Militant Mothers and Booze Cans

Today's entry is about how people have made changes in this city and helped to keep some safe and beautify their piece of the community.

The Militant Mothers of Raymur are an important part of Vancouver's history.

In the late 1950s the city began a urban renewal plan for the Strathcona area. The plan was to demolish older homes and use that land to create public housing including the Raymur Housing Project. The housing project is at the corner of Campbell and Pender Streets but many of the project's children attend school at Seymour Elementary School. In order to get to the school the youngsters had to cross the railroad tracks.

In the fall of 1970 a group of mothers from the housing project organized a protest against the Burlington Northern Railway. They had been negotiating with the railway to get the company to build an overhead walkway but the negotiations were going nowhere. So the mothers began to camp out on the tracks and stopped the trains. Even though there was legal action and intense pressure from the railway the mothers refused to move and allow the trains to get to the Port of Vancouver.

The Burlington Northern Railway finally did give in and build the walkway. I guess it was less expensive in the long run that the money they were losing by not being able to get to the port.

Part of this urban renewal plan for Strathcona also consisted of plans to build a highway through the district. In order to do this the planners were going to demolish houses on the entire block of Prior and Union Streets. There was a public outcry. Not only because we would be losing parts of our history but also because there was no public consultation on this. Planners quickly backtracked on that idea and a new approach to urban development and change was born. Now the public is allowed to present their opinions and concerns. Walking around downtown lately I have seen notices where planners are intending on constructing large condo towers so there may be more public outcry as the citizens try to stop this.

At the corners of McLean Drive and Charles Street is this little park - Mosaic Creek Park.

In the 1990s these three vacant lots were slated for a condominimum building. The residents of the area weren't pleased with this proposal so they raised the money to purchase the land themselves and turn it into a park.



 Artists Glen Andersen and Kristine Germann worked with project coordinator Sarah White and ran workshops to teach residents how to create the mosaics that are seen throughout this area. 300 community members created the mosaics that create a path running through the park. (Initially the community wanted to have a stream running through this area but it proved to be impractical.)

This mosaic feature surrounding an herb garden was designed and coordinated by Glen Andersen and Marina Szijarto.

Here, though my camera didn't pick it up, are stones with names of people involved with this project. The design team consisted of: Glen Andersen, Christopher Dale, Kristine Germann, Joanne Hogarth, Lawrence Low, Sarah White and Ms. White was the coordinator.

Friday while walking through here I ran into a woman who told me all about how this park came to be. She used to live in a house here that was once a booze can. She now lives in an apartment building on the Charles Street side of the park and she said she can remember when that area was all orchards. She wasn't that old so it wasn't that long ago. Relatively speaking of course.
 



This building which has an entrance on Mclean Drive as well as one on Charles Street was built in 1912 but I don't know anything about it.

 

I hope you find the beauty around you.

 

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Glen Andersen, Christopher Dale ,Kristine Germann,Joanne Hogarth,Marina Szijarto,Lawrence Low,Sarah White,History,

Modernist Touch

This building at the corner of Burrard and Robson doesn't look like much does it? Doesn't look like it has historical significance or that the design won the Massey Silver Medal for Architecture in 1958? But it has and it did.

This Modernist building was designed by architects Semmens and Simpson and built from 1955 to 1957. And when it was opened by Frank M. Ross, the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia at the time, on November 1, 1957 this was the site of the public library.

(As you may remember the Vancouver Public Library started on Cordova Street in 1887 then moved to the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings from 1903 to 1957. The library then moved here in 1957.)

Being associated with the firm of Semmens and Simpson is historically important because that firm played an important role in designing many of Vancouver's post-war Modernist architectural buildings and this one was actually at the high point of their career. The main designer was Douglas Simpson and he embodied the new thinking of Vancouver architects. He was a man who worked with the clients to realize a design that was technically sound, functional and true to the ideals of the institution.

This building is a contrast of solids and voids. It has large glazed surfaces that expose the interior and gives a feeling of openness; glass and black concrete contrast across the facade; due to the independent structural frame of reinforced concrete and the non load bearing exterior curtain walls which are comprised of glass aluminum and granite there isn't a sense of bulk or mass. It is a large building yet it seems almost fragile. And you will notice that there is very little ornamentation.

(As you can see now this building is home to CTV, HMV and others.)

