The Vancouver Heritage Foundation says this house was built around 1910, and first appears in city directories in 1912 with William Dempster listed as the first resident. Heritage Vancouver’s permit database show William Dempster built the house in 1907, for $1,800. He was living here in 1908, but it was listed under a different address, as this was confusingly called Boundary Avenue, until it was changed in 1911. The boundary in question was a line on a map – between District Lot 181 and District Lot 182, not between Vancouver and a neighbouring municipality. We saw the first (cheaper, smaller) home that William built on the same lot in a post a week ago, and looked at some of his history.
William continued to work at the BC Sugar Refinery nearby, and lived here until 1922 when the Dempster family moved to a house he had built on West 49th Avenue. Son John died there in 1924, aged 25. William and Isabelle’s other son, William, (known to the family as Bill), was killed in action in 1943. Their daughter, Annie, married electrical contractor Edward Crosby, and later they moved into her father’s house on West 49th, where William died in 1948, and Isabelle in 1949.
Just before the family moved, in 1921, it was reported that Mr Demster’s car was stolen. The headline read ‘Stolen Auto Found Wrecked in Ravine’. “Smashed at the foot of a deep ravine off the Marine Drive No. 15594, a Nash auto, which was stolen in Vancouver on Tuesday, was found on Thursday evening by the superintendent of the University grounds. Point Grey. The auto was owned by Mr. W. Dempster of 505 Glen drive. Vancouver, and in the opinion of the Point Grey police had been deliberately run over the edge of the ravine south of the camping grounds near the cable station. The car was a total wreck and lay about 100 feet beneath the Marine Drive.”
Mr. Dempster owned an apartment house on East Pender, where in 1940 Theresa Eylman was hanging her washing from the balcony when a railing gave way, and she fell 15 feet, breaking her arm. He was sued for damages and had to pay $1,085 in damages.
After the Dempster’s moved to their new home in 1922, this one was rented out. In 1923 James Clark, a special constable at the sugar refinery, was found by his wife, having taken his own life. The house was rented to David Meltzer in 1924, who was a presser at Vogue, the ladies clothing store on Granville. The next long term resident was Morris Mackoff, a junkman who lived in the house from 1927 to 1928, and then from 1931 to 1940. In 1940 his son, Albert Mackoff, aged 19, won a Jewish public speaking competition in Oakland, California. Albert had attended Seymour, Templeton and Britannia schools, and soon after his competition win signed up with the Canadian Scottish regiment. After the war he attended the law school at UBC, then worked as a lawyer until 1957 when he became assistant City prosecutor for the City of Vancouver. He returned to private practice, as a defence lawyer, became a QC in 1967 and a judge in 1970. In 1973 he was appointed to the BC Supreme Court.
William Paull (a reamer with Burrard Dry Dock) lived at the house from 1941 until 1954. In 1942 he was renting out the front room (and use of kitchen) for $8 a month, In 1955 a room (with an optional hot plate) was available for $5 a week.
In 1956 Raymond Jamison, aged 20, was living here until his five year sentence for his involvement in a Port Coquitlam safe heist which saw $100,000 stolen in a safe from the Post Office. Lloyd Speers, who also lived here was also sentenced to five years for the same offence. A year later Victor Gordon was living here. He was rescued by police from drowning when he was trapped by pilings under the Harbor Board’s wharf at the foot of Dunlevy. He was treated for exposure, but was otherwise unharmed.
In 1958 Robert Georgeson passed away at the age of 74. In 1965 there was a new gas range, and the house (which has a basement) was available for rent for $85 a month. Our image shows the house in 1974, almost the same then as it is today.
Image source: City of Vancouver Archives CVA 1095-02582
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Changing Vancouver 