778 Gilford Street

778 Gilford Street, 1968; detail from Robson Street at Gilford Street; Vancouver City Archives; CVA 1348-25; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/robson-street-at-gilford.

 

 

778 Gilford Street, possibly 1985; [cropped]; Vancouver City Archives, CVA 790-1752; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/778-gilford-street.

 

 

778 Gilford Street; Google Streets, searched December 1, 2018; image dated April 2009.

 

 

778 Gilford Street (rear); Google Streets, searched December 1, 2018; image dated May 2015.

 

 

Legal Description: District Lot 185, Block 65, Lot: north half of lot 36.

 

700 Block Gilford Street – Alberni Street to Robson Street – Detail from Goad’s Atlas of the city of Vancouver – 1912 – Vol 1 – Plate 7 – Coal Harbour to Barclay Street and Cardero Street to Stanley Park.

 

 

778 Gilford Street and 786 Gilford Street; detail from Goad’s Atlas of Vancouver, Volume 1, Plate 48 [Denman Street to Georgia Street to Chilco Street to Haro Street]; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/plate-48-denman-street-to-georgia-street-to-chilco-street-to-haro-street.

 

There is one reference to this property in Heritage Vancouver Society’s database of historic building permits: http://permits.heritagevancouver.org/ [searched December 1, 2018].

 

District:	Vancouver
Permit:
Owner:	Springer, F. B.
Architect:	Gardiner, W. F.
Builder:	Sellar & Bishop
Legal Address:	DL: 185 Block: 65 Sub: Resub: Lot: 36
Date (Y-M-D):	1909-07-13
Street Number:	778
Street Name:	Gilford Street
Value:	$2,800.00
Remarks:	Frame dwelling house
Reference ID:	VN-3018-3018-116

 

The owner was Frank Benjamin Springer, who lived at 786 Gilford Street from 1906 to 1908.

The architect was William Frederick Gardiner (1884-1951); Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800 -1950; http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1582. (The house does not appear in the list of Mr. Gardiner’s projects.)

These are the Vancouver directory listings for 778 Gilford Street from 1910 to 1920.

 

1910	Peterson, Clare Bristow
1911 to 1912	Springer, Mabel (see under Frances Mary Springer)
1913	Mackensen, Carl von
1914	Springer, Mrs. Lucia (see under Frances Mary Springer)
1916 to 1920	Keith, Dr. William Dow

 

The house remained a private home with some rental suites until about 1936.

 

Vancouver Sun, July 7, 1931, page 12, column 7.

 

 

By 1936, it had become Lagoon Lodge Apartments.

 

BC and Yukon Directory, 1936, page 1316.

 

 

In 1949, Gustave Wengel was the operator of Lagoon Lodge.

 

Greater Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory, 1949, page 594.

 

 

In 1949, Mr. Wengel offered the property for sale, but he was still operating the lodge in 1955.

 

Edmonton Journal, January 22, 1949, page 20, column 4.

 

The house was still standing and well-maintained in 2020.