Davie Street

The other of English Bay's two major thoroughfares, Davie is home to a lifestyle that is considerably different than Denman's. Named after the Premier of B.C. in 1887, the Honourable A.E.B. Davie was Vancouver's first openly homosexual politician. A group of friends of Davie's formed the seed of what is now Canada's largest gay community. This colourful area changes numerous times as it gets further up into the West End and then into Yaletown, and definitely shows no hint of its beginnings as a "25-foot wide muddy ditch."

About 2 blocks up on your left is what is currently 'Romano's Macaroni Grill.' This stunning last remaining example of the original West End mansions has been perfectly preserved throughout the decades.

Gabriola Mansion

The corner of Nicola Street is home to what was once 'Gabriola', "probably the most lavish private home ever constructed in B.C." It was built in 1900 for Benjamin Tingley Rogers. Rogers, a sugar refiner from New York City, came to Vancouver at age 24 and in 1892 opened the 'B.C Sugar Refinery,' quickly becoming one of Vancouver's most important businessmen, known by all as the 'Sugar King'.

The mansion for the Rogers family was designed by Samuel Maclure, a well known residential architect at the time and was built from stone brought from Gabriola Island - hence its original name. The mansion was sold in 1918 after Benjamin died and his widow moved into Shannon, a new mansion in Shaughnessy, the now fashionable area for the rich. Gabriola was then converted into apartments with over 50 suites, eventually turning into a series of restaurants, as it stands today.

The final leg of our historic journey finds us following Nicola Street, off of Davie and adjacent to 'Gabriola,' left and through the small park. We open out onto Pendrell running west and east. To our left is a lovely old apartment building and to our right about a block up is 'Pendrell Suites'...

TRIVIA!
At 1419 Pendrell Street, you will find a 1910 brick heritage building which was beautifully refurbished to its original state in 1966. It has become the upscale guest house, 'Pendrell Suites,' where it typically houses movie companies either filming in the area or in the house itself. Most recently it has been home to the apartment of the character 'Dana Scully,' FBI agent on the TV series, the 'X-Files'. With the amount of filming taking place around the West End, you may be lucky and catch a star or two strutting their stuff...

If we follow Nicola straight before us, it will return us to our starting point, 3 blocks ahead.

Acknowledgements:

"Roedde House Preservation Society" - some info supplied by brochure
"The First 100 Years - An Illustrated Celebration"; Richard Steele; The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, 1988.
"The Vancouver Book"; Charles H. Davis; Evergreen Press, 1976.
"West End Walking Guide"; Rosemary Neering; Whitecap Books, 1994.
"Where Vancouver"; Louise Phillips; Peggie Terry, periodical - June 1997.