

Sanctuary

"The Cathedral organ is an instrument of generous size and genuine majesty representative of the finest period of cathedral organ design in America. It consists of three divisions and pedals plus a gallery division, over 4,000 pipes. It is installed in two chambers high above the entrance from the crossing to the chancel, with four ranks and the state trumpets mounted above the balcony at the west end of the Cathedral. The organ was designed, built and installed by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston, builders of the most notable pipe organs in America. In 2000, the console underwent major renovation and received new keyboards, drawknobs, digital combination action and digital control for all the pipework, performed by Marceau and Associates Pipe Organ Builders of Portland, Oregon.

"It is rare indeed for a city the size of Spokane to have a carillon at all, much less one as fine as this. The carillon in the tower of Washington National Cathedral, also cast and installed by Taylor and Sons, has only four more bells, 53 instead of 49." (See Link.)

One of a pair of front doors

Reference: Spokane's Historic Architecture, 1977.

Photos: Taken in October 2010 by SW.

Link: http://www.stjohns-cathedral.org/about/about_index.php

Saturday Travel Feature

The Getty Center
Brentwood, Los Angeles, California

"The purchase of the land upon which the Center is located -- a campus of 24 acres (97,000 m²) on a 110-acre (0.45 km²) site in the Santa Monica Mountains above Interstate 405, surrounded by 600 acres (2.4 km²) kept in a natural state -- was announced in 1983^[4]. The top of the hill is 900 feet (270 m) above I-405, high enough that on a clear day it is possible to see not only the Los Angeles skyline but also the San Bernardino Mountains to the east as well as the Pacific Ocean to the west^[5][6].

"In 1984, Richard Meier was chosen to be the architect of the Center^[7]. After an extensive conditional-use permit process,^[4] construction began in August 1989.^[8]The construction was significantly delayed, with the planned completion date moved from 1988 to 1995 (as of 1990)^[9]. By 1995, however, the campus was described as only "more than halfway complete".^[4]The Center finally opened to the public on December 16, 1997.^[3][10] Although the total project cost was estimated to be $350 million as of 1990^[9], it was later estimated to be $1.3 billion.^{[11]"  (See Link.)}

"USGS satellite image of the Getty Center. The complex of buildings at bottom right is the Museum. In addition, "a circular building to the west of the Central Garden houses the Getty Research Institute.... Two buildings to the north and east of the Arrival Plaza house the Getty Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the J. Paul Getty Trust administration offices."^[1] Microsoft Virtual Earth view of the Center at a different angle." (See Link.)



"The architect Richard Meier has exploited the two naturally occurring ridges (which diverge at a 22.5 degree angle) by overlaying two grids along these axes. These grids serve to define the space of the campus while dividing the import of the buildings on it. Along one axis lie the galleries and along the other axis lie the administrative buildings. The primary grid structure is a 30-inch (760 mm) square; most wall and floor elements are 30-inch (760 mm) squares or some derivative thereof. The buildings at the Getty Center are made from concrete and steel with either travertine or aluminium cladding.^[1]

"Throughout the campus, numerous fountains provide white noise as a background. The initial design has remained intact, however benches and fences have been installed around the plaza fountains to discourage visitors from wading into the pools... The north promontory is anchored by a circular grass area which serves as a heliport in case of emergencies, and the south promontory is anchored by a succulent plant and cactus garden. (See top photo.)The museum has a seven-story deep underground parking garage with over 1,200 parking spaces. An automated three-car, cable-pulled tram takes passengers to and from the museum.

"The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum on display at the Getty Center includes "pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs"^[2]." (Link.)

Photos: Top photo of roof top of the south promontory taken in  1998 by SW.  Extensive sattelite photo of complex by Wikipedia in Link.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getty_Center

Friday, November 26, 2010

No Demolition Necessary

Looking down from the arched Fell Avenue bridge leading to the North Vancouver Auto Mall you can see a large vacant field to the east.   This area at 788 Copping Street is bordered on the north side by the train tracks. (Note freight train in photo above.) 

If the amendment to the zoning bylaw was approved at the November 15th meeting of the City Counsel, the lot will be vacant no more.  Harbourside Landing Ltd./Bunting Coady Architects has plans for three buildings on this property.  It will be an Industrial Park with retail stores and a caretaker's suite.  The total development area of the three buildings will be 63,030 square feet.  One hundred motor vehicle surface parking stalls and 25 bicycle parking stalls are proposed. (NSNews, 10/10/10.)

Col. J. P. Fell NVMA Photo #9826, 191_

Fell Street on the western border of the 788 Copping Street lot was named for land developer and organizer of North Vancouver's  WWI Sixth Field Company of Canadian Engineers, James Pemberton Fell.  (See photo above.)  The Armoury on Mahon Avenue is also named for him. (The Ambitious City.)

The foot of Fell Street and the Fell Street Fill  runs from below the train tracks to Burrard Inlet.  In 1933 it was the site of the M B King Sawmill and the Pressure  Pipe Factory.   In the 1940's there was also a British Empire factory addition, building of Canadian Mixermobile office and storage shed, and building of the Kavanagh MP Soap Factory.  Since the year 2000 it has become the site of the North Shore Auto Mall, several office buildings, and a school.  There are still a few large vacant lots waiting for development at Fell and the waterfront.

Photo: Of 788 Copping Street taken in November 2010 by SW.

              Of James Pemberton Fell, The Ambitious City, by Warren Sommer,

              page 124.

Link: http://www.cnv.org/attach/2010%2010%2025%20item%2007%20attach%2004.pdf

Link 2: http://wiki.worldflicks.org/jp_fell_armoury_-_39_combat_engineering_regiment.html#coords=(49.322531,-123.08529)&z=19