It’s not everyday that an apartment building in Vancouver celebrates 100 years of life so the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association is making sure to mark the occasion of the Lee Building’s Centennial. On Sunday, July 15th, 2012 they’ll host an event at Heritage Hall on Main where past residents, merchants, and anyone who’s passed the landmark building on Main and Broadway can celebrate its history.
The Mount Pleasant BIA has an informative blog post on their site that includes insights from Tracy Lee, granddaughter of Mr. Herbert Lee.
Mr. Lee, a pioneer, city builder and sound businessman with an active interest in city affairs, bought a store and grocer business in 1903 and named it H.O. Lee Grocery (at 2425 Main Street, currently F as in Frank Clothing). In 1908 Mr. Lee was president of the Westminster Lacrosse Club and in 1920 he helped organize a second lacrosse club. He was also a leading member of the executive of the Liberal Association.
Let me tell you: if you think Main and Broadway is a bustling place nowadays, it was THE place to be in the early 1900s. In the midst of a prolonged real-estate boom, 9th Ave became Broadway and Westminster Ave became Main Street. A pensive and proactive observer, Mr. Lee saw all this action happening around him and became part of the boost by building the Lee Building, a seven-storey office and apartment block at 175 Broadway (where a church was relocated elsewhere to make way for the handsome new building). As the tallest building south of False Creek, the Lee Building dominated the newly renamed corner. Continue Reading »
Everyone is welcome to stop by the event at Heritage Hall (3102 Main Street) from 11:00am to 3:00pm this Sunday, July 15th. Tracy Forsyth will be a guest speaker along with historians and heritage architects.
Since 2003, BC football fans have helped raise 206,165 pounds of food through the Purolator Tackle Hunger program. Last year the food drive raised 28,500 pounds of food and supplies, an increase of 14%.
“The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society distributes food to more than 25,000 people every week, through 15 food depots and over 100 community agencies. The Surrey Food Bank Society helps feed 15,000 people every month – 42 per cent of which are children.”
You can help by coming by BC Place on Friday, July 20th starting at 5:00pm to make a donation in person. The Grey Cup will be at Terry Fox Plaza and donations of non-perishable food items can be made at every BC Place gate. You can also text TACKLE to 30333 to make a one-time $5 donation.
This is a part of Purolator’s commitment to helping food banks across Canada throughout the year. Whenever a Quarterback is sacked during the regular season they will also donate his weight in food to a local food bank, in the city in which that game is being played. Follow Purolator Tackle Hunger on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Driving East along Highway 1 through Surrey you may have spotted what used to be a tree, now covered in ivy, a Canadian flag, and sometimes a sign or two. Ever since I was little, and we would drive out to my grandmother’s house in Langley, we would pass this tree and I wondered — was it a memorial? What made this tree special? Turns out, it’s Charlie’s Tree.
Many decades ago Charlie [Perkins] and four of his chums used to splash and play in a small swimming hole near that tree. All five went into battle when the First World War began. Only Charlie, a flight instructor with the Royal Flying Corps, returned. As a remembrance of his friends he planted ivy around the base of the tree and dedicated it to the memory of his friends.
Then, in 1960, Highway 1 began to be built through Surrey. Its proposed route would put it right through the little glade Charlie had cleared. The memorial tree would have to go. Charlie, now a senior citizen, protested, and friends and neighbors joined him in that protest. They were heard by Highways Minister Phil Gaglardi, and the highway engineers curved the road to go around the tree.
This is perhaps the only instance in Canadian history where a major highway was diverted to avoid harming a tree. You can see the bend in the road to the right of the eastbound lanes of the Trans-Canada between the 176th Street and 200th Street exits. [Source: KnowBC, Chuck Davis]
Charlie’s bold act to save a 210 foot Douglas Fir changed the course of the Trans Canada Highway as we know it.
When plans were announced for the Trans-Canada Highway (now Highway 1), Charlie learned it was set to run right through his property – and the area including the tree. A fight began to save it.
