by Charna Plottel
On a rainy October morning, the writer of this article visited the 100 Block West 10th Avenue to view the Davis houses. “The Davis houses (?)” you might think, “what’s so great about the Davis houses?” The Davis houses are nine heritage frame houses, the oldest dating from 1891, which have been lovingly restored by John Davis and, upon hist death, by his widow and two sons. This historic street-scape won a Heritage Canada award in 1981 for its preservation.
The houses are painted in various colors as though they were located in a Mediterranean setting rather than in Vancouver. Blue, pink, pale yellow are the dominant colors. The block is a true gem as Denis Meade wrote in an earlier article in the Cavell Voices.
Many of the homes in this general area are named for the family which first lived in the home. For instance we find here “the Welsh House”, “the Bloomfield House”, “the White House”. The Bloomfield House was the location of the studio where Henry Bloomfield and his sons crafted beautiful stained glass windows which are still in place at Gabriola on Davie Street, the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral in New Westminster and in the Rossland and Greenwood courthouses.
We would suggest that when the weather permits it would make a really delightful outing to take a walk, with your walker or cane, to view these heritage homes. You will notice the plaques attached to the home or the fence surrounding the home designating its status.
Mount Pleasant’s Cavell Gardens is always looking for volunteers willing to take Seniors on short day-trips to historic sties within the Mount Pleasant area. Timing is flexible and would usually be required only once or twice a month. Please visit Cavell Gardens to become more involved in your community.