Eve Lazarus
I thought the Marine Building was built by the Guinness family until I started doing some research on this Art Deco icon—one of my favourite buildings in Vancouver. And while the Guinness family did eventually own it, the developer was a local guy who made a fortune during Prohibition.
Joe Hobbs:
Joe Hobbs arrived in Vancouver around 1920—the start of US Prohibition.
From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
It turns out that standing in line to buy real estate isn`t some recent Vancouver phenomena—we`ve always done it. Philip T. Timms took this picture in 1909 as hundreds of Vancouver`s wealthiest citizens lined up to buy lots in Shaughnessy Heights from the CPR offices all the way down at the foot of Granville Street.
I got a call from Bobbi Spark yesterday. Bobbi is a former Hospice boss and runs a research and reporting company in Abbotsford.
The Southlands Community Association hired her to look at the issues flying around Casa Mia, the former Reifel-owned mansion on South West Marine Drive.
These days the Reifel’s are best known as the name behind the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, but at one time the family owned four breweries and two distilleries and made a fortune in rum running during US prohibition.
From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
Every year Ross Dyck, general manager of the Sylvia Hotel opens about 600 handwritten letters from fans of Mister Got to Go, mostly kids in Grades one and two. And every year he personally answers every one of them.
Dyck has worked in the hotel industry for the past 25 years, before that he taught drama and stage craft to high school kids.
Vancouver Hobbit House has sold. It’s one of three in Metro Vancouver designed by Ross Lort
The Hobbit House has sold. David Mooney already owns the properties to the west and is looking to incorporate the West Kind Edward property into a town house development.
Mooney works with W.T.
*See update Hobbit House sold
I toured the Hobbit House this week. The South Cambie house is one of two story book cottages in Vancouver—a third is in West Van. The house has had a ton of media attention since it went up for sale, mostly speculation about its imminent demise.
Heritage Vancouver released its annual top 10 endangered site list today and it spells more bad news for the last of the West End mansions.
The heritage conservation organization has flagged three properties: the Legg Residence at 1245 Harwood Street, Gabriola Mansion at 1531 Davie Street, and three houses that sit side by side at 1301, 1309 and 1315 Davie Street.
A Spite house is a building “constructed or modified to irritate neighbours or other parties with land stakes. Spite houses often serve as obstructions, blocking out light or access to neighbouring buildings, or as flamboyant symbols of defiance. Because long-term occupation is at best a secondary consideration, spite houses frequently sport strange and impractical structures” Wikipedia.