“Dad started to get the community up and support him to save the tree,” said Larry. “With a lot of letter-writing and support from friends and neighbours, he finally contacted ‘Flying’ Phil Gaglardi, head of the highways department. I recall being there when he came out. Dad and I and he walked down the skid road to the base of the tree and dad explained the whole story.
“He just took a look at the map they had and said, ‘Well, we’ll just go around it.’ And they did. And that was that.” [Source: Amy Reid, Surrey Now]
In 2005, MP Nina Grewal (Fleetwood – Port Kells) began a campaign to get Charlie’s Tree recognized as a National Historic site.
Charlie’s Tree doesn’t look much like a tree anymore as vandals set fire to it years ago and as a result, it was topped. However, every year the Whalley Legion places a wreath at the tree and recently a sign that reads “Charlie’s Tree” has been added. Some leave flowers, flags, or other tokens near the site. Next time you drive by, just East of the 176th exit, you can think of our veterans, cherish your friends, and remember Charlie.
At 8:47pm on July 30, 2016, DriveBC reported “#BCHwy1 tree down across eastbound lanes at #192nd, left and HOV lanes open.” It is indeed Charlie’s Tree.
Update: August 2, 2016: Charlie’s family will be replanting the ivy from the tree, reports The Now.
Cloverdale’s Mike Perkins was struck with sadness when he got the news that his grandfather’s First World War memorial tree fell over on the weekend.
But he said his grandfather, veteran Charlie Perkins, would’ve had a positive spirit about it.
“My grandfather was a realist,” Mike told the Now Tuesday. “If he was still alive he’d say, ‘That’s just nature doing its thing.’ He was a naturalist long before the term really existed.”
Time will tell what becomes of the site, said Mike, but he’s encouraged by the community support since the tree fell.
A Replacement for Charlie’s Tree
Update November 2016: It has been announced that in the coming weeks, a permanent stone replacement for Charlie’s Tree will be put in place. From News 1130:
“The replacement at this point will actually be a stone marker,” says Fleetwood-Port Kells MP Ken Hardie.
Hardie says Perkins’ family has worked closely with the family of former premier Bill Vander Zalm to design it and build the new tribute.
“They wanted to create a stone marker that will be put up at the site. This could be within the next few weeks that everything is put in place. I’m sitting here looking at a draft design that will be carved into a stone.”
Since the tree toppled, due to natural causes, the site has remained intact, with signs, crosses, flowers, and the tree stump. I’ll post an update when news of the design and/or installation is revealed.
Il Divo is coming has launched their world tour and they will be making a stop in Vancouver on July 25th. Recently named Artist of the Decade at the BRIT Awards, Il Divo (Carlos Marin, Sebastien Izambard, David Miller and Urs Buhler) have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide – which is phenomenal for a classical act.
A full orchestra will accompany the group who will be performing crowd favourites as well as singles from their fifth studio album, Wicked Game. Nikki Yanofsky, Canadian pop-jazz sensation (and the voice behind the Vancouver 2010 Olympic anthem “I Believe”) will also open for Il Divo at select Canadian stops — including Vancouver.
The shows will have been designed by Creative Director Brian Burke (Artistic Director of ‘La Reve’ and Celine Dion’s 5 year run of ‘A New Day’ at Caesars Palace, both in Las Vegas) so the audience is definitely in for a treat.
The concept is simple, head to the 300 block of Abbott Street (at Cordova) anytime between 11:30am and 1:30pm to meet a neighbour, eat your lunch, get lunch from a food truck, and enjoy some music.
A report on last week from VPSN: “Lunch Meet transformed the 300-block of Abbott Street into an urban cafeteria, offering a long-table dining experience and a range of exciting culinary choices. Many participants took advantage of the lunch specials offered by local businesses and food carts, while others chose to pack their own lunches. Local DJ Rocky Fisher provided musical entertainment throughout the communal outdoor meal.”
