This page last updated February 8, 2004

Although most of Kitsilano's heritage buildings are loved, desired, valuable, restored, or in other words in no danger, a few cottages of great historical significance await the chop. The Quiney houses at the corner of 2nd and Waterloo are too "cottagey" to justify the value of the land they sit on (that's not my opinion, though); compounding their problem is the fact they sit sideways across two double lots. Why so significant? Architecturally, they're probably the best little colonial bungalows left in that part of the city, with their breezy open verandahs, board-and-batten siding and shallow-pitched roofs--one hipped and the other with side gables. Historically, they're significant because they were built by James Quiney, whose first house (long since demolished) at the corner of 4th and Dunbar was the first house in that part of Kitsilano. Quiney's life is well-documented (complete details in the City of Vancouver archives), partly because of the camera he owned during the period before the First World War when he was working for R.D. Rorison selling real estate in the northwest corner of Kitsilano. The blocks of beatiful Craftsman homes north of 4th and west of Blenheim date from that time. Rorison's house, on Point Grey Road near Trutch, is the only turreted Queen Anne-style house in that part of Kitsilano, and was built the same year (1908) as Quiney's two cottages; it was sadly remuddled in the 1970s, stripping it of its original shingles and detailing and replacing them with stark metal-framed windows and vertical board siding.

There must be more stories about these houses (and about Rorison's house on Point Grey Road, which as I recall was a legendary drug house in the early 1970s). Anybody who is or knows of descendants of the Quineys or the Rorisons please write in!

The houses were demolished at the end of 2001.

Note from Colin Quinney: James Luke Quiney might have had a brother and a sister. I have a photograph that suggests this. A brother named (Joe) Napoleon Quiney, and a sister named Rose. I am still attempting to discover the names of his parents, (my great grandparents.) He had 5 children; Theresa, James, Ken, Rose, and (Joseph) Gerrard Quiney (name later changed to Quinney), now all deceased. Gerrard was my father. Theresa's children live in BC. I have 4 children & three grandchildren. I am also trying to trace down the many photographs that James Luke took. Some (many) of them were donated to the Vancouver Archives by my aunt Theresa. I just called the Archives today (from Toronto) so that I can gain access to his photos, and - part of my heritage. Archives Reference: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/archives/notdream/ws_photo.htm (Near bottom of page, type Quiney into "PHOTOGRAPHER/STUDIO", and beneath it click "Search".) This will provide ~ 330 photos, including historic homes in Kitsilano, (Quiney, Rorison, etc.)

CVA 7-45 shows these two houses as they were when built in 1913, with very interesting masonry porch posts.