THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to The Talk of The Town for October, 2021. Scroll through the following features (and click on images to enlarge) to find:

Our Lead Story

An increasing eye-catching corner. (Jacqui Birchall Photo)
(Click any photo to enlarge)

THE SAGA OF BERKELEY TOWER
From Renovictions To Landmark Mural

by Jacqui Birchall

The Berkeley Tower at 1770 Davie, the famous yellow and green high-rise at the confluence of Beach Avenue and Davie and Denman Streets, is undergoing a huge “down to the skin” renovation. Included in the renovation is the jewel-bright mural designed by Douglas Copeland and installed by Vancouver Mural Festival artists.

I recently spoke with John Stovell, the president and CEO of Reliance Properties, the owners of The Berkeley.

Stovell explained that the 1958 constructed high-rise had to be taken right back to the skin. The rough concrete floors were discovered to be uneven, seismic upgrades have been completed and a full fire fighting system is being installed. Renovations are projected to take a total of thirty months.

The neighborhood has changed a bit since 1958. (Vancouver City Archives Photo)

The neighborhood has changed a bit since 1958.
(Vancouver City Archives Photo)

The window frames were lowered. This was a major part of the renovations and required a city permit. Before the change, one had to stand to enjoy the views, but the lowered windows allow renters to see the view from their sofas. All the windows are double glazed. 

Common sense prevailed during the 1958 construction of 1770 Davie. The building was built on an angle, allowing all four suites per floor at least a partial ocean view. The new windows are now almost wraparound. 

The suites are air-conditioned. Floors will be wood, with tiled floors and walls in the bathrooms. Each suite will have its own washer and dryer. Kitchens will include a dishwasher and an island.

A roof deck is being constructed to allow tenants to socialize.

There will also be a 20,000 square foot retail space constructed in the present driveway that opens onto Davie Street.

It was interesting to hear from Stovell that 1770 Davie Street comes under the Denman Village building regulations, which currently prohibit high-rise construction.  At present, It is not possible for a developer to demolish a high-rise in the Denman Village zone and rebuild a new high-rise.

Gordon Price, a former city councillor who was instrumental in the implementation of the Denman Village building regulations had this to say on his blog regarding the renovations of 1770 Davie. 

And the bright, eye-catching mural? 

Stovell contracted Douglas Copeland because “he is a local son, a local artist and is famous.” Stovell likes Copeland’s nature-inspired art that he feels exhibits West Coast inspiration. Stovell wanted a very festive mural because of the location of the building beside the beach and the celebrations that the beach brings. Stovall feels the building will be much photographed.

A team of painters applied Douglas Copeland’s design.

I also spoke with Parm Johal, Project Manager from the Vancouver Mural Festival. The Berkeley Tower mural is not part of the festival,  but the festival’s best muralists were hired by Stovell for the mural installation.

I asked Johal how the artists mark out the building accurately for the mural. I was expecting to hear all about computer-generated this and that. Not so much. Although they “get a rough idea from a highly accurate architectural computer aided design, when it comes right down to it, it’s measuring tape and straight edge levels and tape and pencil to start. A good eye and a steady hand.” 

I watched a trio on a suspended platform just below the roof, measuring and drawing. Amazing to watch.

Johal tells me that, “a lot” of paint has been used in a total of 41 colors and it has taken 1,000 plus person-hours to complete. A total of eight painters worked on the mural.

Alaric Paivatinta takes a selfie with mural artists James night and Brother Jopa.

Alaric Paivatinta takes a selfie with mural artists James night and Brother Jopa.

I was lucky enough to be able to chat with Alaric Paivatinta, president of West End-based 5 Stars High-rise Restorations, who also worked on the mural and took photos of the artists hanging from the platforms. The photos show the two amazing muralists from the Vancouver Mural Festival, James Knight and Brother Jopa.  Paivatinta is the third artist in the photos.

I also spoke with Cat Lau who was the resident manager of the Berkeley during the renovictions and ensuing court case. Lau tells me that ex-tenants are now spread from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island. Several still live in the neighborhood, but most moved away.  West End renters will remember the tenants’ long fight. The Berkeley renovictions caused City Hall to implement new fiscal payout rules for renovicted  tenants.  Click here for information.

Renoviction is a fear many renters face, especially those who have lived in the same suite for many years.

Stovell doubled the compensation Vancouver City council required to be paid to tenants evicted to make way for the renovations. The Star reported that one long-term tenant was offered $20,000 to move. 

Stovell expects to make an announcement regarding the naming of the mural early October. Suites should be ready to view in the spring.

The West End Journal will keep you posted.

West End News & Notes

A conceptual drawing of “Cedar Mother” by Chrystal Sparrow.

STORYTELLING THROUGH ART
Coast Salish Artists Launch West End
Hub Planning Process

by Nate Lewis

(click images to enlarge)
What would be happening at a new “West End Community Hub” if we had one? That is the question that the City of Vancouver and its partners in the new project are asking West Enders, Vancouverites, and Coast Salish artists.

Is it a communal place where people can eat, dance, and learn together? That’s what Squamish Nation artist and carver Aaron Nelson-Moody would like to see. In a virtual event last month, Nelson-Moody and other Host Coast Salish artists shared some of their traditional stories with a lucky group of about 100 people. 

The West End is a historically important area for the people of the Host First Nations of MST (Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh). One focus of the event was to hear from Indigenous knowledge holders about the history of the land that is now known as the West End. They spoke about the many different uses of the land for its original inhabitants, who were “relatives” before the notion of nations was imposed on them. It was a place to collect foods and medicines, to watch the sunset, and to trade. 

