February 27, 2011

1550 Philip Avenue

Posthumous
Jehovah Witness's on Philips
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Around the corner from St. Richard's Anglican Church (see Blog January 2, 2011) is the Tomahawk Restaurant. But this building qualifies for the Blog Sunday Church Feature because it was built as a Jehovah's Witness Church. It was built in 1956 for $6500. If you sit at one of the tables at the Tomahawk and look at the bones of the building, you can imagine a church congregation sitting there. The room is a long rectangle which would facilitate a center aisle bordered by rows of seating.The ceiling is pointed and there are lines of small windows at the tops of the side walls. The partition at one end, blocking off part of the kitchen even looks like it could have been the backdrop for an alter. However, the native wall mural, paddles and artifacts remind you that you are indeed in the Tomahawk Restaurant.


Before the Jehovah Witness Church moved into the 1550 Philip Ave. building, services were held across the street in one of the store fronts in the Norgate Shopping Center. The Tomahawk BBQ started in 1926 on the north side of Marine Drive at Mackay Road.  Then it moved to the shopping center.  At this time it was a drive-in. It was in 1962 that the Jehovah Witness congregation moved out and Chick Chamberlain brought his Tomahawk Restaurant to the building on Philips Ave. He modified the building with a $1000 addition.


Photo: Taken in 2009 by SW.
Books: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                                       2/20/11

Posthumous
Lynnmour United Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada


According to the City Directories, Lynnmour United Church on Mountain Highway started out as River Avenue Methodist Church in Vancouver on River Ave. east of Fraser St. This was 1915 and the Rev. Wm. Pearson was the pastor. During the 1920's although the location and name remained the same the address listing changed to 941 River Ave., then to 900 East River Ave., then to 945 River Ave. East, and finally to Marine Dr. East. In 1926 the church became the River Avenue United Church with Rev. B. Black as pastor. In 1929 the address was listed as 1195 block East Marine. And finally in 1930 with only a Sunday School listed the address was 1195 Marine Dr. That address was vacant in 1931.


The big change for the church came in 1933. This was the year the building was "taken apart, hauled away to North Vancouver and resurrected at Lynn Creek" (North Shore news 9/21/62). Here at E/S St. Denis it became Lynnmour United Church. In 1944 the church address was listed as both E/S St. Denis and E/S Mountain Highway with Rev. Allan as pastor. The address changed to 700 block in 1957 and 600 block in 1959. 

1103 Mountain Highway

1962 Church

At Easter in 1962 a new church at a different site "up the hill",  the West Lynnmour United Church at 1103 Mountain Highway, was announced in the North Shore News. The pastor was Rev. Allan I. V. Dawe.  The congregation finally joined that of the Lynn Valley United Church in 1966.

In 1964 the old church was vacant. And in 1964 the first of a series of businesses bought the building. They included Inanex Woodwork Shop, Pragon Electric, Metallic Design, and finally from 1975 to 1998 Bero Mettalic Design. The building was demolished in the spring of 2004. Now in 2010 the land will be part of the new Seylynn Village Project.


Researcher: Thank you to Jim Lawrence.
Photo: Top photo, copy of photo in The Province, September 21, 1962. Bottom photo taken in 2005 by SW.  The building is now a residence.
Link:http://www.dnv.org/upload/documents/District_History/181966.pdf

                                                                                                      February 13, 2011

121 East 12th Street

Posthumous
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church/Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall/Black Sheep Restaurant
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was given a permit to be built on this site at 121 East 12th Street  in 1933.  The architect was O. Ormrod.  The cost of the building was projected to be $2,500.  The first listing of the church in the City Directory was 1934. On  October 20, 1944 John Gibson and Dorothy Bissett were married there.  In 1950 the Pastor was the Rev. H. A. Berlis.

In 1955 it was rented to the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall and remained so  until it was sold by the Presbyterian Church  in 1955. (REF.) It was run as the Black Sheep Restaurant from 1976 to 2000.  The site is now that of a twelve unit apartment complex.

