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 30, 2016

Derilict in Dunbar

This house first came to my attention in January 2011 for two reasons: it had surveyor stakes, and it appeared to be rented. Note the window treatment and the dangling wires.


In 2014, the house and garden were spiffed up, and it sold in July. Note the 4040 address on the side. And the renters (or whoever) created a raised bed on the boulevard with an impressive number of vegetables.




A pink ogopogo came to visit.


The garden grew, producing tomatoes and other veggies; this view in September 2014.


The house remained, but the veggie plot was neglected. However, the kale reseeded and looked like this in the fall of 2015. 


In April 2016 the kale flowered, getting ready for another season, but the ogopogo slumped over.


In October 2016, the entire site was demolished, except for the boulevard raised bed, which succeeded in falling over on its own accord.

This demolition was probably welcomed by the neighbourhood. I wish that I had taken photos of the rear of the house because there was a large addition which I doubt would be allowed by today's bylaws. The place was totally derelict for many years. The backyard was an eyesore, being littered with broken down possessions of former residents. Unfortunately, in its better days, the large house was probably a low rental option for a quite a number of people, and that option is gone and will not return.

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