1174 Denman Street was on the east side of Denman Street, south of the lane between Pendrell Street and Davie Street.
Legal Description: District Lot 185; Block 61; Lot: north half of Lot 15.
There is one reference to this property in Heritage Vancouver Society’s database of historic building permits: http://permits.heritagevancouver.org/index.php?cID=1 [February 11, 2023].
| District: | Vancouver |
| Permit: | B-15207 |
| Owner: | Andersons Ltd. |
| Architect: | |
| Builder: | Owner |
| Legal Address: | DL: Block: Sub: Resub: Lot: |
| Date (Y-M-D): | 1926-08-04 |
| Street Number: | 1174 |
| Street Name: | Denman Street |
| Value: | $100.00 |
| Remarks: | Miscellaneous; Repairs/Alterations; Fire escape |
| Reference ID: | VN-19268448-49 |
Vancouver directory listings from 1901 to 1920.
| 1901 | Burnet, John William |
| 1902 | McKnight, James |
| 1903 | Marshallsay, Isabella Robertson |
| 1904 to 1907 | Macdonald, Mrs. Boswell Robert |
| 1908 to 1911 | Macdonald, Boswell Robert |
| 1912 | Norton, Caroline Winifred |
| 1913 | Preston, Albert Keith |
| 1914 | Cooper, Emily Jane |
| 1915 to 1916 | Browning, Herman |
| 1916 to 1917 | Vacant |
| 1918 to 1919 | Winter, William Frederick |
| 1920 | Martens, Irene |
The house was a rooming house for much of its life.
In 1912, the house was for sale.
In 1919, the contents of the house were for sale by auction.
In 1942, the property known as 1174-1182 Denman Street was for sale.
Ples Family
In the 1950s and 1960s Stefan Ples (1912-1985) and his wife, Gerda (née Lange) (1910-1991), lived in this house, along with their children, Stefan and Renate.
Stefan and Gerda operated the house as a rooming house. The Ples family lived on the ground floor of the house.
The Ples family moved to Alta Lake during the early period of Whistler Mountain’s development.
Stefan Ples died at Squamish, British Columbia on March 7, 1985.
Gerda Ples died in Vancouver on May 28, 1991.
Stefan Ples Jr. died on December 10, 2021.
Later Years at 1174 Denman Street
In 1970, the 1174 Denman Boutique occupied this site.
In late 1970, the “Eleven-Seventy for Denman” restaurant appeared at this location. According to some sources, the street number was 1170 Denman Street. However, this seems to be a misreading of the restaurant’s name: “Eleven Seventy for Denman” is really “11,” “74” and “Denman” written out in words, with “four” spelled as “for.”
New Building
In 1976, the architectural firm of Tusar, Messer, Townley, Matheson applied to the City of Vancouver for a permit to build a six-storey retail and residential building on the site, which included the location of the Simpson Block at the northeast corner of Denman Street and Davie Street. The proposed address for the new building was 1184 Denman Street.
In 1977, the architectural firm of Henriquez and Todd applied for permission to build a four-storey retail and residential building on the site.
Shortly afterward, the new building was on the site.
![Denman and Davie Streets looking east, [between 1980 and 1997]; Vancouver City Archives; CVA 772-532; http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/denman-and-davie-streets-looking-east.](https://westendvancouver.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/denman-and-davie-streets-looking-east-between-1980-and-1997-vancouver-city-archives-cva-772-532.jpg)
Sources
Sheet of thirteen contact prints of 1170 [sic] Denman Street, Vancouver; June 1974; Vancouver City Archives; Item : CVA 185-2; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/sheet-of-thirteen-contact-prints-of-1170-denman-street-vancouver.
