Vancouver’s Strathcona neighborhood is one of the oldest and most historied.
And yet… there are houses and buildings being demolished or threatened – like the Heatley Block
My grandmother, my great-grandmother and my great-great-grandfather all lived in Strathcona. And while the Chinese United Church is no longer here, because the buildings were demolished to make way for townhouses, some of the houses are still very well preserved!
There are many many historic houses in Strathcona. Heritage markers are placed in front of the buildings such as this one. Below is a picture of the Jane Wilks House – which my grandmother lived in.
This is the Jane Wilks House at 732 Princess Ave. My friend James Johnstone, house historian, recently discovered that former BC Premier David Barrett’s parents lived here. My grandmother lived here from WW2 to about 1957.
My mother’s family previously lived at 627 Pender St. from 1928 to 1944
The Wilder Snail is a very funky grocery store with a coffee shop.
Across the street is this very contemporary style town house development, with very post-modern Smart Cars in front. What a contrast from the early 1900’s when my granduncles Art and Gordon started the first Chinese Canadian taxi service.
See more of my Strathcona pictures + Strathcona Community Gardens:
