1995 Beach Avenue

1993/1995 Beach Avenue, early 1970s, detail from Last houses on Beach Ave.; photograph by Flora M. Thompson; Vancouver City Archives; Item 2018-005.01; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/last-houses-on-beach-ave.

 

1993/1995 Beach Avenue and 1985/1987 Beach Avenue; August 3, 1967; detail from Surviving houses on Beach Ave., Vancouver; Northern British Columbia Archives, Geoffrey R. Weller Library, University of Northern British Columbia, Item 2013.6.36.1.072.16; http://search.nbca.unbc.ca/index.php/surving-houses-on-beach-ave-vancouver.

 

1995 Beach Avenue was near the northeast corner of Beach Avenue and Chilco Street. It was one of a group of four houses. (Part of this house had an address of 1993 Beach Avenue. Further details appear on the page for 1993 Beach Avenue.)

Legal Description: District Lot: 185; Block 71; west half of Lot 12.

 

1900 Block Beach Avenue – Detail from Goad’s Atlas of the City of Vancouver – 1912 – Vol 1 – Plate 8 – Barclay Street to English Bay and Cardero Street to Stanley Park.

 

1999 Beach Avenue, 1997 Beach Avenue, 1991 Beach Avenue, 1995 Beach Avenue, 1993 Beach Avenue, 1987 Beach Avenue and 1985 Beach Avenue; 1994 Pendrell Street; 1996 Pendrell Street, 1913; detail from Denman Street to Comox Street to Stanley Park boundary to English Bay Reference code – 1972-582-38 – Plate 63; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/plate-63-denman-street-to-comox-street-to-stanley-park-boundary-to-english-bay.

 

It appears that 1993/1995 Beach Avenue and 1985/1987 Beach Avenue were built somewhat later than 1991/1997 and 1999 Beach Avenue. In the photograph below, 1991/1997 and 1999 Beach Avenue are already built, and the lot to the east (1993/1995 Beach Avenue and 1985/1987 Beach Avenue) is vacant.

 

1999 Beach Avenue, 1997/1991 Beach Avenue and vacant lot on Beach Avenue; detail from View of English Bay Beach from the foot of Harwood Street, 1902; Vancouver City Archives; Be P5.1; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/view-of-english-bay-beach-from-foot-of-harwood-street.

 

By about 1908, all four houses were present.

 

Beach Avenue and Chilco Street; detail from English Bay Pier pilings and view of Beach Avenue, about 1908; Vancouver City Archives, Be P102; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/english-bay-pier-pilings-and-view-of-beach-avenue.

 

There are no references to this property in Heritage Vancouver Society’s database of historic building permits: http://permits.heritagevancouver.org/index.php?cID=1 [searched March 28, 2019].

Vancouver directory listings from 1906 to 1920.

 

1906	McGregor, John Dawson
1907	Moscrop, William
1908	James, Charles McWilliams
1909	Crawford, Arthur Wellesley
1910 to 1913	Jones, Clarence Victor
1914 to 1920	Gray, Harry Gordon

 

For much of its history, the house offered rental accommodation.

 

Vancouver Sun, October 26, 1931, page 14, column 8.

 

 

Vancouver Province, October 28, 1932, page 22, column 4.

 

 

Vancouver Province, September 19, 1941, page 25, column 1.

 

 

Vancouver Sun, February 20, 1965, page 43, column 8.

 

 

1900 block of Beach Avenue, north side, near Chilco Street, January 1, 1967; detail from English Bay; Vancouver City Archives, 2010-006.005; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/english-bay-12.

 

 

Chilco Street and Beach Avenue, 1968 [cropped]; Vancouver City Archives, CVA 1348-28; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/chilco-and-beach-ave-looking-east.

In 1973, the owner of the four Beach Avenue houses was preparing to demolish the houses to make room for a new apartment building.

 

1993/1995 Beach Avenue and 1985/1987 Beach Avenue; early 1970s, [Last houses on Beach Ave.]; photograph by Flora M. Thompson; Vancouver City Archives; Item 2018-005.01; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/last-houses-on-beach-ave.

 

Sign above doorway on 1985/1987 Beach Avenue; detail from 1993/1995 Beach Avenue and 1985/1987 Beach Avenue; early 1970s, [Last houses on Beach Ave.]; photograph by Flora M. Thompson; Vancouver City Archives; Item 2018-005.01; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/last-houses-on-beach-ave.

 

The project also involved two houses on Pendrell Street that were behind the Beach Avenue houses.

 

1964/6 and 1988 Pendrell Street at the southeast corner of Chilco Street, 1968; Vancouver City Archives, CVA 1348-5; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/1964-6-and-1988-pendrell-at-s-e-corner-of-chilco.

 

The tenants in the four Beach Avenue houses tried to delay the demolition.

 

Vancouver Province, March 14, 1973, page 37, columns 3-4.

 

However, the old houses did not survive long, and by 1975 the new building was heading to completion.

 

English Bay Beach, Vancouver, 1975; British Columbia Archives; Item I-21624; https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/english-bay-beach-vancouver-20.

 

The new building was called “Huntington West,” probably as a reference to the Huntington Apartments, which were at 1915 Beach Avenue. (Further information appears on the page for 1901 Beach Avenue.)

In the fall of 1975, the developers were advertising rental suites in the new building.

 

Vancouver Sun, September 13, 1975, page 55, columns 8-9.

 

The building later became a strata-titled ownership building.

 

1995 Beach Avenue (“Huntington West”); Google Streets, searched March 28, 2019; image dated May 2017.

 

 

Sources

“More highrises for Kits, West End,” by Bob Smith; The Grape [newspaper], March 14-28, 1973, page 3. [refers to houses on 1900 block of Beach Avenue; similar to “Demolition delay sought by tenants,” Vancouver Province, March 14, 1973, page 37, columns 3-4.]

Huntington West, 1995 Beach Avenue; https://bccondos.net/1995-beach. [Note: this reference states that the building dates from 1996, not 1975.]

Huntington West, 1995 Beach Avenue; https://condos.ca/vancouver/huntington-west-1995-beach-ave [Note: says the building was registered on June 9, 1987. This may be the date that the building became a strata-titled building.]