Infill and Such

Vancouver is an expensive place to live and Shaugnessy is one of the priciest areas in town. But this city also has a lot of citizens and where are they all going to live? One solution - which I abhor - was to build a large, multi-unit dwelling on properties such as The Shannon (an estate I wrote about last year). Another plan was to create infill housing.

Compared to some of the places I have written on this is new housing. It was designed by architect Raymond Letkeman and completed in 1984-85.

It follows the guidelines of the City's First Shaughnessy Official Development Plan.

The goal of this plan is to allow infill and multiple conversion projects while protecting the unique estate image and single-family character of the area.

This original Tudor Revival style mansion was subdivided into condominiums as well as townhouses and garages and all were constructed to resemble a coach house and stables.

The next house I am going to show you is one of the few homes built in Shaughnessy during the Great Depression.

James McGavin, owner of McGavin's Bakery, had this hope built for him and his family on the edge of a huge lot that was originally occupied by the mansion of CPR official Richard Marpole.

The home was completed in 1940 and shows the transition between the historical aesthetic of the 1920s and the modern aesthetic of the 1950s.

There is a mansard roof with wall dormers and a robust entrance combined with low compact massing. As you can see, there was work being done on the home when I walked by.

I was trying to find an address in Shaughnessy, just around the corner from this house, when a lady stopped to give me assistance. Her family was the McGavin family that had once owned this property. It has changed somewhat since it was originally built which is to expected.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, McGavin Bakery, Vancouver, CPR, Shaughnessy, Infill, Raymond Letkeman, British Columbia

Rogues

At the corner of Robson and Granville Streets there is an interesting display.

I've seen this numerous times from the window of a bus and one day I decided to go look at it. It is another piece of artwork - this one entitled Rogues Gallery circa 1900 and was created by Cam Andrews and Jessica Bushey. Andrews and Bushey consulted the  Vancouver Police archives to create this artwork that is not only interesting but also shows a bit about the attitudes of people in my city at that time.

So today, while showing you some of the beauty around the city, I will tell you about some of these rogues and ne'er do wells featured here.

James Carvey was a 25-year-old native of Sacremento, California. He was a sailor who was arrested on February 16, 1899 and charged with stealing a boat. Carvey was sentenced to six months hard labour in the New Westminster Gaol.

20-year-old Rita King was arrested on July 26, 1899. A sporting woman by profession, she was charged with shooting Lessil McDonald at the Opera Resort Saloon. 3 years in Agassiz Prison was her sentence.

An American Negro who went by names of Frank Johnson or Harry Brown and was known to be a porter and pimp was arrested on a charge of vagrancy on September 9, 1903. He managed to avoid incarceration if he would leave town immediately.

Carl Olson was a Spanish man whose occupation was unknown. He was arrested on January 4, 1904 because he was a frequent visitor to houses of ill repute and for living off the proceeds from prostitution. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.

32-year-old K. Kabiyashi was picked up on August 26, 1900 for stealing lumber from the Hastings Mills. He was sentenced to 6 months hard labour.

On September 14, 1901 William McMillan was arrested for stealing a hive of bees from Mt. Pleasant resident M. Mclean. McMillan was sentenced to six months hard labour.

A 20 -year-old Chinese man by the name of Sing was arrested for stealing flowers from the house of Mrs. Pim at 924 Nicola Street on July 11, 1904. He was given a choice of spending thirty days in jail or paying a fine of $10.00 and costs.

An American tramp by the name of William Benton was arrested on May 27, 1904 for trespassing on the CPR. This twenty-year-old walked with crutches but Dr. McAlpine examined Benton and declared the injury to be a fake.

15-year-old Darwin Wood, a native of England, was arrested on August 21, 1903 for stealing cattle and horses. Wood received a sentence of sixty days.

Julia LeBrun was a lady of spunk. This forty-year-old French woman was arrested on November 9, 1903 on the charge of being an owner of a bawdy house at 130 Dupont Street. Well this madam refused to pay the $35.00 fine so she was sentenced to thirty days in the New Westminster jail after being re-arrested on November 26, 1903.

Another forty-year-old, Ah Sing - a Chinaman with no known occupation - was sentenced to six months after being arrested on January 27, 1900 for stealing chickens.

Jake Freeman was 38-years old when he was arrested on November 17, 1904. His nationality is listed as a 'North Arm Half-Breed' and his occupation was labourer. He was charged with stealing an Indian totem and vagrancy but instead of serving time, Freeman was ordered to leave the city immediately.

Gertie Johnson was a twenty-three-old, opium fiend and a native of the U.S. of A when she was arrested on February 20, 1905 on a charge of vagrancy. This prostitute was ordered to leave the city at once after being fined $15.00 and costs.

An American Negro labourer by the name of Charles Maynard was arrested on March 31, 1903. This 31-year-old was sentenced to six months of hard labour for stealing a saddle from the Stanley Park Stables.

Next we have the 22-year-old Mary Lewis. An enterprising young woman, she was arrested on September 2, 1902 on the charge of picking pockets and shoplifting both here and in Victoria. Apparently Lewis and her gang were known all over the West coast for being good pickpockets and thieves. She was sentenced to one year in Vancouver and two years in Victoria.

And finally I want to tell you about John Brown. When Brown was arrested he was sixteen and he was sentenced to two months. He was caught on December 18, 1901 and charged with stealing a quantity of champagne from The Vancouver Club.

There are some of the crimes that were prosecuted way back when and their punishments dealt.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Robson Street, Vancouver, Granville Street, The Vancouver Club, rogues, Stanley Park, British Columbia

2012!

Can you believe it is the year 2012 already? It doesn't seem that long ago that people were talking about Y2K and how the world was going to come to an end at the start of the new century. And now there are those who say that the world will end this year.

Before I get into my first blog entry of the year I want to show you something. As you may know my book The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story is being published in Turkey. I received the cover over the Christmas break and I want to share it with all of you.

Isn't that gorgeous? I put it on my desktop and admire it every time I look at my computer.

Now I'll take you back to Shaugnessy and look at a few homes there.

This home is on Matthews Avenue and shows how firm a grip the Tudor Revival's  style had on the imagination of the first generation of Shaugnessy home owners.

The house was designed by architects Sharp and Thompson in 1912.

This Craftsman house on Granville Street was also built in 1912. It was designed by architect H. Murray.

As you can see it has a hipped roof with deep overhanging eaves and brackets as well as a shingled upper storey and an irregularly coursed stone base cladding.

The curved glass in the corner turret was imported and quite expensive.

Members of the John Westaway Society, a philosophical association, lived in the house 1960s and 1970s. Now it is a private residence.

It was difficult getting photos of this house due to the large hedge. This is why most of the pictures were taken from across the street.

It is good to be back and I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Sharp and Thompson, Vancouver, H Murray, John Westway Society, Granville Street, Turkey, British Columbia