West side of Black Sheep Restaurant

August 3, 1940 Gladys Christianson and William Downie Jr. (See Blog Post December 22, 2010.)  were married in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.  Their's was a wedding with a very special guest.

Around the time of the wedding William's best friend, Dave Richie, had been part of the crew on the ship Ontario Light.  The ship was in Perambucal, Brazil when he became ill.  The captain called for a doctor to come from shore, but by the time he arrived on board Dave had died from a kidney  ailment. 

The day of the wedding William did not yet know of the death of his friend.  But he did know that the last time he had seen him Dave had said, "I'll have to dance at your wedding."

Dave's mother, dad, sister Grace, and Dave's dog Punch lived at 17 or 18^th and Grand Boulevard. Punch was mostly spaniel, black with a bit of white. Before they left to go to the wedding the family put Punch in the basement. 

While Gladys and William were in front of the church at the altar they could hear a scuffling.  Then the pastor, Rev. McLean-Bell said, "What do we have here?"

Gladys and William Downie, 1940

Gladys and William looked down and there was Punch between them. 

Grace left the wedding and took the dog home, but Punch had done his best to help Dave keep his word. (From research at the North Vancouver Archives and interview with Gladys Downie for the Year 2000 Project, Your House/Our Home.)

Demolition: The building was demolished in the year 2000.

Photo: Top photo of the Black Sheep Restaurant taken in 2000 by SW. 

               Wedding photo of Gladys and William Downie Jr.
Reference: History of St. Andrew's and Stephen's Presbyterian Church given to
               SW in 1913 by church secretary Angela Edmonds.

                                                                                                                               February 6, 2011

 

530 East 12th Street

Happy 101st Birthday
St. Agnes Anglican Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

2011 is the 101st birthday year of St. Agnes Anglican Church at 530 East 12th Street in the City of North Vancouver.  This "country church in the city" was started as the second mission church of St. John's Anglican Church. The name St. Agnes was chosen December 8, 1909. The church was built in 1910 by contractor H. W. Young.  In 1927 the church hall on the lane behind the church was built by the H. W. Young as well. 

The original entrance to the church sanctuary was through a door on the south west face of the building.  The altar was in the alcove on the east wall and the dark wood pews lined a center aisle in a traditional manner.  Beautiful stained glass windows decorated  the north, south and east  walls of the sanctuary.  The church hall was only accessible by going outside and entering through the hall's west facing door.  In the 1970's the alter was moved into the body of the church and the alcove was fitted with pews for the choir.  In the 1990's the entrance door to the church and sanctuary was changed to the south east side of the building.  The altar was moved to the west side of the sanctuary with a middle aisle and traditional pew placement. The new south east door made possible an entrance hall not only to the sanctuary, but also to the church office and church hall.  It was no longer necessary to go outside to go to the church hall for "coffee hour".  Around 2002 the configuration of the sanctuary changed again.  Now the altar was placed on the north wall of the sanctuary, between two of the stained glass windows.  The pews were arranged around the altar in a  horseshoe pattern.  The average Sunday Worship attendance is 54 and the number of households that are members is 72. The priest is the Rev. Keith
Gilbert.

                                                                         Sanctuary
                                Arch with baptismal font was original altar area
                             Left side of sanctuary with cross is present altar area

           

                     Stained glass window in arch of original altar area      

            

 St. Agnes was a 13 year old girl of  Rome who was put to death because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. There is a church built over the spot where she was buried in Rome.  It can still be seen today.  Keats wrote a poem about her life "The Eve of St. Agnes". 

                                                                      St. Agnes
                                                       Memorial Side Window


On Sunday mornings  a rope hanging on the south wall of the  sanctuary is pulled, and the church bell signals to the community that it is time for worship.  The congregation of the "country church in the city" is ready to greet its neighbors.

