Disappearing Dunbar (Demolitions)

East and West of Dunbar on West 37th Avenue

2012-02-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

This cottage was built in 1930 and in the same family for close to 80 years according to the real estate advertisement. In early January, I received a panicked email about this house on the block just east of Dunbar Street.

"Add 3568 West 37 Ave to your list, the new buyer...is tearing it down...I am totally devastated and depressed over this, to the point that I will have to leave dunbar in a couple of years, because i am so upset."

Now over to the west side of Dunbar Street. When I saw the protective red fencing around this lovely large south-facing home, I thought it must be related to the demolition across the street; I did not think this great family home would come down. But it did...sometime between April 13 when this was taken and June.

Taken Sept 4: Take note of all the wood in this new construction, and imagine all the wood, perhaps of better quality, that was part of the previous house and then discarded to a landfill.

Taken Feb 6. Granted, this will be a very fine home, but what is the environmental impact? And in light of the recent story in the Vancouver Courier, will anyone actually live in it?

A West 38th Avenue Story

2012-02-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Real estate speculation is emptying out West 38th Avenue between Dunbar and Collingwood according to a Vancouver Courier web exclusive.

Castle House

2012-01-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

Spring arrived in March 2011 with a flowering tree in front of this "castle" house, the epitome of castle houses, very well maintained. Now for sale, I thought to myself, this charmer will not be torn down. But just in case, I took a photo because it was so lovely. Note the arched front door complete with an arched window, the perfect turret, the side wall extensions to give a "cob" appearance, and the skylight windows added later to bring light into the top floor.

On December 11, I walked by, and to my dismay it appeared that the house was being prepared for demolition. Within the week, it was gone.

Even castles do not survive. To ponder: can the next house on this spot be as charming?

On My Way to Stongs...

2011-12-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

On my way back from Stongs...

The house as it was in July 2011:
Torn down on December 20, 2011.

Holidays in Dunbar

2011-12-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

The door with 4028 no longer leads to anything, and there's no need to decorate for Christmas. The 1938 house (same year as mine) situated on a 33 foot lot was sold in May 2011, had survey markers sunk in July, and was torn down December 8, 2011. Do you remember what it looked like?

Why Dunbar has Homes Sitting Empty and East Side Homes are Split up into Small Rented Rooms

2011-12-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Sandy Garossino has written an interesting article about our real estate situation in Vancouver. A phrase in the article describes us as the "safety-deposit box for the world". People using our area of the city as a place for investment are not interested in thoughtfully-renovated 1920's cottages, 1930's character homes with lovely gardens and large trees, solidly-built 1950's bungalows, or roomy 1980's Vancouver specials. That is why we see so many of these pre-demolition stakes in our Dunbar area (and other areas). Here's the link to the article:

Unaffordable (That’s What You Are)

Three Demolitions on West 27th Avenue

2011-11-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

Although this house was large and attractive, it was demolished in September 2011. By October, the foundation was under construction, and by November 21, the style of the replacement house is evident.

A few blocks east of the above house, stood this more modest house, with an interesting roof line, until February 2011. It is on a narrow lot, but a taller house was constructed and appears to be finished by October. One wonders if the chafer beetles survived!

The third house borders the east lane behind Dunbar Street, the first house situated on the north side of West 27th Avenue. But it was not the first house on this piece of land. The lot and the one next to it comprised one large lot, and there was a house built on it in 1914. It was torn down and the lot divided into two, and this house was constructed in 1951. This house is not full of character, but if you walk on that block, you will see several of the "first" houses, probably from the 1920's that still retain some original charming character. Let's hope that they remain and are maintained as they are irreplaceable assets to our community. A deforestation project was followed by an asbestos removal project.
I happened to be at the demolition on February 28.

By May, the new house was taking shape, and by October, there is more progress on this large house.

Halloween?

2011-11-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

No...asbestos.
A demolition in the making.

