Every House Has a Story- Black History Month: Harry and Valerie Jerome
- In the year of the dragon: the changing face of Chinatown
- How the Chinese saved Strathcona
- Heritage Turkeys
- Seriously–you think your house price won’t tank?
- Peter Pantages and the Polar Bear Swim
- Wah Wong and the Parrot
- The Penthouse Night Club
- Villa Russe
- Fred Thornton Hollingsworth
Category Archives: Home Histories
Peter Pantages and the Polar Bear Swim
Being an Aussie, I really don’t get the appeal of plunging into frigid salty water, but I do love the history behind the Polar Bear Swim. Today marks the 92nd anniversary of the New Year’s Day swim, which Peter Pantages … Continue reading
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Tagged 343 East 13th Avenue, Peter Pan Cafe, Peter Pantages, Polar Bear Swim
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Wah Wong and the Parrot
Louis the celebrity parrot inherited a three-storey mansion and managed to stave off development for 17 years, before the estate succumbed to “progress” and was bulldozed to make way for the Chateau Victoria Hotel in 1966. Continue reading
Villa Russe
Looking for a mansion on the right side of town? 3390 The Crescent is on the market for $31.9 million. I’m guessing the owners are receptive to a lower bid, since it was up for sale last year for only $17.9 million. Continue reading
Sylvia Holland (1900-1974)
I had a really interesting chat with Theo Halladay recently. Theo is 83 and living in the house her mother designed in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. Theo was born in Victoria, and I’m quite fascinated with her … Continue reading
Posted in Home Histories
Tagged 1170 Tattersall Drive, 640 St. Patrick Street, Architectural Association School, Balinese cat, Boris Holland, Collinson residence, Frank Holland, MGM, Sylvia Moberly Holland, Theo Halladay, Tysoe Residence, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, William Weir McGill
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The Coach House
When I was mapping out a walking tour of James Bay for a book on Victoria not too long ago, I came across the Coach House, an early carriage-style residence tucked away at the point where Marifield Avenue runs into … Continue reading
Posted in Home Histories
Tagged Bickerton Court, Bishop Cridge, carriage house, Castlewood, Coach House, Dominion Hotel, emily carr, House of all Sorts, Jackie Somers, James Bay, John A. Hall, John Wilcox, Marifield, Metropolitan Livery Stables, Richard Carr, Stephen Jones, Victoria, Victoria Chemical Company, William G. Bowman, William Maddock 247 St. Andrews Street
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Robin Burgoyne: Toronto House Researcher
Robin Burgoyne started researching the social history of Toronto houses in 2008. Through her company Caerwent HouseStories she has notched up more than 25 house histories, each one taking between 100 and 150 hours to complete. When she’s not researching … Continue reading
The Clydes, the Butlers and the Empress Theatre
The Empress Theatre on West Hastings went up in 1908 and came down in 1940, and in its heyday it had the biggest stage west of Chicago. In the 1930s it was owned by Hollywood stars Fay Holden and David Clyde who also owned a house on 51st Avenue in East Vancouver
Seaplane Crashes Through West End Roof
This is one of my favourite finds at the Vancouver Archives. The house at 755 Bute Street is long gone, but was once owned by Dr. James Farish, a Vancouver ear, eye and nose specialist. On September 4, 1918, Victor Bishop, 23, was home on leave from the War, when the builders—Jimmy and Henry Hoffar, asked him to take their seaplane for a test spin over Burrard Inlet. Continue reading
624 Avalon Street
Laura West was in her garden one day about two years ago when a family of strangers drove slowly past her house. They rolled down the car window, excused themselves for staring, and told her that their great grandparents had built her house in 1904.
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The Steel House on Steel Street
Shahn Torontow has always loved Jonie Mitchell’s song “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” So when a parking lot became available on Steel Street in Victoria, he decided to put up his vision of paradise. Continue reading