David Banks sends along another shot of an emerging commercial village in the West End – this time from 1928 at Denman and Comox – similar to the example on Davie.
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I’m presuming that this is the southwest corner – because South Vancouver Produce, the store behind the horse-drawn van, is still there, though the house is gone. But just across Denman, on the southeast corner, there’s this:
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A textbook case of the evolution of a commercial street, still intact but with constantly changing tenants, serving the constantly changing population of the West End.
I live in this area and have always been curious about this block, wondering how the houses ended up “stuck” behind the storefronts in such an unusual way (or at least not a way I’ve personally seen before). Thanks for illuminating an interesting urban mystery!
look closely….both photos appear to represent the same houses…
Andrea is correct, it is the same scene. This google view is pretty close to the 1928 photo. Note the house on the right with two gables, a smaller windowless gable on the left, a larger one with a window on the right (hidden by tree) http://g.co/maps/5pdhy
The 1928 City Directory lists the English Bay Meat Market at 1096 Denman, and the South Van Produce Co at 1094.
I grew up in the West End and recall, at this location, a laundromat and shoemaker in the ’70’s.