Anthem and Ancestries

This Queen Anne style home was built in 1897 and was home to Mr. Ewing Buchan, manager of Vancouver's Bank of Hamilton. This is important because in 1908 Buchan wrote a version of our national anthem O Canada.

Buchan's brother, Brigadier-General Lawrence Buchan, was the commander at a garrison at Quebec City. Lawrence became enthralled with a song that had been written by Calixa Lavallée in anticipation of Quebec's celebration of St. Jean Baptiste Day and he sent his brother the sheet music. Ewing loved the music as well but was dissatisfied with the English translation of the French lyrics.

Buchan was also vice president of the Vancouver Canadian Club and debuted his version of O Canada at a luncheon meeting of the club at the Hotel Vancouver on February 9, 1910. The song was promoted by the club and became Buchan's version became quite popular.

However Robert Stanley Weir -a lawyer and Recorder of the City of Montreal - also wrote a version of O Canada and his was published for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927. It later became the accepted English version of the Canadian National Anthem.

The O Canada House is now a Bed and Breakfast. If you want to learn more about staying there or its history be sure to visit the above link.

Just in case you were wondering the Bank of Hamilton merged with The Commerce (later to become the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, CIBC) on January 2, 1924.

Remember when I wrote on the Barclay Heritage Square? These three homes are part of that square and are known as the Triplet Houses. All three were designed by architects Parr & Fee in 1903.

These homes, and the houses on Haro Street, lost their chimneys due to a building code regulation during their 1980s renovations. All were successfully raised four feet allowing a third suite to be developed at ground level.

The gardens surrounding the homes are tended by the residents.

This yellow home once belonged to Mrs. Margaret McLean, the widow of Vancouver's first mayor Malcolm McLean. Rumour has it that the Canadian poet, Robert Service (he wrote the poem The Shooting of Dan McGrew) visited this house while he was courting the McLean's daughter Mary.

At the corner of Broughton and Haro is the Leckie Gate.

This gate is from the old home of R.J. Leckie, a Vancouver pioneer. His home was further down Haro Street, near Denman and family members donated the gate to the Park Board.

It is open permanently as a welcome to the park.

Around the corner on Haro Street is another entrance to the park.

This was once the site of an 1880's house that was surrounded by this stone wall. There are wild rose bushes which bloom each summer as remnants of the garden that was once there.

This gazebo is beside Roedde House Museum at 1415 Barclay Street. It was built by Capilano College students that were studying heritage carpentry and the materials were donated by Marion Hawley.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, O Canada House, Ewing Buchan,Calixa Lavallée,National Anthem,History,gazebo,Vancouver Canadian Club,Bank of Hamilton,

Vancouver Corner

Although the sign outside now says Sinclair Centre when this four-storey, classically designed structure was built from 1911 to 1913 it was known as the Customs Examining Warehouse and is adjacent to what was then the post office.

David Ewart - the Chief Architect of the Department of Public Works - headed the team that is responsible for this design.



It is one of four federally-owned buildings on a site known as Block 15. This building looks like it is divided into three parts - a base which is made of rough faced stone and smooth brick; the shaft is shown by shallow brick pilasters with segmented arches on the upper floors and finally a prominent cornice suggests the capital of a column. The steel frame and reinforced concrete was a modern construction technique unique to Vancouver at the time. (The Great Fire of 1886 was still fresh in some people's minds I guess.)

Some of the character defining elements to this impressive warehouse are its classically inspired design that uses what was then modern building techniques; the upper walls are faced with red clay brick trimmed with sandstone; the changing size, shape and pattern of the windows; the steel and concrete superstructure and the overall masonry. Whether you are walking along Hastings or Howe or Cordova you can't miss this building. Even the entrance is interesting.

As I have said before there are mosaics around the city and some of them tell the story of this beautiful city. Like this one.

This mosaic, Vancouver Corner, may be one a person would just glance at but once you read what it stands for it really makes you pay attention. And be thankful for what you have.

Far away in a town called St. Julien in Belgium there is a piece of Vancouver buried there and watched over by a statue called the Brooding Soldier.