Thank You: To Shirley Marcino for confirming my memories of the 
              church sanctuary. To church secretary and Priest Rev. Keith         
              Gilbert for aid in photographing the interior of the building in 2011.
Photos: Taken January 2010 by SW.  (Note the peaked roof of the church hall
              can be seen behind the church.)
              Black and White photos taken in 2004 on file at the North Vancouver
             Archives.
             Color photo taken for the Y2K Project on file at the North Vancouver
            Archives.
Resources: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994.
              Sunday January 24th St. Agnes Anglican Church bulletin.

                             

                                                                                                                    1/30/11

Posthumous

Lynn Valley Methodist Church

North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

The Lynn Valley Methodist church was built in 1912 at 260 Institute Road. (REF 1 and 3.) It was on the west side of Institute Road, across the lane from Lynn Valley Elementary School. In 1927 St. Clement's Anglican Church was moved to 120 Institute Road (REF 1.) It was on the east side of Institute Road and was known as "St. Clements-by-the-brook". (REF 7.) On today's maps the site of the Methodist Church would be across the street from what is now the house at 3284 Institute Road.(REF 4.)

Lynn Valley Methodist Church was originally only one floor. Then a basement was built under it to make two functioning  floors. "The bottom floor was immediately put into use as a child/daycare centre." (REF 2.) This church is seen in the photo above. "It features triangular eaves, brackets, and unusual alternating vertical and horizontal wood siding". (REF 2.) The windows along the sides and in triplicate on either side of the entrance to the upper level were and of a Gothic type. The double set of steps leading to the upper level were a stylized feature.


In 1925 the Congregational, most Presbyterian, and the Methodist Churches in Canada united to become the United Church of Canada. At this time the Knox Presbyterian Church on Lynn Valley Road became the Lynn Valley United Church. The Lynn Valley Methodist Church congregation joined with and moved to the new Lynn Valley United Church. The Lynn Valley Methodist Church building was then used by Lynn Valley Elementary School as a gym. On the 1930 Fire Insurance Map the building is labeled as having Manual Training in the basement.

1930 Fire Insurance Map

From 1945 to 1962 the lower floor of the old Methodist Church was the home of Lynn Valley Parent Participation Playschool. When the top part was moved across Mountain Highway, "The lower 1/2 of the building became a Metal Arts School and was eventually demolished."(REF 5.) It was used as "...the manual arts branch of Queen Mary School teaching local students carpentry and house building."(REF 2.) It was also used as a community center. (REF 3.)

In 1962, according to the October 11, 1962 Citizen newspaper, the Lynn Valley Arts Guild purchased the old Methodist Church Building from the School Board for $50. And According to Clare Lakes' "History of LVPPP" it was the top half of the building that was purchased and they "...moved it across the playing field to the west side of Mt. Highway..." The Citizen said further that "to move the top floor of the church to 3355 Mountain Highway cost about $1000." The actual move took place in the spring of 1963.

In 2004 new playground equipment was donated by Home Depot for the north east corner of the new Lynn Valley Elementary School grounds. Charis Kalesnikoff, the school principal, said that when the workers were digging to install the equipment, hunks of concrete were uncovered. She wondered if these were remnants of the old Methodist Church.

RNB Dance and Theatre Arts Building 2011

The top floor of the old Lynn Valley Methodist Church remains part of the RNB Dance and Theatre Arts building at 3355 Mountain Highway. If you look on the back of the building you can still see the outline of the original church windows that lined the sides of the 1912 church.  The peaked roof and what seem to be the original top and size braces to the roof are also evident.

Demolition: Bottom half of the Lynn Valley Methodist Church, in 1963.

Available at the North Vancouver Archives

Reference 1: 1930 Fire Insurance Map.

Reference 2: 1988 District of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory.

Reference 3: 1993 District of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory.

Reference 4: #275 North Vancouver Archives Map.

Reference 5: Clare Lakes' "History of Lynn Valley Parent Participation

Preschool".

Reference 6: October 11, 1962 "Citizen" newspaper.

Reference 7: 1005 "Sacred Sites Tour Booklet," article by Kathleen Larsen.

Photo: North Vancouver Archives Photo(26-19B-1-Draycott Fons 26, taken ca. 1920.) Photo of northern part of RNB Dance and Theater Arts (the studio area) taken in 2011 by SW.