Little Stone Cottage

2011-11-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

I came across this charming stone cottage on a block just east of Dunbar. It is unusual architecture for our area--likely it is quite old. The vegetation around it is a bit out of control, so I doubt it is currently inhabited. The question: will it be demolished and replaced by a new house with less character?

Two Blocks--Three Demolitions

2011-10-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

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.

History Disappears

2011-10-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

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.

Demolition Lane

2011-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

The City has paved some lanes this summer; here is one that is one day old. It is a deceiving bucolic scene.
The lane replaced a plethora of pot holes and is now great for biking and kids' street hockey. It is also good for demolition equipment. The first demolition with the new lane took place on September 1. Here is a photo of the 1940 house in January 2011:

This last photo shows a vignette of 3 demolitions. To the left is the new house, from the demolition described in my first blog, of January 3. Between the two houses is new construction replacing a house torn down on July 18.

It is possible that the lane has or will see 10 demolitions within a relatively short period of time.

1. Torn down prior to September 2010, now a recently occupied new house.
2. Torn down October 2010, new house nearly finished, my first blog, January 3.
3. Torn down July 18, 2011, my blog of July 20.
4. Partially torn down July 2011; the family is doing an extreme renovation (this is good!)
5. Torn down September 1, 2011, this blog.
6. Due to be torn down soon, quite derelict.
7. Sold May 2011, and neighbourhood talk is that it is to be torn down because of the survey markers and red marks on the sidewalk, but people just moved in.
8. Sold August 2011 as "fabulous opportunity to build or hold".
9. Sold in 2010 and rented out, house could use some work.
10. Sold January 2011 and rented out; a very nice renovated house.

Renting is a concern because the owner/developer obviously lives elsewhere and may be "holding" to teardown later. A couple of these properties appeared to be sold twice.

These are 33 foot lots, except for no. 9 which is wider.

To be continued...

Three Large Houses, Now Gone

2011-08-26T21:37:00.002-07:00

This was a luxurious home in 1929, built on a 60 by 140 foot lot, with no lane in the rear. It has been replaced by a larger house, but will more people live there?
A wet scene from January:
Houses on corners are vulnerable to demolition, and that happened to this house, which appeared to be in good condition. The lot is 50 feet wide, but the new house has a larger footprint than the previous one.
The demolition had an asbestos issue:

Although this third house was on a corner bordering 41st Avenue, it was effectively shielded from the busy street by a screen of trees, now removed. The wide lot was recently subdivided, so there could be two houses constructed here. Zoning does not allow for a more energy-efficient duplex or triplex (which could still allow decent green space due to the size of the lot), but the location would be a candidate for more density since it is near commercial buildings and an express bus stop.

The Vancouver Courier columnist, Sandra Thomas wrote about her house being for sale and likely being torn down. In response, Peter Ladner wrote a letter to the Vancouver Courier, stating that the City should "require any teardown to be replaced with a duplex or triplex". The latest Vancouver Courier has a followup letter, pointing out that demolishing houses produces a lot of garbage and does not get us closer to providing affordable housing.

Usually, getting more density requires a trade-off with green space. But in the Dunbar area, with our current zoning regulations, there are numerous lots where we are losing double--we are losing both green space and density.

A May Demolition on King Edward

2011-07-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that I didn't get a photo of this cute house before it began to be torn down. It is of the same era as the one at 3829 West King Edward (torn down in June--see blog of June 27), but it has the addition of an enclosed front entry. On April 3, the house looked like this.

There was a lovely gate, but it is gone. There is still evidence of a beautiful and well cared for garden.

On May 4, more of the house is gone.
It was torn down prior to May 15.

A First

2011-07-20T10:52:00.001-07:00

This is a lengthy blog because the house is near mine, only 4 houses away, and as far as I know it is the first house on this side of the 4000 block of West 31st Avenue to be demolished. A tribute to the neighbourhood conviviality of this block is that many of the 1 and 1.5 storey houses on this side (developed in 1938) have been renovated, some extensively, by the resident owners because they enjoy living here. One resident recently told me, "This is the best block that I've ever lived on." Each year on July 1, the street is decked out with Canadian flags for the annual block party. Two families still living on the block owned this small 2 bedroom home as their "starter" home.

