330 W 15th Ave

330 W 15th Avenue was designed by architects McKenzie & Kerr and built in 1913 by J.A Jackson. Its original $7,500 construction cost was significantly higher than average, marking it as a premium home for the era. The 1-1/2 storey house features Craftsman details like wood-shingle siding, decorative roof brackets, and a large front porch.

Built during the "Great Pre War Boom” for owner George P. Hale, an employee of North Kootenay Land & Timber Co., the surrounding Mount Pleasant neighbourhood experienced a transition from industrial to residential as middle-class families moved to the hills to escape downtown’s industry. 1921 census records show George, his wife Bessie, daughter Aurilla, son George, a “roomer” and a maid living in the house. A March 1923 announcement in the Social and Personal news of The Vancouver Daily Province read “A book tea will be held at the home of Mrs. George P. Hale, 330 Fifteenth avenue west” with support of the Simon Fraser Parent Teacher Association to benefit the school library. According to the city directories, the family lived in the house until 1930.

The neighborhood has changed from an upscale suburb to a diverse post-war community, and more recently into a modern arts and tech hub. The house remains a landmark of the area’s early wealth, situated near the historic Brewery Creek industrial site and Tea Swamp, an important site where Indigenous peoples traditionally harvested medicinal plants.

Research Credit: Mitra Arianfar (February 2026)

Source

City of Vancouver, Heritage Vancouver Society, Canada Census collections, The Vancouver Dailey Province