Meeting Notes

We had a marvelous meeting last night, with lively discussion on a wide range of topics. These included: our Centenary Signs project (the signs will be ready next week); the age of the buildings on the 1200-block Lakewood Drive (1909 and 1910); wallpaper stylings in early heritage homes; the large number of "party hats" (or … Continue reading Meeting Notes →

Widening Commercial Drive

In an earlier post, we described how the Brandon Block on Commercial Drive was pushed back by seven feet when the street was widened in 1913. Further to that, I have now found the Local Improvement Schedule that includes the widening. The Schedule was published on 18th October 1911 and called for the widening of … Continue reading Widening Commercial Drive →

The Jeffs House Moves Again

I am reliably informed that the Jeffs House currently being renovated at Charles & Salsbury will be settled on its new foundations tomorrow. Might be fun to watch!

Commercial Drive History Tour

Thanks to everyone who came out for the history tour of Commercial Drive yesterday morning. It was great fun, we raised a little bit of money for our centenary birthday signs project, and we had a good time. Thanks again for your support! And don''t forget Michael Kluckner's walk through Grandview next month.

The King and Queen Visit Grandview

In the late spring of 1939, as the political situation in Europe darkened and war with Germany became inevitable, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured Canada by train to meet their subjects and bolster the bonds of Empire From small-town whistle stops on the Prairies to bustling cities coast to coast, eager crowds cheered, … Continue reading The King and Queen Visit Grandview →

Who Lived Here In 1911? (part 1)

I have spent more than a few days recently with my head in the Canada Census for 1911. The original census takers' sheets are now available on line (I'll have more to say on that at the end of this post.) and it is possible to build up a fairly detailed picture of the pioneers … Continue reading Who Lived Here In 1911? (part 1) →

Before Lily Street Was Named

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. I have found what may be one of the first mentions of "Lily Street". In August 1907, famous local auctioneer J.J. Miller … Continue reading Before Lily Street Was Named →

Grandview’s Historic Elms Win Recognition

The stretch of elms that runs along 6th Avenue in the nine-block stretch between Woodland Drive and Nanaimo Street has been recognized by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation as one of the 125 Places That Matter, celebrating the city's 125th anniversary. We are told that the elms received the third largest number of votes out of … Continue reading Grandview’s Historic Elms Win Recognition →

Commercial Drive Walking Tour: June 9th

Historian Jak King will conduct a two-hour guided walk along Commercial Drive from Venables Street to Second Avenue. He will identify and discuss many of the heritage buildings along the route and relate stories of the people and businesses that occupied them. Meet up on the southeast corner of Venables & Commercial at 9:45am Saturday … Continue reading Commercial Drive Walking Tour: June 9th →

The Alvarado Block

The Alvarado Block, which still dominates the corner at Commercial & Graveley, opened for business one hundred years ago in 1912. Owners J.Y. Griffin and J.M. Brown received a building permit on the 7th April 1911 and they hired architects Townsend & Townsend to design a $16,000 three-storey brick edifice with stores and apartments. Townsend … Continue reading The Alvarado Block →

How Grand View Was Sold

In 1903 and 1904, Grandview (or "Grand View" as it was generally called then) was being opened, with uncleared lots being offered in dribs and drabs in the early months, and then in a rush as 1904 began. By early 1904, one particular realtor -- Dow, Fraser & Co. -- seemed to have cornered the … Continue reading How Grand View Was Sold →

Historic Victoria Drive Building Unveils 1920s Ad Mural and New Tenant

On Friday evening, March 23, 2012, Dominic and Giorgio Morra's Via Tevere PIzzeria Napoletana opened for business, clearly a unique local business and a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. It actually gives the neighbourhood a whole new feel after the vacant, run down storefront that was there for about a decade. And thanks again to … Continue reading Historic Victoria Drive Building Unveils 1920s Ad Mural and New Tenant →

Brookhouse Looks Safe

The wonderful century-old Queen Anne heritage building at the corner of Victoria & Parker -- known as Brookhouse from a doctor who lived there in earlier times -- seems to be heading safely into the future. The new owners have applied for an HRA which will renovate and maintain the house. Their application with drawings … Continue reading Brookhouse Looks Safe →

Moving the Jeffs House

Regular readers will know that we have given coverage to the current renovation project of the Jeffs House at Charles & Salsbury. Now thanks to Jason Vanderhill we have a couple of videos covering the moving of the house. The first video shows the preparation of the house for the move. The second video shows … Continue reading Moving the Jeffs House →

Power, Energy, Change & Continuity

Today is the first day of Heritage Week. In BC, the theme is Power and Energy. In celebration, thereof, I offer this 1950 image of BC Electric workers fixing a power pole at Grant & Commercial (VPL 81076):Here is the same corner, Grant & Commercial, looking northwest in 2011:The first thing I notice is just … Continue reading Power, Energy, Change & Continuity →

Moving The Jeffs House: more images

Thanks to Jason Vanderhill, here are more images of the moving of the Jeffs House: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmv/sets/72157629280733019/

Grandview Theatre — 100 Years Ago Today

On February 12th, 1912, Thomas Shiels opened the Grandview Theatre movie house at 1712 Commercial. It is the white-arched building in the middle of this image. The building permit had been dated 10th October 1910, with J.J. Donellan as architect and Jones & Purvis as builders. In his opening advertizing in the Western Call, Shiels … Continue reading Grandview Theatre — 100 Years Ago Today →

All Ramped Up …

... and ready to go. Here is the Jeffs House jacked up on rollers just before it was moved across the site at Charles & Salsbury.

Northwest from Victoria Park, c. 1920

Here's a photo looking northwest over Victoria Park from the top of Edward Odlum’s landmark 135-foot flagpole at the corner of Grant and Victoria Drive, c. 1920. [E. F. Odlum photo, courtesy of Ruth Raymond]

4th & Commercial: 1912

In August 1911, T.A. Allan and his brother received a building permit to erect a three-storey brick apartment building on the corner of Commercial & Fourth Avenue. In the previous two years, the Allan Brothers had erected large buildings at 1872 Barclay, 1460 Bute, 1860 Comox and 3216 E. First. By the spring of 1912, … Continue reading 4th & Commercial: 1912 →