Let's remember the distinctive little round red window.

The house was put up for sale in September 2010. Surveyors arrived in late March 2011. In early May the stakes were sunk. On July 9, protective fencing was put around the boulevard tree. On July 18 the excavator arrived.

A very tall and badly-topped cedar tree growing next to the lane was cut down in preparation for the demolition, a good thing in this case as the core was quite rotted.

Scenes from the demolition, photos from the front and the rear taken by my husband and me:

Path to destruction?

View from the side:
Not a calm view from the neighbour's Zen garden:

Requiem for a Red Camellia

2011-07-14T16:53:00.001-07:00

In early May, the red camellia bloomed for the last time in front of this house, perhaps a type of "Vancouver special" or an older house remodeled in the 70's.

By 1 p.m. on June 30, much of the house was gone, but bits of it were recognizable.

The view from the lane shows materials that will go to the landfill. Or will the metal be recycled?

King Edward Demolition

2011-06-27T15:52:00.001-07:00

This 1920's character house (note that curved roof over the entry!) was situated on two legal lots, 33 feet plus 16.5 feet. According to neighbours, the City approved the division of the space into two lots of 24.73 feet each, thus allowing two narrow houses to be constructed. The neighbours will miss this place, torn down today. With thanks to a nearby neighbour who took this photo in April 2011 and alerted me to the demolition.

Note to readers: Apologies for the blog being in arrears. I've been out of the country but am fully aware of quite a few other demolitions, which will be featured soon!

The Ending (with Video)

2011-04-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thos Gee's video Demolition in Dunbar is more riveting than my two still photos, taken mid December 2010 and in March 2011.

36th Avenue West of Dunbar

2011-04-27T20:45:00.001-07:00

This small house was built in 1931 on a 66 foot wide lot. Because there is no back lane, the garage was accessible from the front. A Dunbar resident, R. Ripley, suspected that the house would be demolished and took this photo in May 2008.
Left to deteriorate, by January 2011, it appears that a car had bashed into the house breaking the front window, and the entire scene looked rather morose and untidy.
Sometime in February 2011, it was demolished, and at least one large tree was cut down.

In April the foundation of one large house can be seen.

Ever on the lookout in the neighbourhood, R. Ripley took this photo in November 2010.
I came by after Christmas and spotted the red fencing.
In late January, construction had begun.
One month later:
A mid-April view of this very fast construction project:

If you're ready for more, here are two "before-and-afters" on 36th Avenue, where R. Ripley took the early photo, predating this blog project, and I took the photo of the new house.

Compare July 2004 and April 2010:

Compare April 2007 and April 2010:

Two Demolitions on 39th Avenue

2011-04-08T20:59:00.001-07:00

Over a year ago, in early February 2010, R. Ripley a Dunbar resident, became aware that this house at the corner of West 39th Avenue and Camosun would likely be demolished and took this photo.
When I began gathering photos for this blog in the fall of 2010, I stumbled across the same house, looking uncared for, and took a photo.

On December 5, I knew for sure what would happen...

By January 21, the hole was dug and concrete had been poured. Note how large the house will be compared to its neighbour.

On March 27 the house's structure was evident. There was also a new 3-car garage under construction. With this is large lot, there is enough green space left for a couple of the large trees.
Across the street next to the corner, this house looked desolate on October 3, 2010. Looking up the address on Google, I found "permits ready to go."

It was still standing in early February, but the red fencing had been put up.
The last time I checked, the house was down, and a new one under construction. Both lots are wide but not wide enough for two houses. The original houses were built in 1946 and 1945 respectively. The second one was pretty ordinary on the exterior, but in my opinion the corner house was special with that large south-facing windowed extension on the front. Unfortunately a few more houses on the same block have surveyor's stakes.

