Every Place Has a Story

The Switzer House of West Vancouver (1960-1971)

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Back in September 2013 I blogged about a Fred Hollingsworth designed house in North Vancouver that was sold, torn down and soon after flipped for land value that was more than the original house. Chris left a comment asking me if I could find a photo of another North Shore landmark, a futuristic-looking house that was painted a “shocking pink” and looked like a spaceship.

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In and out of Vogue: A Vancouver art deco story

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The Vogue Theatre opened in April 1941 and was designated as a national historic site in 1993.

From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History

Dal Richards opened:

On April 15, 1941 the Dal Richards Big Band was the opening act for the Vogue Theatre, a combination vaudeville and movie house located on Granville Street near the Commodore.

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Public Art in Vancouver

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Depending on where you live, you’ve probably noticed large sculptures and other forms of public art popping up around your neighbourhood.

I was at Spanish Banks as part of a tour by the Musqueam last Saturday and was delighted to discover these enormous pieces of furniture sculpted by Brazilian artist Hugo Franca from fallen trees.

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Casa Mia on this year’s Vancouver heritage house tour

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Casa Mia is on this year’s Vancouver Heritage House Tour. I finally got to tour it with my partner in crime Aaron Chapman 

Casa Mia is featured in Sensational Vancouver: Built on Rum

Owned by Rum Runners: 

Casa Mia must be one of Vancouver’s most storied old mansions, and at the moment, one of the most controversial.

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Vancouver Hobbit House has $2.5 million price tag

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Vancouver Hobbit House has $2.5 million price tag. It’s one of three in Metro Vancouver designed by Ross Lort

It feels a bit like whack a mole. One hobbit house gets a reprieve from the bulldozer and the next one comes up for sale. Fortunately the Lea Residence has a heritage designation, which means it can’t be torn down—it even comes with its own plaque.

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Lani Russwurm’s Awesome Vancouver

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When Lani Russwurm jumped online in 2008 he was one of the first to write about history in his blog Past Tense. The blog morphed into a weekly writing gig with Bob Kronbauer’s Vancouver is Awesome and last year he published Vancouver was Awesome: a curious pictorial history, a hugely popular local history book which has sat on the best seller list for the past several weeks.

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Joe Ricci’s Vancouver

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Excerpt from Sensational Vancouver

When I write a history book there’s always one character that really captures my attention. In At Home with History it was Alvo von Alvensleben. In Sensational Victoria it was Spoony Sundher, and in Sensational Vancouver, it’s Vancouver City Police Detective Joe Ricci—a kick-arse cop from the old school.

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Vancouver’s Hobbit House

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*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.

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