Sojourn at The Shannon

When I left on Friday it was June 1918 and B.T. Rogers had died in his bed at the Gabriola estate - never having lived in The Shannon or seen the completion of his dream estate.

The Great War, The War to End All Wars, World War I was still on and would be for another few months. Mary Rogers was left to raise seven children alone and had to  consider what to  do with her husband's dream.

Mary must have been made of strong stuff because not only did she manage to raise the children but she also completed her husband's dream estate.

Work continued on The Shannon estate and in 1925 Mary Rogers and her brood left their home at the Gabriola and moved into the luxurious surroundings.

Life at The Shannon was grand. The time period was the Roaring Twenties - the war was over and people were back to enjoying life. The prestigious Parisian firm, L. Alavoine & Company, had been hired to do the interior design. The house itself employed a gardener, cooks, maids, a butler, a nurse, and a chauffeur - twelve in all. Music played from the pipe organ ordered from New York, filling the grounds with sweet sounds. (When I visited last week a pianist was playing and the classical music lent an air of the past to the grounds.)

It is fitting that music still be played today since Mary Isabella Rogers had an appreciation for music and an interest in the arts. She was also a charitable woman. Every year she would hold a Christmas party for local children and was certain to make sure that each received a magnificent gift.

The Rogers family also owned cinema cameras and what was likely the first home movie filmed in Vancouver was filmed on The Shannon grounds. It was entitled Bastard Love and, if you are a film buff, there are still copies available today.

Life was splendid but times do change. In 1936 all the children were grown and Mary decided that The Shannon was just too big for her now. She sold the property and moved to a more modest dwelling on Angus Drive.

1936 was the middle of the Great Depression and mining promoter Austin Taylor bought the property for $105, 600 - less than ten times the total taxes. The assessment of the property at the time was $270, 400. So Taylor got a great deal.

So the estate that Benjamin Tingley Rogers had imagined and built had been completed. Although B.T. Rogers never lived there his ashes were strewn in the ornamental gardens and his widow made sure that the residence was completed. Her and her children lived there for many years before moving on. And guess what? I have more photos and more to tell you but  that is for the next entry.

Until the next time, I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill,Somervell and Putnam, Vancouver,B.T. Rogers,The Shannon,Austin Taylor,History,L. Alavoine and Company

Join Me on a Journey

For the next couple of posts I want you, my reader, to do me a favour. I want you to take a deep breath, let go of the present and follow me.

Come with me to a place of luxury, a home that was built on success and hard work. Come and see The Shannon.

The year is 1911 and Benjamin Tingley Rogers wants to have the most luxurious home west of Toronto built on the outskirts of Vancouver. BC Sugar is doing well and Rogers is restless and ready for a new home. For the last ten years he and his family have lived in the Gabriola - a beautiful home to be sure - but now he wants more.

Rogers approaches the owner of the ten acres he wants, the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR is reluctant to part with any of the land they own but they sell to Rogers. The ten acres cost the Sugar King $40,400. (another version I have heard is that the land was bought from a pioneer dairy farmer, William Shannon. There seems to be no dispute however that the name of this estate is because of the farmer)

It was the beginning of a recession but Rogers wanted his estate and why shouldn't he have it? He had worked hard for everything he had and helped to build this city. He hired architects Somervell and Putnam to design his dream and the gatehouse above was the first building to be completed. Followed by the coach house.

Charles Bentall was the contractor hired to make this dream a reality. He was responsible for seeing that the vision of a forty room Beaux Arts, Georgian-style mansion became a solid reinforced brick and concrete structure.

For just a moment place yourself in Vancouver during the years of 1912 through 1915. The Vancouver Millionaires ice hockey team (later known as the Vancouver Maroons) compete in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League. In 1915 they won the Stanley Cup - took it from opponents the Ottawa Senators of the NHA.

The last spike of the Canadian Northern Railway which ran from Quebec to Vancouver was driven into the ground. World War I was raging across the sea. The first train from the east on the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway arrived in Vancouver. There was a depression going on - war seems to do that to countries - but men were working. They were building a mansion for the Rogers' family.

Construction of this elaborate estate was progressing well. B.T. Rogers, who happened to be an avid gardener, laid out the formal Italianate gardens. Rogers was going to get his wish and The Shannon was going to be the most luxurious, elegant estate west of Toronto.

But on June 18, 1918 tragedy struck. Benjamin Tingley Rogers died in his bedroom in Gabriola, leaving his masterpiece unfinished.

Join me on Monday for more of this journey and find out about the progression of The Shannon.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill,Somervell and Putnam, Vancouver,B.T. Rogers,The Shannon,Charles Bentall,History,Beaux Arts

Korets of California in Canada

This is the McLennan and McFeely Building on East Cordova Street - there is another one on Water Street. The one on Water Street was built in 1905 and this one a year later.

This large, five-storey brick and stone commercial building is a good example of a warehouse constructed in BC's commercial centre during the twentieth century. It is also representative of the importance of Gastown as the trans-shipment point between the terminus of the railway and Pacific shipping routes, and the consequent expansion of Vancouver into western Canada’s predominant commercial centre in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The McLennan, McFeely and Company Ltd. was a company that specialized in the import and distribution of hardware and building supplies. By building this warehouse the company illustrated the growing warehouse industry in Vancouver.

This building remained with the firm through the 1950s although the name was now McLennan, McFeely and Prior. In the 1960s the building was acquired by a major supplier of industrial products with 200 outlets and eight distribution centres in Canada, Acklands (now known as Acklands-Grainger)

By 1975 the building had become a warehouse for Korets of California in Canada a sportswear manufacturer. Up until 1999 Koret maintained the lower floors while renting out the upper storeys to the film industry and as art studios. But in 2004 the building was renovated and converted to residential lofts.

The renovations included the rebuilding of the water tower, restorations of the steel fire escapes and the addition of a roof top patio.


I have a few more pictures from the short time I spent at the Robson Square Artisan Market.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post I got here too early and things weren't totally set up. But I got to meet some great people, like Freddie Fencepost who carved those awesome masks.

I also met Richelle. (I  think that is spelt correctly.)

As you can see, Richelle was there with a radio station - 100.5 the Peak - and was handling a draw. I didn't enter because I didn't want to stay around until 3pm.

There was also an organization that was there to cause people to question life.

This is one of the booths I like to see. I may or may not agree with their philosophies but at least they are getting me to exercise my mind.

Here are a few shots of what I have seen on my walks.

I hope you find the beauty around you.


Karen Magill,McLennan and McFeely, Vancouver,Acklands,Zeitgeist,100.5 The Peak,History,Robson Square