It might surprise you to learn that several of West Vancouver’s landmark heritage buildings are not actually in their original location.
The Ferry building Gallery, now at the foot of 13th street, originally stood by the ferry pier at the foot of 14th street.
The Navvy Jack House now situated on the waterfront close to 17th Street was moved from its original location on Marine Drive. Even before that, it had been moved from higher up the hillside where it had served as a cook-house for the logging operations.
The third example, rather than being moved horizontally, was moved vertically, almost 40 feet!
Driving west along Marine Drive in West Vancouver one passes through the shopping centres of Ambleside and Dundarave and then, a little further on, one comes across a strange little isolated group of stores beside the road just before a sharp curve. The presence of this little commercial enclave had always puzzled me so I jumped at the chance to research this area when members of our society were invited to write Statement of Significance documents for Heritage buildings in West Vancouver.
Black Cat building at Marine Drive level with peekaboo view down the stairs to the beach and water behind.
What I learned was quite intriguing…
The reason that these buildings are here is that this was the end of the road, and also a stop on the PGE railway line. There was a set of steps leading from the railway tracks down to the Sandy Cove beach and a convenience store called The Black Cat was established at the foot of the stairs to sell refreshments, ice cream and buckets and spades for the children. Time passed and somebody had the brilliant idea of lifting the whole store up to the level of the railway station where it would be more visible. This was achieved by a heavy timber framework and it didn't take long for the next scheme, which was to fill in the framework with floors and walls and create the five storey building that you can see today.
View of the Black Cat building from the back
Here are some elements of the Statement of Significance I wrote on The Black Cat.
History and Use
· It was built in 1922
· It was included in the West Vancouver Heritage Inventory in 1988.
· It is located at 3396 Marine Drive
· The original Black Cat was a tea house and grocery store at the bottom of the steps on Radcliffe Avenue built and operated by a Mrs. Lochead and a Mr. Gillis.
· The store was later lifted up to the level of Marine drive. For a time, its supporting framework was open, but this was later enclosed and remains today providing a dramatic change of level from the 2 storied front to the 5 storied rear.
· It has been the location of business ventures such as the ’Wadsley’ post-office, the polling station, a tearoom, coffee bar, confectionary store, and the official meeting place of local clubs such as the West Bay Swim Club and a whist club.
· In recent years it has been the location of the Savary Island Pie Co., an antique store, an art gallery and at present, houses a tutoring business called Stepping Stones.
Character-defining architectural elements
· Brown painted cedar siding façade with two amusing ‘Black Cat 1922’ signs in wood and metal situated just under the eaves on the north and south façades
· Cast iron railings enclosing a patio of brick pavers
· Two stained glass windows
· Extension bay on the street frontage which gives an indication of the size of the original store.
I hope that you will go and check out this unique area of West Vancouver soon! Perhaps you will take a picnic to the public beach behind the Black Cat and will think back to the times when this area was one of the highlights of summer for Vancouver and West Vancouver residents!
Public Beach behind the Black Cat but shhh…it’s a secret!!!
Guard Cat