Overlooking Chaldecott Park

2011-03-27T20:58:00.001-07:00

Most houses in Vancouver are on east-west streets, but this one and the one next door have a special setting, facing west over the long expanse of Chaldecott Park. The house appeared to be from the 50's and was not in as good condition as many houses that get torn down. My records indicate that it was listed for sale for $1,238,000, a price now unheard of in Dunbar, perhaps because the lot is small. Although it has a wide frontage, it is shallow. Note that the white stake is quite near the house, indicating that much of what appears to be a front lawn and plantings is in fact owned by the City.

The house was demolished a few days prior to March 15. A Dunbar resident, Robert Gordon, was on the spot shortly thereafter and took this photo. He reported that neighbours said that the house was demolished quickly.

On March 26, barely 2 weeks after it was torn down, the foundation was well underway. Most of the plantings at the front of the lot have disappeared under the typical mound of soil despite the initial protective red fencing. This half block lacks a sidewalk on both sides of the street, so perhaps the City will construct a sidewalk.

Demolition of 3793 West 23rd Avenue in Dunbar (with Video)

2011-03-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

A Dunbar resident, Angus McIntyre, was present at the demolition of this house on September 29, 2010. (It is featured in my blog of February 7, 2011, and two houses are being constructed on the site.) These photos of the demolition itself are poignant, and I thank Angus for making them available for the blog.

Note the tree that got ripped out in its entirety.

Angus was able to take this interior shot on the day of the demolition. Obviously, this house contained many heritage features. Except for one bathtub, everything was trashed, including most of the major appliances.
If your heart and blood pressure are healthy, take a look at this YouTube video from Angus. Discretion is advised... VIDEO

Collapse on Collingwood

2011-03-10T17:02:00.001-08:00

I was not present at this demolition which took place on Saturday, March 5, but Jan Hers, a Dunbar resident, was there with his camera and kindly agreed to have his photos featured here. This house is probably from the 1920's, and as you will see, was a tough and strong house.

The excavator began working at the back of the house.
Despite much of the back of the house being torn down, the front of the house and the porch remain intact.

A view from the rear--note that the front part of the house still stands despite much of the house being down.
But the excavator won out. Returning to the lot on the corner of Collingwood and West 20th on March 10, this is what I saw:

Neighbourhood Changing on 4000 Block of West 28th Avenue

2011-03-03T20:54:00.001-08:00

Do the following five houses deserve to be torn down?

They are all for sale on the 4000 block of West 28th Avenue. Four FOR SALE signs are visible on the following photo; a fifth FOR SALE cannot be seen. All were put on the market in February, and three sold quickly. Chances are that all five will be demolished, with the possible exception of the 2-storey house.
28th Avenue is part of the neighbourhood developed in the early 50's, spanning the north side of 27th Avenue to the north side of 31st Avenue, from Crown to Camosun. As mentioned in the blog of January 17, each lot is approximately 52 feet wide, and most of the houses were build as one-storey bungalows. The 50's were a different time in so many ways, and we cannot expect to return to those days. But one thing we don't want to give up in the 21st century is getting to know our neighbours and valuing our community. Many of the original residents of the new houses in this area were young families. Here is some of that history from May Brown who has lived in this 50's area from the beginning:

"We bought from the chap building 4 houses and we were the first family that moved into the block, April 1950. Couples had purchased lots, by auction, from the City and a number were building their own homes. Spring of 1950 - north side of 31st, both sides of 30th , south side of 29th were all under construction. Two years later, the other blocks going north, were opened up and construction started there, up to the school site. Just Crown to Camosun.

Interesting - a number of us, who are 'originals' are still here.

I see a great change taking place in the area and this will accelerate as we all get older and have to leave our homes. This part of Dunbar, and likely other parts also, will change from a middle-income population of community-minded people to folks who have more resources and can pay $1.6 million for our small Dunbar bungalows. These houses were well built, would last for another 60 years if allowed to stay but No --they are to be demolished and a BIG house built." Read more in The Story of Dunbar.

A parting observation--young people starting out today do not have a similar opportunity to become part of the Dunbar community. Will it lose anything because of this?

