2526 W 12th Ave

2526 West 37th Ave. was originally located at 5311 Balsam St., next to St. Mary’s Kerrisdale Church. In the 1980s, St. Mary’s decided to redevelop this lot into a seniors’ housing complex. Instead of demolishing the house to make way for the new apartments, it was moved to where it now stands on 37th Avenue, just west of Larch Street.

This house features many exterior finishes consistent with an Arts and Crafts home. It has a steep-pitched hipped roof, half-timbering on the top level and shingle cladding below. Its unobtrusive front entrance is embedded into the northeast corner of the house, a clue to its initial corner lot location at 5311 Balsam St. The style and current paint colours still match the church it was once adjacent to. Based on historical city directories, however, the early residents of this property did not have occupations affiliated with the church.

The house was built in 1913 by C.A. Hilchey, a local contractor who was also listed on the permit as the architect and owner. Hilchey built several other nearby Arts and Crafts-style houses, including 2403 West 37th Ave and Architect George T. Sharp’s residence at 2427 West 37th Ave. Hilchey also worked with Sharp’s firm, Sharp & Thompson, to build St. Mary’s Church the same year he built this property.

From 1919 to 1929, the house was the residence of Edward E. Potts, a manufacturing agent. The next resident was J.P. Hutchinson, a car service agent at Canadian National Railway, who lived here for just one year. J.E. McCormack and his wife Adeline lived here from 1931 to 1933 and from 1934 to 1947 it housed Lionel and Nellie Collins. Lionel was a manager at Moody Shingles.

About the Area

2526 West 37th is located in Arbutus Ridge, an area south of 16th Avenue and north of West 41st Avenue. The upper portion of Arbutus Ridge, where this home stands, was developed alongside neighbouring Shaughnessy and Kerrisdale in 1912, while the lower portion was actually a marsh then known as Asthma Flats that could only be crossed on a plank boardwalk. The marshy area was developed in the 1940s when it was filled with sand from False Creek.

In the early 1900s, Arbutus Ridge was home to Vancouver’s wealthy middle class who were mostly of European descent. Today it is becoming an increasingly diverse community with the majority of residents born outside of Canada. The neighbourhood also has a large senior population, much like Kerrisdale.

Source

Heritage Vancouver Building Permits Database, VPL British Columbia City Directories 1860-1955, City of Vancouver, VanMap