Although the decoration is minimal this piece deserves mention. A bronze sculpture by artists Lionel and Patricia Thomas entitled Symbols of the Cuneiforms this is the sole remaining piece of art associated with the building. During the period of 1940 to 1970 there was a unique group of Modernist artists who formed a cohesive assembly determined to improve the life of Vancouver's citizens through art and design and the Thomass were connected with that movement.

The history of this Modernist building is fairly interesting. Built in 1954 this structure was intended to resemble the paintings by the de Stijl movement's Piet Mondrian. The Dal Grauer Substation was a collaboration between then BC Hydro and Power Authority Dal Grauer, architect Ned Pratt as well as influential artist and Modernist evangilist B.C. Binning and turned out to be an outstanding representation of the Modernist ideal of combining technology, industry and arts.

This building has a very colorful interior - which is actually dramatic at night. The exterior consists of mosaic glass tiles in the colors of mauve, grey, blue, black and green. Imagine what that looks like with the light behind it in the night time darkness. I can see how it would resemble an modernist painting. What a great idea for a building that is so functional.
 

Another building along Burrard Street is the former BC Hydro Building. Built in 1955-1957 this building is a neighbour to the Dal Grauer Substation.

As you can see, very close neighbours, connected I would think.

A 21-storey, lozenge-shaped with simple low wings along Burrard and Nelson Streets, this distinctively shaped building is a statement to the power and position of the B.C. Electric Company (later known as the BC Hydro and Electric Company) and its president A.E. Grauer. It is also a symbol of the dynamic and prosperous future of British Columbia made possible by its abundance of electric energy.

(On February 4, 2011 I made an entry concerning the Grandfather of Electricity, Johannes Buntzen. What he started was truly remarkable.0

The Electra, as this building was also known as, was especially awe inspiring at night since it was company practice then to leave all the lights on. Can you imagine this immense tower all lit up at night? What a sight that would have been. Of course now it would never be allowed what with the movement to conserve our resources.

The architectural firm of Thompson Berwick & Pratt worked with B.C. Binning to design the Modernist building with adequate space, light and ventilation befitting Modernist principles.

I have to admit that before this post I was not too inspired by what I thought was the Modernist style. But these buildings have changed my mind. When I truly look at them I see the unique characteristics and beauty in the design.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Johannes Buntzen, Townley Thompson Berwick & Pratt ,Lionel and Patricia Thomas,Semmens and Simpson,history,B.C. Binning,

Policing Gold

On January 26, 2011 I wrote on the Horne Block. I mentioned that a unique feature to the building was the recessed lower floor and the staircases connecting the lower shops to the ground floor. I didn't have any photos of it then but I got some today.

I also discovered that it is still run as Danny's Inn (a rooming house now) with some rooms above the shops. A new roof has just been installed and this summer, restoration of the front is planned. Can't wait to see how that goes.

In approximately 1889 the Commercial Hotel was built on Cambie Street. A four storey brick and stone Edwardian style commercial structure shows the transition from American Richardsonian Romanesque style to Edwardian Commercial.

This building also shows the shift from the highly decorative facades of the Victorian era to the more refined ornamentation of the Edwardian period.

The Commercial Hotel has had many names. In 1976 the name was changed to the El Cid Hotel and in 1987 to the Stadium Inn and now it is known as 340 Cambie. But it has always served as a hotel with ancillary services such as baths, a tobacco outlet, a barber shop and a cafe.

As you can see by the first photo it also serves as an anchor for the Flack Block (okay you wouldn't have known that by the photo but that is the other building you see there.) and both buildings are a result of the weatlh from the Klondike Gold Rush.

The building is for sale and I hope that the new owner will recognize its heritage value and restore this tarnished treasure.

I have shown you this building before, as the Vancouver City Police Building but is also known as the Vancouver Public Safety Building and now I have information on it.

This sober restrained Modernist structure was designed and built in 1953 by the architectural firm Townley Matheson and Partners, who are also known for being responsible for such projects as City Hall in the 1930s.

The building is at the corner of Cordova and Main Streets with a six storey extension to the south. The imposing image is aided by the horizontal strip banks of windows, flat roof and  stone faced facade. Yet it is also slightly softened by such features as the polished red granite facing at the base and the brass railings by the entrance.

While going to take photos of the lower level of the Horne Block I noticed these murals on the alley side and decided they would look great on my blog. Don't you think?

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, City Hall, Townley Matheson and Partners,Horne,Vancouver Police,history,