Raised, Not Razed

2011-02-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

I spotted this house at the corner of 26th Avenue and Dunkirk in mid December. I was pleased to see that this old character house was being raised instead of being demolished.

Walking by on February 21, I noticed that the second storey had vanished. A workman told me that a new second storey was being configured. Perhaps in a few months, I will post a photo to show what it is like.

I doubt that this sun room to the north was original to the house, but it was an inspired addition, and is going to stay.
In December, neighbours were alarmed that this well cared for character house on 33rd Avenue was going to be demolished.

It soon became evident that the house would be raised. The builders are taking pains to save the little doorway on the side. Have you ever seen a new "character" house built with one of these charming doorways?

As you can see from both of these projects, raising a house is very disruptive to the garden, old materials have to be discarded, and new materials are needed. However, there are numerous advantages, some of them being "green": the house gains a livable basement, the neighbourhood retains its character, the footprint of the house can remain the same, neighbours lose only marginally in terms of their view and sunlight, and a lot less ends up in the landfill. A neighbour wrote an email to me saying: "My friend is in the 'Lift up a existing house business' and the costs are very reasonable, comparing it to building new."

A Dusty Departure

2011-02-09T12:13:00.001-08:00

Even though the plastic shingles on this house obscure its original character, one can still see that it was one of the early houses built close to Dunbar, perhaps in the early 1920's, on a 50 foot wide lot. Very well cared for, it was recently sold. I don't usually create a blog until there is some semblance of what the new construction is like, but there are issues around the demolition, brought to my attention by a long-term Dunbar resident, Terry Slack.

Here is Terry's February 8 email to the Dunbar Residents' Association's list:

A wonderful old home next to my Mom's house, that for many years had extensive renovations, new landscaping and a brand new two car garage all on 28th Ave close to Dunbar! Yes today all was leveled and placed in two house demolition dumpsters today! The new exterior Plastic Cladding with insulation under each piece "non salvable ? ? ? " for it had no plastic Recycling number stamped on the pieces so these massive amounts of plastic and good wood were smashed and sent to landfill to pollute our children's future! The Fiber Glass Insulation from the walls etc. was new, out to land fill it all went in a big hurry! The dust coated my mother's yard, porches and sidewalks, including what is left of the Mom's "Chaver Chomped Lawns"! She is 91 next week and cried today, for really no body cares that she is a senior and that she has been in her house for over 60 years, nobody offered to clean up the demolition mess that has affected her, for they do not have to. She is looking at her collection of Garden seeds and wondering if growing a food garden, and "she has done that for all the years she has been on 28th Ave" and gave the surplus garden food to neighbours. Today she is wondering, is really worth it this year to have a garden ? Terry

Aside from cropping, I did not do any processing to these last three photos, taken the morning of February 9. As you can see, the uncontrolled dust even obscured the orange Hitachi at the back lane.

Highbury and West 23rd

2011-02-07T16:11:00.001-08:00

The Dunbar Residents' Association's website has a photo gallery of ORIGINAL DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE. The above picture, taken by Tom Grant in 2004, is of a house located on the corner of 23rd and Highbury. It sits in the middle of a wide lot, 82x122 feet. Vancouver City Archive records indicate that water service was applied for in 1921. But the house may be older than that because it is a different style than other old ones on the block.

I noticed the house a few years ago because it has an archway of grape vines over the front sidewalk leading to the house, and also because of the many flowering plants in the extensive garden, both inside and outside the fence. The for sale sign in July, the red marks on the sidewalk, and the derelict look of the place portend some trouble for this garden spot.

In late September, there was a woman prowling around the east side of the garden, perhaps rescuing plants, but I respected her privacy and did not take a photo of her.

A few fall crocuses planted years ago have naturalized, now flowering for the last time.

In December and January, a new house was constructed.

But, there's more. Two houses will reside on this double lot, plus two 3-car garages. Very little green space (or even permeable space) remains.

