Community in Bloom

While I was walking along East Georgia in Strathcona I happened upon the mosaic for a community in bloom. So I decided to collect some photos I've taken of blooms I have taken so far this year and put a lot into one post.

Strathcona is an area of Vancouver that has been much maligned. It is the oldest residential area and grew from the workers in the nearby Hastings Mill. It has been an area of diverse cultures over the years, from Chinese to Russians to African Canadians. It is the only neighbourhood where English is not the most commonly spoken language. 61% report Chinese as being their mother tongue while English is registered at 24%.

The once working class of this area was looked down on for being poor and recently the neighbourhood has had to deal with an influx of drugs and prostitution. But this is a community of fighters. During the 1950s Strathcona was earmarked for demolition. The plan was to develop rows upon rows of identical apartment buildings and townhouses for social housing. Gone would be the historic homes that help give this city its uniqueness.

Some fifteen blocks of the neighbourhood was bulldozed before residents of the area managed to put a stop to it. Unfortunately Hogan's Alley - the only area with a high concentration of blacks - was gone. Mary Chan, who I have written about before, got other residents together to form the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants Association (SPOTA).

From SPOTA emerged some important municipal figures such as Mayor Mike Harcourt and the TEAM - later COPE - party.

Today Strathcona is filled with history. The late 19th and early 20th century architecture is a rarity in Vancouver and the area is going through a gentrification process. The homes are being designated heritage are being restored to their former beauty. This is attracting a wealthier set of home owners.

That being said there are a lot of homes in the area that need everything from a little TLC to a major overhaul. But it is an interesting area to walk through and one that make feel good. However the main reason I have a lot of pictures of this area is that it is close and I walk through it to get to most places I walk.

 

If we walk a short distance to Alexander Street in Gastown we may see the Alexander Residence also known as the Ferry Rooms or The Dugout.

Architect William F. Gardiner designed this plain four storey hotel  which was built in 1911-1912. It has residential units above and commercial shops below. Sound familiar? Many of the buildings in this area that I have featured seem to have been originally designed like this.

In the winter many of the residents of these residential hotels were men from the logging camps. Out of work for the cold months they would lounge around the streets and hang out in the local bars. A restaurant and bar that was located in this building in 1913 would have catered to this clientele.

At first glance the architecture looks plain and unassuming, not unlike many similar buildings in the area. However on closer inspection we can see the English influences with the recessed storefront with an external basement stair and decorative metal railings. There is an asymmetrical entry off of Alexander with doors leading into the shops and another door leading upstairs - this is typical of the small hotels of this time period.

Originally constructed by Adkison and Dill, this building was renovated in 1992-93.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Alexander Residences, Strathcona,Mike Harcourt,Mary Lee Chan,History,William Gardiner,Adkinson and Dill

Hutchinson and Hartney

The sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom and Vancouver is sparkling. It is such a pleasure walking in the sun and getting photos of history and beauty.

I have taken photos of this building before but I didn't have any information on it. Now I do.

This is the Hartney Chambers building located at 343-353 West Pender. It was designed by architect William F. Gardiner and built in 1908.

This Edwardian era commercial building is noted not only for its modest height and size but also for its Neo-Classical detailing. Such features as pedimented windows, pilasters, block modillion cornices and central pediment lend a stylish, English appearance to the building which would have been considered quite progressive at the time.

Originally this building had retail stores on the ground level and offices on the upper floors - typical of a lot of buildings constructed at the time. Gardiner himself had offices in this building. Now it is home to a restaurant, retail stores, a grocery and a hostel.

Other details worth mentioning include the flat roof with parapets; a commercial form, scale and massing as is shown by its three storey (with basement) height and regular rectangular plan; the two main facades - one of which is red brick cladding with stone detailing and common red brick on the rear and side walls and the location on the corner with the building being built right to the property lines on all sides.

Also located on West Pender, at 429-433 to be exact, is the Hutchinson Block. Also referred to as The Montgomery or just by address.

Built in 1909 - 1910 this building stands out in the area due to its tall, narrow stature. This eight storey,  two bay Edwardian-era building is clad in tan brick and was originally as an office building with street level retail space. The height was substantial for the time and this was made possible by the use of reinforced concrete as a structural framing material.

