One of the most derelict of Vancouver's derelict buildings is the Shaw
House at the corner of 7th and Ash in Vancouver's Fairview Slopes. It
is a saga that demonstrates, firstly, that a century-old house built of
timber from Vancouver's original forests can last for a generation or
more without any maintenance at all; secondly, that an owner of a property
who would rather get rid of a house can just sit and wait; and finally,
that the city's heritage management process, which tends to be rather
ponderous, can eventually get its way. Apparently, the house will
be restored in the near future.
I first painted the Shaw House on a snowy day in January, 1989, as part
of my Vanishing Vancouver book project. At
that time, it had been boarded up for several years, and stripped of its
ornamental detailing. It was connected to the city's water system in June,
1894. I wonder whether the building at the back predates the big house--like
the house on the Okanagan connector,
or the ranchhouse near Anarchist summit--and
whether it's the back part that was built in 1894 and the front part later.
However, the front part of the house is in a style typical of the early
1890s in Vancouver. How old could the back part be? The Canadian Pacific
Railway sold land in Fairview in 1891, but 7th Avenue itself existed in
the 1880s, and there were logging camps, shingle mills and sawmills along
False Creek at that time, all within walking distance of Mr. Shaw. The
first bridge at what was to become Cambie Street crossed the creek in
1891, so I would guess that Shaw's little back cottage dates from about
then.
The owner of the property, who at that time was playing a game of chicken
with the city, eventually lost interest and moved on. I was astonished
to discover more than a decade later that the house was still there, and
added the picture above to the sketchbook in 2001. Because, as I understand
it, the house is going to be restored as part of a new development, it
really doesn't belong as part of a "Vanishing BC" project, but
I received the notes below.
From Christopher Sumpton in Vancouver: The
house is just west of Cambie Street on 7th Avenue. It is rapidly deteriorating.
There is now a development permit application, which means it will be
torn or burned down soon. The house is creepy looking now, its windows
are boarded up. The house sits like it doesn't belong, like an elderly
person that society has decided isn't valuable anymore. It makes me sad,
because when I see the house I think of the people who must've lived there,
and what they saw and did, living in that different time. The house is
part of the living heritage of this country. I always thought that old
houses should be bought by the public and changed into community resources,
but government is too busy spending our resources on making war, and giving
themselves retirement pensions. When I see an old house I think of my
grandmother's rhubarb pie, the smell of her sweaters, and the way she
used to love to play piano.
From David Dorrington: greetings
from another artist ----who lives at finn slough; i remember when there
were still people living in the house in your painting; the person I knew
of was probably a renter --a man named Bob Calhoun--- a heavy drinker
and full of bullshit; there was a house 2 lots to the east of the Shaw
house that we called "the Cambie Lunch" that had lots of artists living
in it in the early to mid 70s --I did not live there but was good friends
with those people one of them is now a well known theatre designer--we
were all from the Vancouver Art School before it was changed to Emily
Carr. I am glad that you are doing this and hereby extend an invitation
to come and visit us and paint the place if you feel like it I also know
of a couple of important buildings (100 yrs+) in Richmond that I don't
think that anyone has thought to paint and Richmond is hell bent to get
rid of its heritage; on another note did you ever see the remains of the
old wooden aqueduct that was on the west side of the fraser river after
the fraser and thompson split and one is heading into the dry country
towards williams lake; it was built before the WW1 but the guys that built
it were all killed in the war so it was abandoned--it was still there
in the sixties but I am sure it is long gone now -- have not been that
way for 25 years now.