View of the rear of the houses on February 7, with the foundations for the garages:

Walk to Stongs

2011-01-31T11:51:00.001-08:00

This little cottage on the east side of Dunbar was doomed for demolition due to its being on a 50 foot lot, just too much green space for the current market. Torn down in October or November, this typical cottage perhaps built in the 1920's and located near Stongs is gone, replaced by a much larger house.

The last photo is of the rear of the house. The developers have resisted the temptation (or perhaps were not allowed) to add a third story, over the high basement plus two storeys. Not evident in my photo is the fact that although the house is quite large, it does not overwhelmingly dwarf the neighbouring houses. It appears that there will be a garage, not a laneway house.

"Starter" Becomes Nonstarter

2011-01-21T19:35:00.001-08:00

"Great starter home on Dunbar's most beautiful block!!" That is how the realtor described this 1912 lovingly upgraded and maintained house which still retains some of its old character. Unfortunately, the block will never get back the charm of this small and modest house, torn down in November 2010.

The speed of the new construction is remarkable as you see from these last two photos of January 21 (front) and January 23 (rear). However, it is too early to tell what this larger house will look like when finished, probably very similar to many built in the last several years in Vancouver. But how many 1912 houses do we still have in our city?

Upscale in Dunbar

2011-01-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

There is a unique parcel of land in Dunbar. The area extends from Crown to Camosun and from 27th Avenue down through the north side of 31st Avenue. Nearby is extensive green space because the borders include the large playground of the Queen Elizabeth Annex, the athletic fields of St. George's Senior School, the Pacific Spirit Park, and a corner of Chaldecott Park. The area has uniform 52 feet wide lots; all the houses appear to originally have been bungalows built in the early 1950's, one storey plus full basement, with a single car garage at the lane. Several of them had a second storey. Although many have been renovated or replaced with large multi-storey houses, the originals are solidly-built homes, spacious enough for a small family, with 2-3 bedrooms on the main floor. The latest knockdown is this one:

On November 3, we see that the red plastic fencing has appeared--

By November 9, the house is gone--
The new structure emerges--
On January 16 the full height is evident, dwarfing both the original 2-storey house to the right and the newly-built multi-million dollar house to the left--

If you want to know more...
There is currently another teardown happening in the 4 1/2 block area, two houses are under construction, and another house is on my "suspect" list. Of the 117 houses, I estimate that 50% are in their original condition (more or less); 40% have been torn down and a new house constructed; 10% have been remodeled extensively, usually adding a second story. Teardowns are nothing new in this area, having occurred over the past 25 years or so, despite this area being more recently settled than most of Dunbar.

Cottage with Front-Yard Veggie Garden--Gone

2011-01-09T20:05:00.001-08:00

Scouting around in the fall of 2008 for front-yard vegetable gardens to feature on my other blog, I spotted this raised bed on the south side of an older "cottage" type house.

In May 2009 the gardener planted good-sized tomato plants at the back of the plot, under wire "cages". This is probably the last veggie garden to ever exist on this spot of land.

By February 2010, along with the removal of some small trees, the fertile soil in the raised bed had been carted off, hopefully to a lucky garden somewhere else.

A modern structure began emerging--this photo is from September 2010.

The following are from January 9, 2011.

"Modern" has replaced "cottage", but will the front-yard veggie garden be replaced? Vegetables are unlikely to thrive in the north-facing back yard due to too much shade. Although taller, the laneway house takes up about the same footprint as a two-car garage would.

Farm House Destroyed

2011-01-03T20:48:00.001-08:00

Quoting from page 58 in The Story of Dunbar:

Slowly residential development filled in the empty lots in Dunbar. Fred Crowhurst's family moved into a house at 4067 West 32nd Avenue in 1918, where for the next four decades they said they "watched the influx of new neighbours hem [them] in."

The house was situated at the rear of the lot, a sign that it was one of the first to be built in the area. This location results in a nonexistent back yard, but an expansive front yard. Likely remodeled several times and losing most of its farm house character, the house was demolished after it was sold in June 2010. Since this location is just down the lane from where I live, I have photos of more of the stages than I will have of other demolitions.

New construction as of January 3, 2011.