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Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                              January 23, 2011

    3380 Lonsdale Avenue

The Church on the Hill
North Lonsdale United Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"North Lonsdale Church had its beginning in 1913 when a small group, of people met in a little store on Lonsdale Ave. at King’s Rd., with George Hamilton a student minister conducting the services.

Grocery store meeting place of congregation in 1913 at
south east corner of Lonsdale Ave. and East Kings Road.

"By 1915 a small church was built on East King Road, first called Bethel Methodist Church but the name was soon changed to North Lonsdale Methodist.

North Lonsdale United Church at 131 East Kings Rd., 1915

First Evangelical Baptist Church, 131 East Kings Rd., (2010)

" A Sunday School was with Mr. E.T. Bailey as superintendent. At the time of organic union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in 1925, this church became North Lonsdale United, its congregation augmented by those who transferred from St. Stephens Presbyterian. From 1914 to 1919, North Lonsdale was a joint pastoral charge with West Vancouver, from 1919 to 1934, with Lynn Valley, and from 1934 to 1957 with Capilano.

"The King’s Road church was bare, with plain wooded chairs for the congregation and a little pump organ. There was a small kitchen at the rear with a stove on which the ladies prepared hearty congregational dinners. This room was used also for meetings, as a Sunday School classroom, and as a dressing-room at Christmas concert time. Until 1948 North Lonsdale Church, received financial assistance from the Board of Home Missions, but from that time it was self-supporting, the minister’s salary and expenses of the manse being shared with Capilano.

"By 1948 it became evident that the little church was no longer adequate, and in 1950 two lots were purchased at the corner of Lonsdale Ave. and Osborne Rd. A building which was to serve eventually as a Christian Education Centre, but was to be used as church in the meantime, was erected largely by volunteer labour and was dedicated on December 13, 1953. The sanctuary furnished with dignity and good taste was truly appreciated, but it was soon realized that the building was not large enough, especially in view of the increasing Sunday School attendance. In 1956 a lot with house on it, adjoining the church property to the south was bought and Sunday School classes were held in the house as well as in the church building. In 1957 it was felt that the time had come for North Lonsdale Church to have a full-time minister, and Rev. Hislop Dickson who had been minister of the joint charge since 1946, was called to be our pastor. To meet our additional financial responsibilities, and to pay for the house and lot, a successful fund-raising drive was carried out under the chairmanship of Mr. T. D. Hammond.

"A church building was begun early in 1958, adjoining the one already in use and extending from Osborne Rd. south to the lane. When the house had to be torn down to make way for the new building some Sunday School classes were held in a vacant store on Lonsdale Ave. The Wells organization supervised a fund-raising campaign in the fall of 1958. The church building was completed and dedicated on May 15, 1960. With its bright and attractive sanctuary, comfortably-furnished lounge and commodious auditorium and well- planned kitchens it is indeed a contrast to the first little North Lonsdale Church." (3380 Lonsdale Avenue, south east corner of Lonsdale and Osborne.)(See Link 1.)

Sanctuary 2010

The sanctuary nave has of  blond wood  laminated beams forming the vaulted ceiling.  The two banks of pews are separated by a center aisle  with access facilitated by two side aisles.  The red carpting highlights the blond hue of the wooden pews and beams. A cloth screen covers the wall of organ pipes behind the altar and cross.  Along the west wall are a bank of  stained glass memorial windows.



Another part of North Lonsdale United Church's history was CGIT, Canadian Girls in Training.  CGIT was a weekly group for girls age 12 to 17.  It was based on the scripture Luke 2:52: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and favor with God and man."  In the booklet The Story of North Lonsdale 1913 to 1990-The Church on the Hill  there is a photo of a CGIT group that met in 1933.  The booklet also mentions that in 1967 there were 90 girls and 10 leaders in the CGIT group at North Lonsdale United Church.  Smaller CGIT groups continued to meet throughout the 1980's.