“Sunset People” by Angela George.
(Photo by Angela George / City of Vancouver)

How then will the new community hub planned for the 800 block Denman, replacing the current community centre, high school, and library, reflect the culture and traditional knowledge of its oldest residents? 

Chrystal Sparrow is a Musqueam artist and carver who comes from a long line of artists, weavers, carvers, and fishers. Sparrow shared a conceptual watercolor rendition of a red cedar sculpture, called “Cedar Mother”, which represents the connection between humans, local medicines, and Mother Nature. She emphasized that Coast Salish art should be shared respectfully, but that visibility is very important. 

Artist Cory Douglas, a Squamish Nation member with an architectural and engineering background who has been living in the West End since 2004, wonders how Coast Salish art and culture can guide the architecture, landscaping, and interior design of the new community hub. In his time in the West End, Douglas has seen very little Coast Salish art or culture represented in the architecture and buildings in the area.

Nelson-Moody, Sparrow, Douglas, and Angela George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will be creating works of art that celebrate the land and their stories of the area, stories that were told long before it was called the West End. The artists will retain full ownership over their work, with the final location of their pieces being up to them. 

Along with the City of Vancouver’s public consultations, the Parks Board, the School Board, the Vancouver Public Library, and the West End Community Centre Association will all have input on the path of the project. But the most important consultation to be done is with the Host Nations of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh; people who were robbed of much of their traditional land. This is a laudable first step. 

Christina with bees and honey.
(Photo courtesy of Christina Lupieri)

ALL THE BUZZ IN NELSON PARK
Meet The West End’s Beekeepers

by Lucas Pilleri

If you’ve heard the buzzing around Nelson Park this past summer, and even into the fall, it might be due to the two hives housed in Nelson Park. These essential pollinators are being taken care of by two passionate residents who even managed to produce some very local honey. 

Christina Lupieri and Jeff Gibson met through the Nelson Park Community Garden Association in 2016. Christina had wanted to nurture the yellow-and-black-striped insect in her neighborhood for a long time. “I wasn’t sure if it was possible in the city, but a lot of people were enthusiastic about it”, she recalls.

The two aspiring beekeepers secured a grant from the City of Vancouver through the Neighbourhood Small Grants program to build the hives and protect them with fences – and get their buzzy life started.

The hives are located near the dog park and public bathroom. (Christina Lupieri Photo)

“It’s a first time for Nelson Park,” Jeff says. Although passionate, the two beekeepers had everything to learn about apiculture. They signed up for a two-day training with some BC bee experts, then learned as they went along.

“I have an interest in connecting people back to the natural world,” Christina explains. “It seemed like a natural expansion to gardening.”  As a retiree, Jeff also found meaning in his new occupation: “I just know how much of our food relies on pollination by honey bees”, he says.

Bees collect both pollen and nectar. Pollen is the powder that sticks to the bees when they visit the flowers. As the bees go from one flower to another, they pollinate them.

Christina and Jeff install a nucelus colony in the spring. Each contains about 10,000 bees and will grow to 60,000 individuals by September.
(James Oakes Photo)

As for nectar, it is a sugary substance produced by the plants through the process of photosynthesis that bees drink and carry back to the hive in their stomach, later becoming honey – their food for the winter. Hundredth of grams after hundredth of grams, bees can produce up to 80 kg of honey per year in a single colony.

This miniature, meticulously organized world was not crystal clear at first for Jeff and Christina. “The last five years have been a huge learning experience,” Christina recognizes. 

Even five years on, the two local beekeepers feel the learning curve is still steep: “After all, bees know what to do, we just facilitate their life and help as much as we can,” Christina says. “We mostly check for mites, making sure they have enough food and the queen hasn’t died.”

The numerous hours spent beekeeping sometimes come with a huge satisfaction – honey. On their first years, Jeff and Christina managed to collect about 30 kg of the precious nectar. Christina’s taste buds still remember it:  “Spring honey was super pale, floral tasting, whereas fall honey was dark brown, malty tasting,” she says.

Unfortunately, the exquisite, natural gift is not guaranteed. “The last couple of years were hard on the bees with the wasps and mites,” Christina says, as these two unwelcome guests entirely destroyed the colony. 

“Wasps are predators, they don’t store anything for the winter, so they look at the bees as a buffet,” explains Jeff.

Learn more about bees and beekeeping here, and here. And to discover a new West End outlet for raw, BC-made honey, see this month’s Business Spotlight.

Milestones

Joe Anderson, the Mayor of English Bay.

THE MAYOR OF ENGLISH BAY
A Farewell to Joe Anderson

A Celebration of Life has been scheduled to honor Joe Anderson, known by many as the “Mayor of English Bay”, where Joe was a fixture, rain or shine, from early in the morning and until after sunset.

Friends note that Joe was the survivor of a hard life spent mostly living on the street or in a car. To English Bay regulars he was a generous man, always looking for ways to be of help to others in small and practical ways.. In so doing he had turned his life around and created a family of friends connected to the bathhouse at English Bay.

One service Joe provided was offering to help move surfboards or any heavy sand and surf accessory on his dolly.  Joe searched for valuables in the sand with a metal detector, often spoke on behalf of binners, and figured out how to efficiently pack as many bottles and cans as possible into storage at the boathouse.

Joe’s friends will gather at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 12 front of the English Bay boathouse to remember him.

West End Moments

Out and about in the West End, you never know who or what you’ll see. Here are a few special moments you may have missed … click on any image to read the story. (Our apologies to everyone who gave permission to use these photos. A computer problem at the last moment caused us to lose the photo credit notes. Really sorry about that, and thank you for your generosity.)

West End / Coal Harbour In The News