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The Harrison House - Part 1 by Ken Heirrison "Willowdene" 2567 Kings Avenue This house was originally built in 1913 for Benjamin Harrison and his wife Anna. They met in 1903 when their two separate Cook's Tours stayed at the same hotel in Switzerland. It was "love at first sight" and they were married in 1906. After three years in Highgate (north London), they emigrated in 1909 to Prince Rupert to start an importing company. Prince Rupert proved to be too difficult as a base and they had started to move to Vancouver when the sinking of the Titanic and the subsequent failure of the northern railway confirmed their decision. After a short time in Vancouver, Ben travelled home to London in the summer of 1912 to help celebrate his parent's 50 th Wedding Anniversary. While he was away, Anna learned of properties for sale in the new community of West Vancouver (only three months old) and quickly bought two lots. She purchased this one (DL 555, Block 18, lot 19) from John Lawson's West Vancouver Land Co., probably paying close to the assessed value of $230. They arranged to have the property cleared and in early 1913 had a small cottage built by M r Robert Crips. The photo to the right shows this stage of the work and the one at the left shows Anna lounging in a hammock on the small, unenclosed verandah. The frontage street was not named Kings Avenue, but rather Pitt Street and the address was simply "Willowdene, Dundarave" until house numbering started later A remaining section of Keith Road ran at an angle through the property and those on either side of it. Following Ben's petition to the West Vancouver Council, Keith Road was formally closed by Bylaw 37 in September 1913 from 20th to 27th. Haywood Avenue was opened to replace it on an approximately parallel route. Work progressed very quickly and by late 1913 or early 1914 two flanking wings were added to the house as shown in the photo above with Ben and Anna surveying the property. By 1915 the house sported flower boxes, window awnings and the start of an elaborate garden as shown to the left. page 4