CGIT Girls Christine Robinson and Laura Wilson

1982

Note: Suzanne Wilson was a CGIT leader at North Lonsdale United Church, the PR chairperson and later the President of the Provincial CGIT Board of B.C.  Both of her daughter, Amy and Laura, attended CGIT.

Reference: The Story of North Lonsdale 1913 to 1990-The Church on the Hill  is available at the North Vancouver Archives.

Photos: 1. Top photo of the 1960 North Lonsdale United Church building was
                     taken in September 2010 by SW. The part of the building that is on
                     the left, the east, is the 1953 church building.
                2. 1926 photo of the store, (available at the North Vancouver Archives
                     #5276), that was on the south east corner of  Lonsdale Ave. and 
                     Kings Road where the congregation first 
                     met. (Photo photoshopped.) First listing of the store in City
                     Directories is 1915, "J. Keene grocer and postmaster, Lonsdale Ave.
                     car, King, same".
               3. The church door with the pastor in front is the 1915 church at 131
                    East Kings Road. (See Reference.) It is still in use as the First
                    Evangelical Baptist Church. 
              4. The 1915 church at 131 East Kings now the First Evangelical Baptist
                   Church, photo taken September 2010 by SW.
              5. Photo taken of North Lonsdale United Church CGIT girls in 1982 by
                   Sharon Way.
             6.  Interior photo of the sanctuary and the stained glass memorial
                   windows taken in December 2010 by SW.

Link 1:http://nluc.org/about-us/history-of-the-church/

***************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                                                                                             January 16, 2011

1958 Ridgewood Drive

St. Catherine's Anglican Church,
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

St. John's Anglican Church  in North Vancouver  sponsored the building of 5 other Anglican Churches in North Vancouver: St. Clement's in  1908, St. Agnes' in 1909, St. Thomas in 1910 that changed its name to St. Martin's in 1919, St. Catherine's in 1948, and St. Richard's in 1950. (Reference 1.)

Sanctuary

In 1948 St. John's Anglican Church acquired new property in Capilano Highlands that would become that of the new St. Catherine's Anglican Church at 1958 Ridgewood Drive.  Architect Paul Hollingworth presented sketches of a proposed parish hall.  On June 13th fifty people sat on logs in front of the rough-hewn outdoor altar with St. John's loaned pump organ and choir for an open-air service on the grounds of the planned church.  Construction of a temorary structure called the "tar paper shack" began on Sept 18, 1948.  It was 24x48 feet and accommodated roughly 40 people and a wood stove.  The church met there for 3 years.  In 1949 the congregation decided to name the church "Church of The Holy Cross". (Reference 2.)

Memorial Window on east side of sanctuary

The second building, the permanent Hollingsworth designed structure,  to accommodate a larger congregation cost more than $30,000 and was completed in 1951.  A third building was designed by the architectual firm Sharp and Anderson and built in 1962.  The cost of this building was $175,000. To build it necessited demolishing  the Hollingsworth church since the same land was to be used.  Some of the items in the Hollingsworth church were installed in the new 1962 building: the pews, altar and rail, and cross in the chapel and  some pews in the sanctuary.  The new church sanctuary featured giant laminated beams and a balcony.  Other church features of today's church are the stained glass window on the east side of the sanctuary, three  tapestries at the back of the sanctuary, and exposed organ pipes in the balcony. (Reference 2.) (See photos below.) 

Rear of sanctuary, tapestries,  and organ pipes

North of the present church sanctuary is a hall leading to the chapel, church
office, and church hall. 

The congregation of St. Catherine's Anglican Church has recently welcomed the members of St. Richard's Anglican Church that was decommissioned early in 2010. (See Blog Post, Sunday Church Feature, St. Richard's of Norgate, January 3, 2010.)

Thank you: To the Rev. Christine Rowe for * and additional information.

References: 1. Faithful People of God, 1999 by Beth Lawrence.

                         2. *Journey of a Family, 1993 by Janet Morris.

Demolition: Of the 1951 building to make way for construction of 1962
                         building.

Photos: Taken in October 2010 by SW.
         
                                                                   ***************

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)