This interesting looking house on Yale Street at the corner of North Kamloops in Hastings/Sunrise was built by a bootlegger in 1931.
The Alvaros:
Turns out the house was built in 1931 at a cost of $8,000—a lot of money smack in the middle of the Depression. Its owners were Joseph and Rosa Alvaro, who kept the house they had at 421 East Georgia in Strathcona as a warehouse, and moved their family (they had four boys and four girls) into the new digs. The Alvaro’s were born in Calabria, Italy and married in 1909.
And no wonder Joe could afford his new house. He was in the bootlegging business big time, and at least until 1934, had an in with John Cameron, the Vancouver Police Department’s chief of police. Cameron was likely one of the 150 guests who attended the Alvaro’s silver anniversary party at the Yale Street house in September 1934, entertained by an eight-piece orchestra.
Arrested:
The following year, Joe was arrested along with Chief Cameron, Joe Celona—King of the Bawdy houses, Shue Moy, Eugene Valente and Wally Cole for “conspiring to corrupt the police department.”
The Alvaros’ moved to Pandora Street in 1942 and the Yale Street house sold to James and Cora Doherty. James was the general manager for the Program Engineering Works and Cora liked to hold garden parties. They lived there until the early 1950s.
The next residents were Heinrich Scheide, a porter with the CPR and his wife Margaret. By 1971, John and Ruth Berryman were selling smokeless incinerators from the house. 2492 Yale Street was up for sale again in 1980.
According to BC Assessment, in 2020 the property is worth $2,315,000, the house just $10,000.
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28 comments on “That House on Yale Street”
I love stories like this. I am glad we dont see the level of police corruption in Vancouver that we did in the 1930s. I wonder how much the longer the current house will stand,as people demand more from a house these days with less children.
How are you so sure that we don’t currently have the same level of corruption? ever wonder why there is very little enforcement against the illegal drug trade in the DTES?
Every large city has an illegal drug trade problem. I try and avoid that area, think most of us do the same.
A ridiculous assertion that somehow police are in cahoots with drug dealers. That’s something quite easily to say anonymously “Steven”, but if you’re going to make a claim like that you’re going to need to back it up with more than cynicism.
Not to mention the mid-1950s when VPD chief Walter Mulligan was the top cop on the take
Oh wasn’t he fired? His name was always in media.
I grew up in the hood, went to Hastings School. . So interesting!
The one house we used to call the bad girls home. Lol
He fled to California before they could charge him.
I love that house and make it a point to walk by it when I’m walking my dog. If I could buy that house I would in a heartbeat.
My parents knew the second generation Alvaro’s and Valente’s and I kne the thrd generation. We moved to 2800 Eton in 1957. Just a few blocks from this house. There were a LOT of bootleggers in those days all around the east end. Some ended up buying licenced hotels some of my relatives included.
That house is on my bike route to and from the North Shore to downtown. I’ve wondered about its history for a while, so thank you. It is so unfortunate though to see how run down it is. It is very much in need of some serious TLC 🙁
The current home owner has been doing his best and it’s really looking better these days.
Happy to hear there may be a new owner, I’m sure the neighbours are too. I tried to buy this house about 20 years ago and a few times since but the owner wouldn’t sell. I always dreamed of restoring it to it’s former glory. Hard to know if it’s worth it, it’s in such a sorry state. Curious to see what happens next.
I’ve tried to get inside this house when I gave tours in the area, but it never happened. Major cracks in the walls though – lots of work needed for this gorgeous Georgian-style house. It’s screaming for a great landscaping as well. Thanks Eve!
Thanks for that! This house is in my neighbourhood and I often wondered about it – I run past it all the time. It looks so terrible now but obviously had a storied history! Who builds a brick house in Vancouver?
One of my favourite houses in east van. It has fallen into serious disrepair over the last decade. Starting to wonder if it is beyond saving. I’d be curious to know if anything original interior is still intact, or has it been cut up into smaller suites?
I lived a few houses down from this house on Yale St. in 2005/2006 and there was an older woman and her grown son living there, no other residents. I believe she was the owner.
very interesting house. It’s awesome
Thank you for posting. My grandfather would be sad to see the state of the place now.
It has stood the test of time no matter how time has tested it
House looks straight from Angus Drive. Ah yes the Alvaro’s. When we arrived back in Vancouver from Ottawa in 1960 they , one of the sons, lived in the 5600 block of Heather st then subsequently to 3351 Granville at Marpole in Shaughnessy a stunning Tudor mansion that after the parents of Vincent , Rose, Dana and Joey who all attended , where else, Eric Hamber , passed it was put up for $10,000,000.
Vincent my first BFF went on to own maybe the citys greatest night club in Graceland. Then co owner of 560 inA&B Sound location on Seymour.
My dear friend Leighlee Mulligan might take offence her father depicted in such a manor. Embracing the “other” side prevented a bloodbath that we saw in Chicago and elsewhere and preserving his own life. To think otherwise is an immature outlook on civic reality.
Hi James, My mate & I were looking at this house (maybe 86-88?) with a mind to buy it and bring it back.
The Graceland days some kind of good fun‼️ I played the piano there on Red Room Nights.
I wonder if I ever mentioned to Vince that we were looking at this place. I’m going to ask him right now. What a lark!! It would make a fun nightclub … Speakeasy style … Special evenings for themed events. LoL zoning change would be considerable (unless this has dual commercial/residential zoning due to the port proximity) The neighbours would most likely have something to say about such a plan. I’m just having fun thinking out loud with speech to text. XoXo 💋❤️
I happened on this story yesterday but, not being familiar with the neighbourhood, I wondered where Yale Street was. Today a friend and I went for a bike ride from Oakridge to New Brighton Pool, where we made our turn-around. Heading west on Wall Street, my friend, gesturing to our left, says “Wow, look at that house!” To which I replied “I just read about that house yesterday!”
Love making those crazy connections!
I lived in this house with my family (Berryman) from about 1968 to 1973 and went to East Hastings School and graduated from Templeton High. The Alvaro’s were by chance family friends, more like cousins really. So many memories. East Vancouver was an amazing place to grow up. We had one of those Smokeless Incinerators in the backyard. My father invented it (along with a man named Bob Masters). They were way ahead of their time, environmentally speaking.
That’s so interesting! Thanks for adding to the story
I live up the street from this house, and often walk by it; very interesting history. And, you wrote this article on my birthday, April 25th.
Thank you. 🙂
I remember there used to be 2 vicious Rottweilers for a while in the backyard and used to bark to everyone who was just passing by. The house is really pretty but needs lots of TLC.
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