Last Thursday evening, the GHG met for its November meeting. It was another conversation full of interest, with a good turn our and new people attending. In brief, we discussed: 1872 Parker Street. Craig Ollenberger gave a history of the last few years of Brookhouse, leading to the current situation where we will almost certainly … Continue reading Meeting Notes: November 2013
Category: Streets
Meeting Notes: October
Excellent meeting last night with a number of new people in attendance, including two from Mount Pleasant who have been inspired to start a heritage group in their neighbourhood -- that's what we want to see all over the City! There were a number of interesting items on the agenda: We started with an announcement … Continue reading Meeting Notes: October
1872 Parker Street
As many of will recall, we were lucky enough to have a tour of the interior of Brookhouse at 1872 Parker some while ago. This was just after a new owner had decided to move ahead with an HRA for the property. Unfortunately, that project had difficuties and the current owner is seeking a demolition … Continue reading 1872 Parker Street
Business Development on Commercial Drive
It is very pleasant to see our work used as the basis of a story in Spacing Vancouver: The article in question is part of Erick Villagomez's series "Cartographically Speaking" and uses material that was originally presented at one of our meetings about a year or so ago. Erick is a good friend of GHG … Continue reading Business Development on Commercial Drive
Meeting Notes: July 2013
A good turnout of enthusiasts spent one of the hottest summer evenings last night in the cool of the Britannia Boardroom, discussing a wide range of heritage and historical topics: We began by patting ourselves on the back for the organization and success of the Shelly's Sign Party in June. Especial thanks were given to … Continue reading Meeting Notes: July 2013
The green house next to The Cultch
After a hiatus of a couple of years, I've begun to take my sketchbook out into the city looking for derelicts – looking for pending change. One place that's been on my mind is the house at 1885 Venables that was used as rehearsal and administration space next door to The Cultch. The house was … Continue reading The green house next to The Cultch
The 900-Block Commercial east side
A group of us were at Zawa's the other night, after the Heritage Awards, relaxing over food and beers, when the conversation turned to the short one-storey flat-roofed building that sat at Commercial & Venables until it burned down at the end of the 1990s. It seemed that most of us had memories of one … Continue reading The 900-Block Commercial east side
Shelly’s 4X sign restored!
Kudos all round for the completion of the project to restore the unique Shelly's sign on the side of Via Tevere restaurant at Victoria and William. The owners of the restaurant paid the lion's share of the costs; our Neighbourhood Small Grant will cover the balance of the materials costs, and we have money in … Continue reading Shelly’s 4X sign restored!
The Bentholme Building
Those residents of Grandview who have been here for more than, say, seventy years might remember that the north west corner of First & Commercial was the site of the Grandview School of Commerce. Since the mid-1980s,this has been the site of Il Mercarto Mall, which is how most people think of it.However, from the … Continue reading The Bentholme Building
Notes From The February Meeting
We had a busy, lively and highly productive meeting on Thursday last. The Centenary Birthday House project: We are still exploring options for permanent signs for the Centenary House campaign. These will be offered to those houses that were celebrated in 2012. We followed up on our walk for the 2013 campaign, and will finish … Continue reading Notes From The February Meeting
Notes For The Early History of Rose And Lily Streets
Lily and Rose Streets are two of the most interesting oddities of Grandview, being “off the grid” of the surrounding streets. No doubt they were a function of lot-splitting at some early date. In August 1907, well-known local auctioneer J.J. Miller and 9 other local residents wrote to Vancouver Council’s Board of Works in regards … Continue reading Notes For The Early History of Rose And Lily Streets
Notes from the January Meeting
On Thursday evening we had a grand turnout for our monthly meeting. It was, I believe, the largest gathering of its kind that we've had. There were lively discussions about a wide range of topics. We began by discussing the Heritage Workshop put on by the Community Planners that many of us had attended during … Continue reading Notes from the January Meeting
1500-Block Grant Street
In an earlier post, I had discussed James Guinet who began work in our neighbourhood by building himself a family home at 1556 Grant Street. Now, through the generosity of James Guinet's grand-daughter, we have a photograph of that house taken just after it was built in 1909. Those of you who know the neighbourhood … Continue reading 1500-Block Grant Street
Meeting Notes: October
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
James Guinet: A Builder of Grandview
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
The Wealthy Barber and The Tin Man
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
Commercial Drive Photographers
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
The Encyclopedia of Commercial Drive
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."
Brookhouse: The Interior
The building at 1872 Parker Street, on the south west corner of Victoria Drive, is a fine example of the Queen Anne style popular in the Grandview neighbourhood. It was built in 1909, probably for George N. Jordan, a realtor who lived there until 1916. The house is known locally as Brookhouse, named for a … Continue reading Brookhouse: The Interior
Who Lived Here In 1911 (Part 2)
Back in May, I posted a first analysis of the 179 individuals who were counted as living on Park Drive (later known as Commercial Drive) at the time of the census in 1911. In this second part, I'll take a look at immigration patterns, employment, wages and the position of women. Of the 179 people, … Continue reading Who Lived Here In 1911 (Part 2)
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