West facade of a tum-of-the-century renovated house on Denman Street, Vancouver; June 1974; “Restaurante eleven seventy for Denman”; Vancouver City Archives; Item : CVA 185-1;
“The chess games of Peter Biyiasas,” Kibitzer’s Corner; http://www.chessgames.com/player/peter_biyiasas.html: “Nov-21-07: znprdx: Speaking of blitz? How about 1 minute games to mate with only Knight and Bishop? Biyasis vs. Suttles alternating for an hour or so in a West End coffeehouse – of which I was co-proprietor (Eleven Seventy For Denman) Vancouver circa 1973. Now this is nostalgia!”
Ples Family
Stefan Ples
Ples, Stefan; https://whistler.ica-atom.org/ples-stefan.
Stefan Ples Interview at the 1982 Alpine Skiing World Cup; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxoZPqUn220.
Happiest in the Mountains: Stefan Ples (Part One); Whistorical, Official Blog of the Whistler Museum; https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/2020/05/19/happiest-in-the-mountains-stefan-ples-part-one/.
Happiest in the Mountains: Stefan Ples (Part Two); Whistorical, Official Blog of the Whistler Museum; https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/2020/05/26/happiest-in-the-mountains-stefan-ples-part-two/.
Tyrol Ski & Mountain Club History; https://tyrolskiclub.com/tyrol-lodge/history/.
Whistler’s “first” debate, by Lisa Richardson, Vancouver Sun, December 3, 2005, page 78 (includes photographs of Stefan Ples).
Cradle, built by Stefan Ples, Pemberton and District Museum and Archives Society; https://www.pembertonmuseum.org/collections/objects/bareham-renate-mrs-bruce-nee-ples/cradle/.
“Canada, British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLVK-XRP : 8 November 2017), Stefan Ples, 1985; https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/c384834b-11e3-482b-8da1-a9dfe56648bd.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29R-VJP7 : 9 July 2020), Stefan Ples, 1985; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153730933/stefan-ples: “Stefan Ples Sr.; Birth: 28 Apr 1912; Wien Stadt, Vienna (Wien), Austria; Death: 7 Mar 1985 (aged 72); Squamish, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Burial: Whistler Cemetery, Whistler, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Plot: South Section, Block E; Memorial ID: 153730933.
Gerda Magdalene Lange (wife of Stefan Ples)
Ples, Gerda; https://whistler.ica-atom.org/ples-gerda.
British Columbia Death Registrations; Registration Number: 1991-09-009591; Gerda Magdalene Ples; BC Archives Microfilm Number: B17151; date of death: May 28, 1991; place of death: Vancouver; age at death: 80; https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/b9586398-46fe-4772-8513-4b8283fdff64.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29R-VJLT : 17 July 2020), Gerda Magdalene Lange Ples, 1991; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153731817/gerda-magdalene-ples: “Gerda Magdalene Lange Ples; Birth: 7 Aug 1920, Leipzig, Stadtkreis Leipzig, Saxony (Sachsen), Germany; Death: 28 May 1991 (aged 70),Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Burial: Whistler Cemetery; Whistler, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Plot: South Section, Block E; Memorial ID: 153731817.”
Stefan Ples, Junior (son of Stefan Ples)
Stefan Ples, Jr., death notice; Pique Newsmagazine 2851, December 23, 2021, page 72, column 4; https://issuu.com/whistlerpublishing/docs/piquewebissue2851.
Renate Ples (daughter of Stefan Ples)
Bareham, Renate (nee Ples); https://whistler.ica-atom.org/bareham-renate-nee-ples.
“Renate Bareham – Being Stefan Ples’ Daughter,” by Michel Beaudry, Pique Newsmagazine, March 6, 2013; https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/opinion/renate-bareham-ndash-being-stefan-ples-daughter-2493192.
WestEndVancouver 
I lived in this house from 1953 until 1966 with my parents, Stefan and Gerda Ples and my brother also Stefan. My parents ran it as a rooming house. We lived on the main floor.
Hello Renate,
Thank you for getting in touch and for letting me know about your connection to 1174 Denman Street.
I updated the page on 1174 Denman Street, and I added information about the Ples family: https://westendvancouver.wordpress.com/streets-a-to-h/denman-street/1174-denman-street/.
Robert