The Hutchinson Block is also a good example of Chicago School styling in Vancouver and features large windows with spandrels, a tripartite scheme with an elaborately articulated base, plain shaft and heavily elaborated upper capital topped with a heavy, overhanging cornice.

This building was the first venture by Dudley D. Hutchinson who arrived in Vancouver in 1906 and speculated in real estate. This building proved to be successful so Hutchinson built Grace Court in the West End.

This was constructed by local builders Adkison and Dill and designed by architect William Frederick Gardiner.

When I was speaking of the influence the Scots have had in Vancouver I never got everything so let's continue there.

Lynn Valley is named after John Linn (misspelled.) James McGavin  of bread fame, John McLagan who was a newspaper publisher and began the Vancouver Daily World, butcher James Inglis Reid - we hae meat that ye can eat - Andrew Roddan was a United Church Minister, William Irving was a boat builder who had a home in New Westminster which is now a historic treasure and aptly named Irving House.

Then we have the Sinclairs. Sinclair Centre downtown was named after federal fisheries minister, James Sinclair who was the father of Margaret Sinclair. James was the son of James Sinclair Sr who was born in Caithness Scotland and came to Vancouver in 1910. This Sinclair was the first principal of Vancouver Technical School.

William Lamont Tait is known for his home Glen Brae mansion in Shaughnessy which is now a hospice for children,  Canuck House. Another famous Scot from Vancouver is broadcaster Jack Webster.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Hutchinson Block, Canuck House,Glen Brae,Grace Court,History,William Gardiner,William Lamont Tait

Politicians and Farmers

I was walking along Main Street when I happened to this building. The soldier on top was what first got my attention. I thought that the Granville Island Toy Company decorated this building uniquely and appropriately.

On January 30, 1931 the Province reported that 1930 had been a banner year for those from the United States visiting in automobiles. Entering through the ports of Pacific Highway, Douglas and Hunnington were 128,856 cars carrying a total of 417, 581 passengers.

Also in January of that year the CPR began working on a tunnel under downtown Vancouver to keep the railway trains off the city streets. 

Vic Stevens, leader of the B.C. Conservative Party from 1969 to 1971 was born on February 11, 1931.

Eight days later Henry Ogle Bell-Irving died at the age of 75. You may be scratching your head and saying 'so?' but let me tell you about this man. He was born in Scotland and came to Canada as a survey engineer with CPR when he was 27. He worked briefly as an architect in Vancouver before the great fire then opened a general store in Gastown. By 1891 Bell-Irving had gone into the canning business and became Canada's largest exporter of canned salmon. He painted in watercolours and some of the impressions we have of what our city used to look like are based on those.

On February 22  this appeared in the Province’s joke column:

“Congratulations, my boy!”

“But you just said that I flunked out of medical school.”

“Ah, but think of the lives you have saved.”

On May 11 Blanche Brillon Macdonald was born in Faust Alberta. She would go on to run a modelling school in Vancouver from 1960 on but that wasn't her passion. Blanche was of French-Canadian and First Nations heritage and she became the CEO of the Native Communications Society of B.C. and was involved in furthering Native causes. She died in 1985.

When I graduated from high school in Kamloops I went to  the Blanche Macdonald School to take fashion merchandising. Now they have a big complex on 12th Avenue but then the school was located in Gastown.

Alexander Mitchell, Vancouver's first farmer, died on May 16, 1931. When he arrived in 1877 from Quebec he settled in Moodyville, later he took out squatter rights as a pioneer resident on Richmond's Mitchell Island - named after him. Mitchell was active in local politics having served as a councillor for South Vancouver's Ward 3 and later Richmond's Ward 5. He also served as secretary for the school board and promoted the Fraser Street Bridge.

On May 23 Lorne Parton was born. Parton would go on to become a Province reporter and columnist in 1952.

On May 24 West Vancouver held its second May Day and crowned its first May Queen. This tradition lasted until 1973. After that the celebration was renamed Community Days and would be held in June without a May Queen.

On May 29 the first annual convention of BC Fire Chiefs was held in the Hotel Vancouver.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Blanche Macdonald, BC Conservative Party,Richmond,CPR,History,tunnels,Mitchell Island