The one-and-a-half storey house at 1761 Grant was built under a $2,250 building permit issued to W.H. Creitz at the beginning of January 1910. By May it was on the market, described as having seven rooms “with every up-to-date convenience built in.” It was “not an ordinary house; come and see it; if you see it, … Continue reading Drugs and Booze: The Rowdy History of 1761 Grant Street
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
We had another full house for the meeting yesterday evening, and as usual covered some fascinating topics. We began with a presentation from a group of residents concerned about a proposed 6-storey project in the 1500-block Grant Street (the presentation is covered in more detail here). There were many questions and responses seeking to clarify … Continue reading Notes From February Meeting
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
I am sure most readers will recall that last month we presented a plaque to Donato Calogero, the owner of 1350 Graveley, the oldest surviving house in Grandview. Donato's family also own the house next door, at 1358 Graveley, and it too has an interesting family history which has now been reported at the Vancouver … Continue reading 1358 Graveley
This afternoon, during a gathering at 1350 Graveley Street, we unveiled our plaque to the oldest surviving house in Grandview. Members of GHG were graciously welcomed by the Calogero family who have carefully maintained the house since the 1970s, and we were joined by neighbours, and descendants of the Wheeling family who built the house … Continue reading Great Day To Unveil A Plaque!
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
The GHG had another fine meeting last night, covering a diverse set of topics. During the 1940s and 1950s, oil heating was marketed across Canada, became a popular alternative, and many people had oil storage tanks buried in their yards. These days, the old tanks are considered a hazard and are generally removed, especially when … Continue reading Meeting Notes: May 2017
In June 1902, the Vancouver City authorities published a long list of the lots on which property taxes had not been paid (see, for example, "Vancouver Daily World," June 11, p.18). This list included the names of the last-known owner of each lot, making it a highly useful set of dta for the GV Database. … Continue reading A Connection To Nanaimo, V.I.
Another good turn out for our March meeting, and another good session of heritage and history talk. Heritage Renvation Issues: We were joined by Cynthia who owns a heritage house on Semlin. More than a decade ago, she built a sunroom on her deck and made some changes to the old cottage at the foot … Continue reading Meeting Notes: March 2017
Lakewood Drive is a thoroughly lovely residential street today. But that is not how some residents wanted it to be. "A petition signed by a large number of property-owners on Lakewood Drive is being presented to the B.C.E.R. [the streetcar company] for a carline on that thoroughfare, to parallel the Park [Commercial] Drive line and … Continue reading What Lakewood Drive Might Have Been
We had another well-attended and packed-with-news meeting on Thursday evening. Character House Review Javier Campos, president of Heritage Vancouver, gave a short presentation and initiated a dialogue about the City's new Character House Review process. Javier is opposed to what he considers "extreme" heritage preservation rules which, he believes, is forcing the city to push … Continue reading Meeting Notes from February
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
We had another fine gathering this evening. There was a short agenda but we managed to fill the time with interesting discussions. Eric presented his latest Neighbouthood Update. Land assembly is going on around Broadway and Garden in preparation for the changes allowed under the new Community Plan Work is continuing on the Green House … Continue reading Meeting Notes: October
At the last GHG meeting, we reported that Donato Calogero gave a wonderful presentation on the history of his house at 1350 Graveley Street. The research indicates that the house is almost certainly the oldest existing house in Grandview, having been moved twice in its 116 year life. Donato has graciously allowed us to include … Continue reading The House That Wouldn’t Fade
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