In today's edition of the Vancouver Courier, an edition featuring all sorts of stories about Grandview, there are two articles about the Group. One tells the tale of the restoration of the Shelly sign, and the other celebrates our 2013 City of Vancouver Heritage Award for Advocacy. Thanks to the Courier!
More History of the Waldorf Hotel
There is a fascinating article in the Vancouver Courier today containing an oral history of the Waldorf Hotel on East Hastings by Rick Mills, son of the founder. "There used be a lot more houses in the east end so people could walk home after a night at the Waldorf. But our main business was … Continue reading More History of the Waldorf Hotel
May 2013 Meeting Notes
We had fantastic turnout for our May 16th meeting, filling up the Board Room at Britannia, and we also worked through an ambitious agenda. All the signs for our 2013 Centenary Campaign have been installed and we had a celebratory party in Grandview Park to acknowledge this year's signs and the homeowners who agreed to … Continue reading May 2013 Meeting Notes
Grandview in 1945
Here is a map prepared by the City of Vancouver that shows almost all of Grandview in 1945. This image is constructed from two maps (343.10 and 343.11) in the City of Vancouver Archives collection. The series of maps is captioned as being "hand coloured to show tax sale property for sale, property with no … Continue reading Grandview in 1945
Birthday Party!
It was just the most perfect day for our Birthday Party in Grandview Park this afternoon. We had a great turnout, a fabulous cake, and a good tme was had by all!
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!
Improvements at City Archives
The good folks at City of Vancouver Archives have made a significant change to the ability of researchers to view digital objects: Until now, digital objects that were under the copyright of a 3rd party (other than City of Vancouver’s copyright) could only be viewed online as a tiny thumbnail. Now they can be viewed … Continue reading Improvements at City Archives
April Meeting Notes
We had another full and fascinating meeting of the Group last night, welcoming a number of first-time visitors. We began with a series of celebrations and good news. We have received confirmation that the Group has been selected for an Award of Merit for Heritage Advocacy in the 2013 City of Vancouver Heritage Awards. The … Continue reading April Meeting Notes
What Might Have Been
As I am sure most of you already know, the present boundaries of Grandview Woodland are Clark Drive to the west, the inlet to the north, Nanaimo Street on the east and Broadway to the south. These boundaries were established in the late 1960s. As local historian Bruce Macdonald has noted, the City has never … Continue reading What Might Have Been
Former Streams in Grandview
While researching through the old "Highland Echo" editions today, I came across this map of streams and creeks that had formerly traversed Grandview. Obviously I cannot verify the accuracy of this map. However, it was prepared by Roy Blunden of the Dept of Geological Sciences at UBC in preparation for a geological map of BC. … Continue reading Former Streams in Grandview
The Signs Are In Place!
Three of us piled into Penny's Mini this morning -- along with signs and stakes and letters to residents -- and terrorized the neighbourhood as we swept hither and thither from north to south, from Pandora to E. 7th, delivering and putting in place our 2013 Centenary Heritage signs. Here are a couple of examples … Continue reading The Signs Are In Place!
Online Resources for Researching the History of Your House
You can begin your research in your slippers and with a cup of tea, because there are good resources online. You might even find all you feel you need online. But once you start finding tantalizing tidbits of information, you will likely want to delve deeper; this will involve actually visiting the Archives or the VPL … Continue reading Online Resources for Researching the History of Your House
Notes From The March Meeting
Nineteen people jammed the Britannia boardroom for our latest meeting, including first-timers, some of whom had been contacted about hosting a centenary sign on their front lawn. The highlight was Eric Phillips's excellent talk on the esoterica of knob and tube wiring, early electrical codes and how Grandview houses fitted seamlessly into the modern age … Continue reading Notes From The March Meeting
An Early “Wikipedia” on The Drive
Some while ago, and in another place, I posted about an early version of Craig's List from way back in 1952. I have now found another example that, far more elaborate, could be a precursor of Wikipedia operating from a storefront on Commercial Drive. Here is the story as reported by The Highland Echo on … Continue reading An Early “Wikipedia” on The Drive
The Business of Heritage
"Input Magazine", the journal of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia, has published a number of interesting articles about heritage in their Winter 2013 edition. To quote the Executive Director's introduction: "We have an article that I am sure will make you smile, all the while asking “Who owns heritage?” It gives great background … Continue reading The Business of Heritage
International Women’s Day: Mary Lindfield
Mary Lindfield was one of the many women who have made Commercial Drive such a wonderful place to live, and it is through her that we celebrate International Women's Day 2013. Mary Lindfield was born in Mosside, Alberta, where her parents were visiting from South Africa. By the mid-1940s she was travelling supervisor for Harriet … Continue reading International Women’s Day: Mary Lindfield
The Importance of Heritage
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation has published a very interesting piece of research that shows "the importance of heritage to both public and professionals. It gives an overview of past and present municipal heritage conservation programs and policies, and suggest[s a] strategy to ensure that heritage remains an integral part of the urban environment and landscape." … Continue reading The Importance of Heritage
Historic House Mechanics & Materials #2
Another one for the diary in March! At the next meeting of the Grandview Heritage Group, Eric Phillips will present part two of the Grandview Historic House Mechanics and Materials series. This edition of the fascinating presentations will provide a look at early residential electrical systems and will focus on knob and tube wiring, including … Continue reading Historic House Mechanics & Materials #2
Hunting The History of Your House
Here's one for your calendar! Penny Street, long-time history buff, heritage advocate, and one of the founders of the Grandview Heritage Group, will be leading a workshop on how to research the history of your house. She will be covering the use of building permits, water permits, City directories, Census entries and who knows what … Continue reading Hunting The History of Your House
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
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