On Remembrance Day 1930, the flagstaff and cairn to the memory of the Grandview lads who had fallen in the First War were dedicated in Grandview Park by Archbishop DePencier. The memorial had been the idea of Catherine Bufton who, with her husband Hubert, ran the very popular Bufton’s Florists on the Drive. She had … Continue reading Remembrance Day 1930
As part of the ongoing Grandview Woodland Community Plan exercise, the Grandview Heritage Group has submitted a 14-page document to City Planners regarding the protection and enhancement of heritage buildings in our neighbourhood. Note that 50% of all buildings in Grandview were built prior to 1929: Grandview is heritage. The Executive Summary for this document … Continue reading Heritage and the Community Plan
Even the torrential rain couldn't keep us away from the latest meeting of the Grandview Heritage Group last night! We began by reviewing the latest news on rezoning following Council's approval of the recommendations from the Mayor's Task Force of Housing Affordability. There was a spirited and articulate discussion that noted the economics of the … Continue reading Meeting Notes: October
On October 21st, famed guide Maurce Guibord will take us on a unique history walk. As he describes it: Let's head for the tracks! A tour of Grandview, but downhill all the way. On the slope leading down to the railway tracks, we'll see how urban development created a still-changing environment. Among other sites, … Continue reading Come Walk Commercial Drive’s Western Slope
At our September meeting we discussed the wonderful "Little Theatre" sign that has emerged on the York Theatre's south wall, and we agreed to write to the architects and developers in an attempt to preserve this important artifact of our cultural and community past. We have now heard back from the architects and Don Luxton … Continue reading York Theatre Sign
Between 1908 and 1912, during the boom that essentially created Grandview, James Guinet was responsible for building at least 45 houses in the community, and probably more. But only the barest of facts are known about him. These are notes for a biography of what might be one of the most important figures of Grandview's … Continue reading James Guinet: A Builder of Grandview
We had a splendidly full and interesting meeting last night. Michael Kluckner led a discussion about how best we can approach the preservation of historic signs in Grandview. These would include the Shelly's sign at the Via Tevere Pizza restaurant on Victoria, and the Cozy Apartments sign on Commercial. It was noted that there are … Continue reading Meeting Notes — September
Just the other day I was standing on Commercial Drive looking across at two of my favourite buildings which are in the centre of the east side of the 1600-block. The building on the left is the Odlin Block and the building on the right is the Rodway Block. My interest was piqued because these … Continue reading The Wealthy Barber and The Tin Man
Our Centenary Birthday Signs received good coverage in the Georgia Straight this week.
In a previous post about photographs, I mentioned that the Drive had rarely been without a photographer and associated services. Following up, here is a list of all those artists and stores from the founding of Commercial Drive through to 1999: Philip Timms (1912) Merchants Photo Co. (1912) Grandview Studio (1915-1918) Vancouver Photo Finishing (1921-1978) … Continue reading Commercial Drive Photographers
When the Rodway Building was erected in 1911 for tinsmith Joseph Rodway at 1618-1620 Commercial, the suites upstairs quickly became popular. They were sometimes known as the Rodway Apartments but, more usually, they were called the Cozy Corner (or just Cozy) Apartments. The name was no longer used in the City Directories after about 1942 … Continue reading The Cozy Apartments
One of the items we are most proud of here at the Grandview Heritage Group is the unrivaled collection of historical photographs of the neighbourhood that we are happy to display as the Pictorial History of Grandview. But there must be many more, probably in family albums and personal collections. The history of Grandview overlaps … Continue reading Building Our History
At our last meeting, we firmed up our plans for a series of walks and talks on the history and heritage of Grandview during the fall and winter season. Here are some brief details for you to fill out your calendar: Saturday, September 15th at 2pm: Bruce Macdonald will conduct a walking tour of the … Continue reading Grandview Walks and Talks
Here is a useful starter collection of books on historic building preservation and conservation issued by the (U.S) National Trust For Historic Preservation. (Note additional entries in the comments).
The prestigious BC Studies journal has published a review of "The Encyclopedia of Commercial Drive", calling it "a valuable research source for creating feature articles, documentaries, or even historical fiction or film treatments. This is an all-purpose resource that will benefit many in the years to come."
This morning we formally launched our Centenary Birthday Signs campaign in front of the wonderful series of 1912 houses on the south east corner of First and Victoria. Twenty-five or more local residents -- including a number of owners whose heritage houses now sport our signs -- helped us celebrate the glorious heritage houses that … Continue reading The Birthday Signs Launch!
We had a splendid meeting last night, with a welcome number of new faces appearing to add their insights and opinions. Much of our time was spent dealing with housekeeping matters to do with the Centenary Birthday Signs launch on Saturday morning. We will kick off smartly at 10am with a short speech about 1912 … Continue reading Meeting Notes — August
The Courier has written a very nice piece about our Birthday Signs campaign launch (and includes the picture above of Penny Street and a house with our sign).
In recognition of the heritage-rich character of the Grandview neighbourhood, the Grandview Heritage Group (GHG) is officially launching its Centenary Houses celebration campaign at 10:00 am on Saturday 18th August with a sign-posting and birthday cake event at 1710 and 1718 Victoria Drive, just south of 1st Avenue. The public is warmly invited to attend. … Continue reading Centenary Birthday Signs Campaign Release
Our member historian Bruce Macdonald is featured in a documentary about the famous hollow tree in Stanley Park and the efforts made to save it against the Park Board's decision to chop it down. The documentary is being shown on Knowledge Network tonight at 10pm and is repeated on Thursday at 11pm. Well worth watching!
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