In May 1924, John Thomas Guy, a 40-year old Englishman, arrived in Vancouver seeking a site for his dream of building a piano making factory. After a brief exploration, he met with the Board of Trade and announced himself impressed with the possibilities, and noting that most of the materials he would need were available … Continue reading Commercial Drive’s Own Piano Man
A joint meeting of the Grandview Rate-Payers Association and the Parent-Teacher Association held at the Grandview Dancing Academy was told by the principal, H.B. Fitch, that attendance at Grandview School had jumped from 330 to 650 pupils. The school was seriously overcrowded. The principal urged everyone to get behind a new School Board By-law that … Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today in Grandview #22
The Belmont Building at 1433-37 Commercial is architecturally unique on the Drive, with the open archway between the two bays. The lot was owned by Mrs Gamble and she paid $265 to Wylie & Ross to have a small shack-like store erected here from 1904. In 1912, major Grandview developer James Guinet purchased the property … Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today in Grandview, #19
. At a meeting on Friday 28th September 1923, the members and supporters of the Little Theatre approved "with much enthusiasm" the purchase of the Palace Theatre, 637 Commercial Drive. Built in 1913 as the Alcazar, it is now the York Theatre. For the previous two years, the Little Theatre -- described as "a true … Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today in Grandview, #15
. On August 4th, 1923, J.B. Elliogolt was granted Building Permit A-6234 to erect "new stores" valued at $6,000 on the corner of Commercial and Grant. He delivered a fine building which, after a major renovation in 1975, continues to grace the street one hundred years later. Image: GoogleStreetMaps, June 2022.
. I have today uploaded a document called Inventory of Commercial Drive Buildings. It is, so far as I can make it, an accurate listing of every building that has ever been on Commercial Drive between Venables Street and 7th Avenue. Entries in boldface are buildings that exist today; those in plain type are no … Continue reading Inventory of Commercial Drive Buildings
. On Friday, 18th May 1923, John Y. Steel received a $3,000 building permit for a new store at 1544 Commercial. Steel had operated a dry goods business at 1584 Commercial since 1918. This image from 1922 shows the empty lot beside the corner block. Steel had moved into his new building by the spring … Continue reading 100 Years Ago Today in Grandview, #9
. It was a big day for Grandview -- January 29th, 1923 -- as the Grandview Theatre debuted its brand-new $15,000 orchestral organ. It was, they said, "the last word in organs." You got all this, plus a Jackie Coogan feature, for just 30 cents!
. In 1890, the boostering land owners of Vancouver and New Westminster -- backed by their respective mayors and financial elites -- decided it had become necessary to link the two cities by means of an electric interurban railroad. One contemporary observer later confided that "there was a strong suspicion in many minds" that an … Continue reading The Drive 1890s: False Start
. In the beginning there was forest, where the local indigenous peoples hunted deer and other animals for untold generations. But then the settlers arrived and much of the rolling hills east of the new city of Vancouver had been granted to the Hastings Mill Company as a timber lease in 1870. They paid a … Continue reading The Drive: In The Beginning
Visitors and locals alike often wonder why Commercial Drive south of First Avenue -- a wide arterial road -- is different than the northern half which is narrower and more intimate. The reason goes back more than 110 years and it all had to do with political intrigue in the Balkans. Like many streets in … Continue reading The Widening of Commercial Drive
It was the spring of 1949 and Commercial Drive -- after two long decades of Depression and War -- was reveling in the first flush of postwar prosperity: the stores were full and people finally had money to spend. No doubt, it was this very prosperity that drew Robert Harrison to the corner of First … Continue reading Shoot Out At First & Commercial
In the summer of 1913, the part of Commercial Drive south of First Avenue was being widened. This expansion took place after a number of major buildings had already been erected on that route since 1910, some of which were in the way of the new road. This inconvenient fact was not allowed to stand … Continue reading Moving A Building On Commercial Drive
We had another interesting meeting last Thursday. Thanks to our logistics wizard Eric and others we weren't thrown too much by a last minute change of venue. Donato gave an illustrated report on the refurbishment of a heritage fireplace in the oldest house in Grandview; Eric presented some fascinating material on the use of bricks … Continue reading Notes From The March Meeting
In the most recent Changes On The Drive, I reported that the building at 1301 Commercial, which most of us these days know as the Wonderbucks Building, is now for sale after lying empty for more than a year. The building has a fascinating history which I thought I might relate here. The Fraser family … Continue reading The Wonderbucks Building
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day when we celebrate our veterans. It seems an apt time therefore to look at how our newly-painted Legion Hall at 6th & Commercial came to be. The story is told through the pages of our local newspaper, "The Highland Echo". ***** Branch 179 of the Royal Canadian Legion was founded in … Continue reading Building The Legion Hall
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
Here is an interesting post from Scout magazine about the architects Townsend & Townsend and the "diapering" design they became known for during the golden age of Vancouver building before the First World War. Although they are not mentioned in the article, the Drive has three Townsend & Townsend buildings, none of which have the … Continue reading Townsend & Townsend
Another good gathering last Thursday, and more fascinating discussions. We looked at various property assemblies being created in the south end of the neighbourhood; we also noted the falling state of the RE market; and then we were still surprised to find 1976 still priced at less than $1 million; There was a fine discussion … Continue reading Meeting Notes: November
Anyone who knows Commercial Drive knows Joe's Cafe on the corner of William Street. It is an unprepossessing single-storey flat-roofed structure, not unlike many other similar buildings along the Drive. This one has been that way since Harry Evans had it built in 1910: Building Permit issued 9th November 1910 Owner: Harry Evans Architect: Townshend … Continue reading What Might Have Been
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