The story goes like this: In the Second Battle of Ypres, where chlorine gas was released on French and Canadian troops, the Canadians - who were fighting for the first time as a nation instead of a British Colony - proved themselves equal to any fighting force. Especially a Lt. Donald Bellew of the British Columbia 7th Battalion, the Duke of Connaughts Own Rifles.

On April 24, 1915 the enemy was 100 metres away and the reinforcements destroyed when Lt. Bellew and another soldier decided to fight it out. The other soldier was killed and Bellew wounded but he kept firing until the ammunition failed. Then he took a rifle and smashed his machine gun before being taken prisoner.

Bellew survived and when he returned to Vancouver he read in the newspaper that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross.

This is the Brooding Soldier monument. It shows a Canadian soldier with his head bowed and was designed by  Frederick Chapman Clemesha. It stands 11 metres high and is located at what was known as Vancouver Corner during that war.  It was unveiled on July 8, 1923 by the Duke of Connaught and a tribute was given by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch. He said:

The Canadians paid heavily for their sacrifice and the corner of earth on which this Memorial of gratitude and piety rises has been bathed in their blood. They wrote here the first page in that Book of Glory which is the history of their participation in the war.

These photos are compliments of Google Images and Wikipedia. I didn't take them personally. But I thought it would be nice to see what I was talking about.
 
I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Customs Examining Warehouse, David Ewart,The Brooding Soldier,Lt. Donald Bellew,History,St. Julien,Belgium,Victoria Cross,

On The Edge

I was recently told by someone close to me that I tend to go a bit overboard with things but I am not on the edge of sanity. At least I don't think so! Today's entry has to do with the edge of Vancouver - two historical sites on Boundary Road which is the cut off between Burnaby and Vancouver.

In 1915 this Tudor Revival Manor was opened as a dormitory for destitute senior citizens. Prior to this being built seniors that needed homes were housed at the Old City Hospital.

Architects Perry and Fowler were responsible for the design of what was originally referred to as the Old People's Home.

When the Old People's Home opened in 1915, L.D. Taylor was the Mayor of Vancouver. A self made man, Taylor was very socially conscious and gave back to the less fortunate. He died in 1947, destitute and in 1948 this building was renamed Taylor Manor.



Even though this was a home for those who were penniless care was taken to make sure it looked gracious. The grounds around the manor are luxurious as well. These grounds were used originally as farming and garden operations for the Home. Fruit, vegetables, eggs and other farm produce was generated for the residents. The remainder of the lands adjacent to the Home were used by the Provincial Girls Industrial School.

Taylor Manor looks like both a English Manor home and an institution. Two sets of ramps are at the front of the building so that female residents and male residents can enter at either side.

Personally I felt that the front of the building was more ornate and resembled a country manor whereas the rear, which would have faced the gardens and maybe the girls' school, was more institution like.

So regal looking. When a visitor approaches along the sweeping, curved driveway it makes them feel as if they are visiting a wealthy family in the countryside of England.
 

While walking around back here I could hear a tapping noise. This building is empty by all appearances - the seniors moved to the neighbouring Adanac Park Lodge - so there should be no one around. But still the tapping persisted. A ghost? No, just water dripping from the eaves. I like the story of a restless spirit better though.

 
Even though nothing was written about changes done to the building obviously some things were. As you can see it is almost as if the one part of the building was added later and the white stucco was put on to cover the brick at some time or another.
 
I couldn't find out what is happening with Taylor Manor. Something good I hope. Perhaps an extension of the Adanac Park Lodge would be feasible. 
 

Adanac Park Lodge

 

For the next place I am going to feature I am staying on Boundary Road. I just walked eight blocks north. Uphill. What I do for this blog! LOL

 

Built in 1928 at the corner of Boundary Road and Triumph Street this is Beckett House. This house was built for James Beckett and his wife Appie. They lived in the house from construction in 1928 until they died - Appie in 1968 and James in 1981 - and the house stayed in the family until 1993. James was a postal worker.

This one and one half storey wood frame building is a simplistic yet alluring blend of Craftsman design features. Including the distinctive curved front porch roof. I was overjoyed to see how well taken care of this home is.

 

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Beckett House, Perry and Fowler,Boundary Road,Crafstman,History,Taylor Manor,J.D. Taylor,senior citizens,