The Villa Maris, a pink beacon in the skies of West Vancouver, is one of the most iconic modernist apartment buildings in the Lower Mainland and is a rare Canadian example of New Sensualism, a Miami Beach offshoot of Modernism. From the outside, it screams Miami Modern with its curved wall of parabolic arches and hot pink colour! But what most people don’t know is that the inside is even more “wow”, with many of its original features including a lobby, staircase and pool that was influenced by the Hollywood Regency and Miami Modernism Styles. It’s easy to envision Elizabeth Taylor or Cary Grant sashaying through the lobby, posing by the pool or theatrically descending the staircase! Join us for a virtual walk through the interior!
Striking It Lucky
Taylor Made
Lions Gate Bridge, once described as a bridge to nowhere, is one of three vital links across Burrard Inlet connecting the North Shore and Vancouver. It was built to provide a link to the British Properties, a large and ambitious real estate development in West Vancouver. Both the bridge and the development were the enterprising vision of Alfred James Towle Taylor aka Fred Taylor, who is the Taylor of Taylor Way, which is the portal road to his planned upmarket residences. It was a vision that eventually became a reality. His bridge became a bridge to somewhere – the British Properties and the North Shore.
North Shore Tent Homes
While researching for another blog many months ago, I was perusing the 1913 North Vancouver City Directory. I noticed that, for many individuals, their home was listed as “tent”. It surprised me that a tent was permanent enough to be listed as a person’s home. I was curious to know more about the appearance of these tents, so I visited the websites of the North Vancouver and West Vancouver Archives and entered the search word “tent”. And this is when I went down the proverbial rabbit hole into the warren of tent homes and some of the fascinating families who occupied them. As I read about the families, what struck me was that they were mostly Western European immigrants, who left a civilized life behind to come to the new world to live … in a tent! Clearly, they all came with a sense of adventure but in the end, their best attribute would be perseverance! Life in the new world was definitely not easy.
The Kilbys of Caulfeild
Our guest blogger, Paul Hundal, recently had the pleasure of attending the Centenary Tour of one of the Kilby Houses of Caulfield built 100 years ago in 1924. This event was made possible by the West Vancouver Foundation which supports community-building activities. The house and property have been beautifully maintained in the old English cottage garden style that would have made Francis Caulfeild, the original designer of Caulfeild Cove, proud. The Kilbys themselves are inextricably woven into the social fabric of Olde Caulfeild as one of the original purchasers in 1909 when they built their first cottage as a summer residence.
The Art & Archaeology of a Buried Skatepark
Rudyard Kipling’s Speculative Investments
If you’ve ever thought of making a speculative land investment on the Burrard Inlet’s north shore you might want to heed the experience of the English novelist, short story writer and poet, Rudyard Kipling. Famous as the creator of Mowgli, the ‘man-cub’ raised by wolves in the children’s classic, The Jungle Book, Kipling was a visitor to our shores in his early 20’s, firstly in 1889, and then later in 1892, whilst on honeymoon with his newly wed, Carrie Balestier. On both occasions he made an investment in real estate and lived to rue the day.
Sidetracked on a Side Street
The Pacific Great Eastern Railway, despite its name, was a Western company. Incorporated in Vancouver in 1912, it was founded to create a railroad between Prince George and the docks of North Vancouver via Squamish and the Howe Sound. Decades passed before this goal was fully achieved due to a section of challenging, mountainous terrain and ongoing financial challenges. It became known as the Province’s Great Expense to Prince George Eventually. However, the story of the PGE Railway is one of ambition and perseverance that created an important, historic route along the waters of the Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound, remnants of which still exist today.
Hendry Hall – Community Builder Extraordinaire
Originally built as an Air Raid Precautionary Post, Hendry Hall has been at the centre of the Lynnmour community in one way or another for 82 years! Currently the home of the talented North Vancouver Community Players, it also served as the Hendry Community Hall for over three decades. Imagine the stories that would be told, if the walls of this tiny but mighty building could talk! But since they cannot, I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned in my research and take you on a virtual tour of this amazing building and its people through the decades!
Blackadder Goes Forth. Not ‘Edmund’, but Henry!
Mention the name ‘Blackadder’ and people think of Rowan Atkinson’s character in the BBC comedy series. The final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth, is known for its final scene, called “Goodbyeee,” which sees ‘Captain Blackadder’ and his side-kick, ‘Baldrick’ going “over the top” into the smoke filled no man’s land of the First World War trenches, presumably to their deaths. Crazy as that sounds, there was a real Captain Blackadder from Dundee, Scotland, who was awarded the Military Cross and whose older brother Henry had a very special connection to North Vancouver.
Breeze Block Bandwagon
Breeze Blocks. Screen Blocks. Ornamental Wall Blocks. Call them what you will but these simply designed concrete blocks, when stacked together, create some of most visually impactful patterns which became a signature feature of Mid-Century Modern architecture. Geometric Genius! Luckily, there are still some amazing examples of Screen Block walls today on the North Shore! So, jump on the Breeze Block Bandwagon as we explore its origins, learn about the North American design craze and take an armchair tour of Mid-Century Modern apartment towers in West Vancouver.
