It was another lively meeting last Thursday, with a wide range of topics discussed. After introductions, Eric took us through a 1967 Beaver Kit houses brochure. The brochure loudly proclaimed the use of Zonolite insulation which, today, is the cause of much asbestos distress for those seeking to renovate their older houses; We discussed the … Continue reading Meeting Notes: April 2018
Notes From The March Meeting
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
The Wonderbucks Building
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
Notes From February Meeting
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
Notes From January Meeting
Last Thursday we had the first GHG meeting of the year, and we had a very large attendance with several new faces; great to see everyone. As usual the discussions were wide-ranging. We first discussed the demolition of the General Paints building on Venables. This was originally the site of Ayers Paint. Although this is … Continue reading Notes From January Meeting
Building The Legion Hall
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
GWAC’s 50th Anniversary
Today is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Grandview Woodland Area Council. In the early 1960s, while Commercial Drive was beginning to enjoy a renewed prosperity following the wave of Italian merchants and families into the neighbourhood, there was great concern about the health, welfare and education of children in other areas of … Continue reading GWAC’s 50th Anniversary
1358 Graveley
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
A Map For BC Historians
The always excellent BC Studies journal has now published online a map showing the location of all its articles over several decades. The map is easily scalable to any level of detail and could be a very useful tool for locating scholarly articles on a particular place. I have to note that there have been no … Continue reading A Map For BC Historians
Great Day To Unveil A Plaque!
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!
GHG On Car Free Day
We had a lot going on in the booth today -- detailed maps of early Grandview buildings, a very fine display of period interiors along with modern furniture that can be used to match the look, some interesting items from 1917, and access to the Grandview Database. The progress of folks interested in the booth … Continue reading GHG On Car Free Day
Notes From The June Meeting
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
Meeting Notes: May 2017
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
Postwar Housing Bubble
A month ago, I posted about the housing and land value collapse during the Depression and the lead up to World War Two. Thanks to the contunued diligent work of my colleague Donato Calogero, we now have a second set of data from property tax registers. This one illustrates the rapid increase in land and … Continue reading Postwar Housing Bubble
Heritage and the Provincial Election
Many of our readers will have views on the political interface between heritage needs and the Provincial government. Those folks will want to know about the joint All-Candidates' Meeting for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and Vancouver-Hastings, Monday May 1st in Gym D at Britannia from 6:30pm. Quoting from the release: All ten candidates running in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and Vancouver-Hastings have said … Continue reading Heritage and the Provincial Election
A Connection To Nanaimo, V.I.
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.
Michael Kluckner Exhibition
GHG’s own Michael Kluckner, watercolorist, author, and heritage expert, is having his first exhibition in Vancouver since 2006. The exhibition will include watercolours, oils, and drawings “mainly about Vancouver”. The show is at the VanDusen Gallery Gallery on Oak Street, between April 29th and May 27th. Admission is free. An opening reception will be on Saturday … Continue reading Michael Kluckner Exhibition
When A Housing Market Crashes
There is much talk in Vancouver these days about how the "housing bubble" may have burst, that the astonishing rise of house prices over the last couple of years is coming to an end and that, perhaps, prices may actually fall. Given this background, I was interested to have access this week to a few … Continue reading When A Housing Market Crashes
On The Value Of Local History
The British historical journal History Workshop has recently published an interesting piece on the value (and lack of use) of local histories. "Local history takes in a broad range of historical inquiry that can cut across other disciplines and sources including oral traditions, social and cultural practices, ephemera, objects, sites and more. Local history is a powerful … Continue reading On The Value Of Local History
Meeting Notes: March 2017
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
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