Salsbury Sights

North of Hastings Street, there is an industrial area. Hidden among the warehouses and factories, is this treasure at 220 Salsbury Drive.

This house is a common design - a simple rectangular form with a front-gabled roof and an attached porch known as a Gabled Vernacular - however, the construction is unique.It is made from concrete blocks, which were likely made on site using a mold kit that was available at the time.

Concrete blocks with a rusticated face were a poor man's granite at the time. This material is usually found on retaining walls and gateposts on the big wooden houses east of Commercial Drive.

This house is probably from 1908. However, the source I am getting information from hasn't been able to find a building permit as of yet. The building appeared on Goad's map of 1911. Blacksmith Alex J. Ross is listed as living here at that time.

The next building I want to talk about is also on Salsbury. 1010 to be exact. It is an apartment building designed by Arthur Julius Bird for Caledonian Investment Co. Tradesmen, labourers were rapidly coming to the Grandview area and housing was needed for them.

The building permit is dated August 5, 1911 and R. Maclean and Co carried out the work at an estimated cost of $34,000. 

At the time this was built, there was almost no zoning restrictions and people were able to do basically whatever they wanted. This structure is just north of a grand home, 'Kurrajong'. (Here's my entry on that beautiful building)

There is a sort of do-as-you-please attitude to these structures. Here, the architect fancied up a plain Edwardian apartment block with bay windows framing the three entrances.

I want to thank the Grandview Heritage Group for the information on these buildings. 

I also want to tell you that from today until Saturday morning at 8 am PST, my eBook On The Right Side, My Story of Survival and Success, will be on sale for 99 cents in the UK and the US.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Highland Echo

In 1917, a local newspaper, the Highland Echo, began to circulate in the Commercial Drive area. The paper was odd and definitely local. There was no international or national news listed in the paper. Instead, the reporters wrote about economic and personal stories about Commercial Drive and the Grandview area. This weekly publication animated the area.

The Echo ran until 1995 but, unfortunately, the earliest editions have disappeared. The Special Collections department of the Vancouver Public Library have collected and maintained issues from 1935 to 1969 and these have provided information for at least two books on the history of Commercial Drive. There is almost a complete set of issues from 1970 to 1995 at the Provincial archives. Sadly, those archives are in Victoria and it is difficult for Vancouver based researchers to access them.

The location of these copies has been solved though. I am consulting a November 13, 2012 blog entry for the Grandview Heritage Group and the group purchased copies of all twenty-one microfilms of the Highland Echo and donated them to the Vancouver Public Library. Now, Vancouver based researchers don't have to leave the mainland to consult these valuable sources of local information.

When I read this blog entry, I got to thinking. There are so many things in our lives that we consider trivial. I am sure that there were issues of the Highland Echo which many considered frivolous, not worth the time taken to write it or the paper it was produced on. Yet all these years later, historians consider the paper to be a valuable source of information. Funny how life works isn't it?

I hope you find the beauty around you.

No Cars Allowed

Ten years ago, a movement started on Commercial Drive and has spread to other neighbourhoods in the city. That would be 'Car Free Days'.

On June 15, 15 blocks from Venables to Grandview were blocked off from traffic. Instead, the streets were lined with rag tag bands, musicians, roller derby, lots of food stands and almost anything else you could think of. Even the rain - and it did rain - couldn't keep the people away.

This festival is run by volunteers and I am certain they are setting up for 2015 Car Free Days as I write this. This festival is a chance for the people to reclaim the streets of the community. It is an opportunity for businesses to interact with the people in a way they don't usually. More importantly, it is fun.

While I was walking the 15 blocks this year, I saw petitions and booths for non-profit organizations. I talked to the woman with Wholly Noggin Bars (they look interesting and taste pretty good) and I talked to a couple of people from the Vancouver Coop Radio. Of course, I made a special stop at the Grandview Heritage Group booth and spoke with Jak King. No wonder it took me over two hours to walk those blocks and back! Of course, I did stop and buy some vegetables at Donald's Market as well.

I enjoy walking through festivals like this because of the things I see. These headpieces are gorgeous! In the next set of photos, I will show you one of a model wearing one.

One year, I was strolling along the street for Car Free Days when I saw the actor Mark Hamill. I didn't recognize him at first, I only noticed him because he was asking someone not to take his photo - I think he had children with him. This year I saw a giant frog but I couldn't get a clear photo of him. Or her.

I realize this isn't the usual sort of entry I post on the Vancouver Vagabond but I hope you enjoyed it. History is great, I have always loved learning about the past, but we have to remember to live in the present too. And have some fun sometimes! Events like this don't cost anything - I never bring money with me since it would be gone so fast - but it gives people a chance to get out of their homes and mingle. Maybe even experience something new?

I hope you find the beauty around you.