New Society Members Please welcome the following new members to the West Vancouver Historical Society: Deirdre Bickford, William G. Bird, Yvonne Bower, Thora Dakin, Peggy Harris, Doreen Heaps, Barbara Kaiser, Edie Lenzen, Irene Miller, Miriam Olney, A. Michael Phillips, Richard Phillips, Bruce Young. A House on Radcliffe Avenue By Ian Macdonald In 1931, my parents built the family home on a waterfront lot on Radcliffe Avenue. They had married somewhat late in life. Dad was forty-two and Mom was thirty-three, and they must have been frugal before their marriage in 1930 because at the depth of the Great Depression and with Dad unable to find work as a timber cruiser, they forged ahead. The lot they bought was small, only fifty feet by one hundred and twenty feet. They paid eleven hundred and fifty dollars for it. Whether it was a bargain because of the depression, I do not know, but waterfront at Dundarave had been sold for over four thousand dollars in the teens. Our waterfront home circa 1930’s Dad’s brother, Duncan McDonald, was a builder and with his partner, Mr. Bradley, did a small amount of work on the house; the accounts show less than three hundred dollars, so it would seem Dad did most of the labour himself. (Incidentally we don’t know why two brothers spell their last names differently. Perhaps it was just the ‘Scottish way’). Dad kept a detailed record of costs. (See below). By today’s standards they are almost unbelieveable: The lumber and shingles for the entire house, $498.74: heating including the furnace $113.00; concrete foundation $55.20 and so on. The grand total, including the lot was $5663.47 Cont*d. next column A House on Radcliffe Avenue - cont’d. / oj Gail' S.ost^or. lot -i - _ fouri d ii ^ Ch Conh Co'i iraiJ' ___________________..________ f^luynhtnc 44 Zo'oo i| /2 i! /5&:00 n /m<- MlUi /-Wmibcr <£ flniil\n<j tj&t Shiytkf-ti 2>r4 _ IJlIm_______________________________ " > _ 2. BrajUu............ n sfpf I a I &. j|io u 1-.________ P/)0/1^___________- I' bfi'niis___________ ' _______ M'SC & Qui __________________ .l&Lour IQynr. l/SC) DO 2o|«<3 zk‘> /l:«o /Sop Vi†//3P iCijfi) 47f\7f Ap'H \inv I l248i?r I /?9|3Sf 4f 7 3 ;3 iT 'ii /^oc. iC Radcliffe Avenue has in recent years become a millionaire’s row. Realtors tell me there are several multi-million houses there and a house on three lots recently sold for thirty million dollars, the most expensive home sale ever in Greater Vancouver. And the modest home my parents built? You can buy that house today; it’s on the market at this writing. With only a small addition and some interior improvements it’s available for just $6,200,000!! BEAUTIFUL, COZY WATERFRONT 3 levels, 6050 sq ft lot on a quiet street with a serene atmosphere. The main floor has an open dining and living room next to the kitchen and nook ail with south facing views. Upstairs are 2 bedrooms & downstairs is the rec room & walk out patio. The gardens are mature with terreced patios down to the beach. 3374 RADCLIFFE $6,200,000 The view from the Radcliffe house to-day. Page 5