. At the last monthly meeting of the Grandview Heritage Group, Jak presented his research on an early church in Grandview. The following is a version of that presentation (1). This story began with a mystery. In the 1905 Vancouver City Directory, there are just a few listings for Park Drive, the original name of … Continue reading A Church, Lost and Found
It was another lively meeting last Thursday, with a wide range of topics discussed. After introductions, Eric took us through a 1967 Beaver Kit houses brochure. The brochure loudly proclaimed the use of Zonolite insulation which, today, is the cause of much asbestos distress for those seeking to renovate their older houses; We discussed the … Continue reading Meeting Notes: April 2018
The GHG had another interesting meeting last night, covering a wide range of topics: We discussed arrangements for the plaque to be placed at 1350 Graveley to recognise it as the oldest still-extant house in Grandview. The unveiling will take place near the end of July (date to be confirmed) when a number of the … Continue reading Notes From The June Meeting
We had another great turnout for our first meeting of the year last night, and we managed to cover a great deal of ground. Eric began with his regular What's Happening in the Neighbourhood review The Cultch's Green House on Venables appears to be occupied now after an excellent program of renovation and restoration; The … Continue reading Meeting Notes: January 2017
While researching the previous post, I came across this image of the Methodist Church at Venables and Victoria. The quality of the image is not great (old newspaper + microfilm + online) but I am sure this is the earliest image of the church as it was taken before the dedication ceremony in March 1909, … Continue reading Venables and Victoria
Our February meeting ranged over a number of topics: • Cynthia Low, the ED of Britannia Community Services Centre, attended the meeting to ask whether GHG would be willing to coordinate a research project on the history of First Peoples in the Grandview area. It would involve consultation with Elders, a review of historic documentation, … Continue reading Notes from the February 18th meeting
A friend sent me the link to the Blizzy63 Photostream, which is a feast of old postcards from around the province. I was interested to see images of St. Francis of Assisi monastery and church at Semlin and Napier, in the distinctive hand-tinted photographic format with cursive lettering of photographer Frank Gowen. I'd believed that … Continue reading Postcards of St. Francis of Assisi
On Thursday evening last, Fr. Eugenio, pastor of the St. Francis of Assisi parish in Grandview, very kindly invited a group of GHG members and friends to the Church on Napier Street where he took us on a tour of both the church and the rectory where he lives. In the early 1920s, Franciscan monks … Continue reading Tour of St. Francis Church and Rectory
Here's a photo, by Connie Minogue, of the group on the walk on Saturday morning in front of the monastery/manse of St. Francis of Assisi Church at Semlin and Napier. Thanks to everyone who came out and contributed to the financing of our Century House Signs project, which will be launched soon.
(This is an excerpt from the recently published Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years [Whitecap Books]. The photographs are from The History of Saint Francis Parish, Vancouver, published in 1959) The Franciscan Monastery, its front porch closed in, on Semlin at Napier in the 1950s There are just a handful of places in … Continue reading St. Francis of Assisi church and the Italian community
A large part of the iconic 1908/c.1921 Robertson Presbyterian Church (and from 1978-2011 a Fijian Hindu temple and cultural centre) will be demolished to make room for a ten-unit housing development on the corner of Napier and Salsbury. The south-facing wing and the west-pointing lean-to will be torn down. The remaining BC Mills Timber & … Continue reading Robertson Presbyterian Church Development
In this era of metal theft and high copper prices, it's wonderful to see the new copper steeple atop the St. Francis of Assisi Church on Napier at Semlin. The church dates from 1938; Franciscan monks had used the grand old house adjoining it as a monastery beginning about 1924. The monastery evolved into a … Continue reading New copper steeple at St. Francis of Assisi
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