Old-Fashioned Christmas
The commercialism of Christmas overwhelms me! We’re bombarded with flyers, Christmas music 24/7, mall traffic and shelves lined with environmentally-unfriendly toys and decorations, sometimes as early as the day after Hallowe’en! How I long for simpler times, without all the hustle and bustle and stress! Join me as we time travel to years gone by to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas in the homes, schools and businesses of former North Shore residents!
Bridge over Burrard's Water
The Lower Mainland is awash with bridges, three of which cross the Burrard Inlet. In the shadow of the Iron Workers’ Memorial Bridge sits the historic Second Narrows Rail Bridge, a critical link in the supply chain that transports Canadian commodities from the North Shore to world markets. While it earns little attention from most of us, it is a significant factor in the prosperity of the North Shore.
Wings to Your Heels
Arthur and George Coles were flying Spitfires and Lancaster bombers for the Allied war effort when tragedy struck for the North Vancouver based brothers. Reported as missing in action in the latter part of 1943, one brother returned home after the war whilst the other, sadly, did not. Eighty years on, our Remembrance Day tribute offers thanks for their service.
The Legacy of the 2nd WV Boy Scouts
Have you ever wandered up 17th Street in West Vancouver and enjoyed the shade of the green canopy of trees that create an arbour from Marine Drive up to Inglewood? In addition to being a welcome respite from the ravages of climate change, these “heritage” trees, and others on 13th and 14th, have a story to tell!
John Linn and his Promised Land!
Lynn Valley. From Lynn Peak to Lynn Creek, it’s made up of Lynns. There is Lynn Valley Road, Lynn Valley Centre, Lynn Valley Library, Lynn Canyon Park, Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge, Lynn Valley Ecology Centre, Lynn Headwaters, Lynnmouth, Lynmour, Lynn Avenue. And there is Lynn Creek where it all started with John Linn and his promised land.
Putting the Grand in Grand Boulevard!
The Ellis Residence at 800 Grand Boulevard is one of the nicest heritage homes I’ve ever seen! It definitely puts the “Grand” into Grand Boulevard! And this was exactly the goal of the North Vancouver Land & Improvement Company when they first proposed the Grand Boulevard development in 1906. Grand Boulevard was marketed as a high-class residential neighbourhood, with a required minimum building cost of $4000, to ensure a certain size and quality of home. The original homes were mostly built in the arts and crafts style including 800 Grand, which was designed by the architectural firm of Maclure and Fox in a traditional half-timbered Arts and Crafts style. Jenny Morgan, my fellow blog writer, and I were privileged to get a tour of this house earlier this year and after our tour, as we walked back to our cars, she told me this is her “dream” house! I then asked her how we might get ourselves adopted by the current owners, Ken and Jenny Tekano, so we could live there too! The house is stunning, from the first glimpse through the pergola and in every room throughout the house. Read on to see why we fell in love with this home, learn more about the restoration work the Tekanos did (in their own words) and learn about the 15 families who came before them.
The Evolution of the Corner Store
Independent Corner Stores, once familiar features of local life, are gradually fading from our street corners. Owning a corner store often gave newcomers not only a livelihood, but also a roof over their heads and, for many, they served as a gateway business to move up the socio-economic ladder. Although many of the original corner stores are gone, a few still exist as corner stores, while many of them have been re-invented as coffee shops and sandwich shops, which still thankfully serve as local gathering spots.
Lewis Through The Decades
After the publication of my previous blog on Bob Lewis (My Bob Lewis Odyssey), Steve Gairns (my partner in the Lewis Research Project) and I received a lot of emails from owners of Lewis houses who were keen to show off their homes. Visiting these homes has been an odyssey of its own! And what I’ve learned is that the post and beam construction style which was embraced by Bob Lewis for its simplicity and inexpensive building costs, is so functional and versatile that it has allowed homeowners to easily adapt and personalize their homes to styles and standards which suit their lifestyles. Join me as we journey through the decades from an Original Lewis to a Brutalist adaptation.
Donald Hings: The Philadelphia Experiment
80 years ago this year, a group of top scientists from the US, Britain and Canada collaborated on developing a means of protecting Allied naval ships from German torpedoes. Called the Philadelphia Experiment, the event was one of the pivotal moments of World War II. Shrouded in secrecy, many have fantasized about what happened at the naval yard in Philadelphia in the late summer of 1943. Stories abound of a ship, the USS Eldridge that vanished in the night, teleporting to another place beneath a magical green glow. Sailors that disappeared in front of people’s eyes. The truth is as amazing as the fantasy. It includes one of our own: Canada’s “walkie talkie” inventor, Donald Hings, and it all started - at least for Hings - with a lucky break which facilitated his attendance at Chesterfield School for Boys in North Vancouver.