The housing stock in the Dunbar area of Vancouver has undergone significant change in the past five years. Originally a working class neighbourhood with many quite modest homes surrounded by lovely gardens, it is now a neighbourhood that 99% of the people working in Vancouver cannot afford because the replacement homes are built to the maximum footprint and cost millions. Greenspace has been reduced. Included on this website are photos of many (not all) of the disappeared houses.
View Teardowns in the Dunbar area of Vancouver, BC in a larger map

Demolitions West of the Dunbar Community Centre

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Two Blocks--Three Demolitions

These three houses on the 3800 block of West 24th Avenue are not identical but share enough characteristics that one can assume that they may have been built within a short time of each other, perhaps in the early 1930's. With a storey-and-a-half, they were a typical, modest, and efficient build on the 33 foot lots for families of the time. But even these narrow 33 foot lots are being re-developed now.
By late July, the above house was gone.

In October, the new construction indicated a contemporary style house. There are two nice touches, the little round window above the entrance and the roof style that keeps the height down (and no third storey to tower over neighbouring houses).


Now on to the block to the west, which borders the Camosun Bog. The date engraved on the sidewalk of the 3900 block is 1943; these two demolished houses were built in 1944 and 1948 respectively. The 1944 house was built on a larger lot of 47 feet, and this one-storey house is being replaced by a much larger one. The demolition took place during the second half of July 2011.

The 1948 house has some "new" design features of the day--a centre front chimney and a side entrance. It was demolished in August or September 2011.
Here are the two replacement houses as they appeared on October 16, 2011.It appears that West 24th Avenue may be slated for a few more demolitions.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

History Disappears


This unassuming but charming house has seen a lot of local history. Not only is the house from the 1920's, but it is the place where much of the planning for Dunbar's famous Salmonberry Days took place. In addition, parts of The Story of Dunbar were written here. But the house was built on two legal lots; note the surveyor's stake sunk next to the walkway, dividing the lot into two parts.


March brought crocuses and garlic (lower right) in the sunny back garden of this vacant house. Plants were required to remain despite what we know will be the fate of the house and its surrounding extensive garden.
It was torn down on September 29, 2011. Angus McIntyre, a Dunbar resident, made a video of eight agonizing minutes.