1819 Robson Street

1825 Robson Street and 1819 Robson Street, 1962; detail from West End from the air; Vancouver City Archives, Air P96; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/west-end-from-air.

1819 Robson Street was on the north side of Robson Street, west of Denman Street.

Legal Description: District Lot 185; Block 65; east half of Lot 31.

1800 Block 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.

 

1825 Robson Street and 1819 Robson Street, detail from Goad’s Atlas of Vancouver, volume 1, Plate 48 [Denman Street to Georgia Street to Chilco Street to Haro Street]; Vancouver City Archives: 1972-582.23; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/plate-48-denman-street-to-georgia-street-to-chilco-street-to-haro-street.

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 May 2, 2019].

 

Vancouver directory listings from 1907 to 1920:

1907 to 1910	Baker, George Burnard
1911 to 1912	Smith, James Arthur
1913	Griesbach, Emma Maria
1914	Grainger, David
1915	McWilliams, Annie Lillian
1916	Vacant
1917	King, Percival Faulkner
1918	Thomas, Ernest Webb
1919 to 1920	Barrs, Frank Arthur Anderson

 

The house appeared in an advertisement for sale in 1907. (It is not certain if the house itself was for sale, or if the address was merely a contact address for the seller of the property.)

 

Vancouver Province, November 2, 1907, page 17, column 4.

 

In 1910 and 1914, the contents of the house were for sale by auction.

 

Vancouver Province, April 23, 1910, page 12, column 2.

 

Vancouver Sun, May 27, 1914, page 3, column 1.

 

From time to time, the house offered rental accommodation.

 

Vancouver Province, November 18, 1912, page 22, column 2.

 

Vancouver Province, May 29, 1914, page 23, column 6.

 

Vancouver Province, November 28, 1921, page 14, column 8.

 

Vancouver Province, August 9, 1946, page 12, column 8.

 

Vancouver Sun, March 13, 1954, page 45, column 1.

 

By 1954, a service station had appeared on the lot next door to 1819 Robson Street. The service station’s address was 785 Denman Street.

 

Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory, 1954, page 863 (Denman Street).

 

1825 Robson Street and 1819 Robson Street; detail from First Beach, 1954; BO-54-211; http://vintageairphotos.com/bo-54-211/.

 

The service station was part of Standard Oil of British Columbia’s system of Chevron outlets.

 

Vancouver Sun, July 24, 1963, page 10, column 2.

 

In February 1968, the service station was proposing to use the lot at 1819 Robson Street as a parking lot. The owner of 1825 Robson Street objected to the plan, since it would “lock in” the lot at 1825 Robson.

 

Vancouver Sun, February 14, 1968, page 18, columns 7-8.

 

It appears that Standard Oil purchased 1825 Robson Street. In May 1968, Standard Oil applied to rezone both 1819 Robson Street and 1825 Robson Street for commercial use.

 

Vancouver Province, May 3, 1968, page 13, column 3 [portion of larger series of notices].

The property remained part of the service station property until the early 1990s.

 

Vancouver Sun, December 30, 1980, page 36, column 8.

 

Vancouver Province, January 17, 1990, page 68, column 6.

 

Denman and Robson [Streets looking] north; [between 1980 and 1997]; Vancouver City Archives; CVA 772-543; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/denman-and-robson-streets-looking-north.

The service station later closed, and a four-storey building appeared on the property. The newer building had a street address of 1821 Robson Street. It occupied almost all of Lot 30 and the south portion of Lot 31.

 

1800 block of Robson Street (north side); Vanmapp, City of Vancouver; http://vanmapp.vancouver.ca/pubvanmap_net/default.aspx. [Includes 1912 Goad’s map of Vancouver and property addresses in 2019.]

Northwest corner of Robson Street and Denman Street; Google Maps; searched May 2, 2019.

 

Northwest corner of Robson Street and Denman Street; Google Streets; searched May 2, 2019; image dated September 2015.

 

In 2019, the Times Square Suites Hotel operates an apartment hotel in the building.

 

 

Sources

Vancouver City Council; Council Meeting Minutes, Vol. 87; Aug. 04, 1964; File F087; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/council-meeting-minutes-vol-87-aug-04-1964: Building and planning matters – rezoning application: 1819 Robson Street – Standard Oil Company of B.C. –, p. 9, 34; Delegations – rezoning application: 1819 Robson Street – W.H. Fraser for Standard Oil Company of B.C., p. 6.”

Vancouver City Council; Council Meeting Minutes: Feb. 6, 1968; File F097.23; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/council-meeting-minutes-feb-6-1968: Building and planning matters – proposed parking area – 1819 Robson Street — p. 744, 789-790.

Vancouver City Council; Council Meeting Minutes: Feb. 13, 1968; File F097.24; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/council-meeting-minutes-feb-13-1968: Delegations and unfinished business – proposed parking – 1819 Robson Street — p. 820.

Vancouver City Council; Council Meeting Minutes: Mar. 19, 1968; File F098.04; https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/council-meeting-minutes-mar-19-1968: communications or petitions – development permit: 1819 Robson Street (Standard Oil Company) — p.109.

Times Square Suites Hotel; https://www.timessquaresuites.com/en-gb.