An example of the full history
2649 Quebec Street
The Frontenac, a brick apartment house of 24 suites, standing by 1912 where a single house had been in 1905. Its proprietor in 1935, Charles Hill-Tout, lived in the building, and in 1945 his widow lived in suite A. Around them, a crowd: 82 surnames between 1915 and 1945, and a few tenants who stayed twenty years.
This is what the $29 full history holds, shown for one of three houses: every line as printed in both sections of the directory, the neighbours, the street, and the page behind every line. The free page for this address is here.
The house
- Built
- By 1912, when the fire insurance map draws it. In 1905 a house stood here. The City's assessment record gives 1912.
- On the 1912 map
- A brick building labelled “The Frontenac” at the corner of Quebec and 11th Avenue.
- Heritage
- On the Vancouver Heritage Register (category B) as The Frontenac.
- Address
- The City now lists the Frontenac at 2637 Quebec. Through 1955 the directories list it at 2649, with a separate house at 2637. When the number changed, we haven't found yet.
In 1905 the lot held a house: Ernest Rogers, a bookkeeper, is listed at 2649. By 1912 the fire insurance map draws a brick apartment building on the corner, labelled The Frontenac, across two lots. The City's assessment record gives 1912 as the year built.
In 1915 the directory lists 24 suites lettered A to X and a caretaker's suite in the basement. Lettered suites last until at least 1945; by 1955 they are numbered 1 to 40.
It still stands, on the Vancouver Heritage Register in category B. The City now lists it at 2637 Quebec. Every directory we read through 1955 puts it at 2649 and lists a separate house at 2637 (vacant in 1955), so the number most likely changed after 1955 inferred
The people, decade by decade
The building line and every suite, as printed. *: some member of the family owns the property, to the best of our knowledge (the directory's own mark, printed from 1935).
Rogers, Ernest, bookkeeper
A house, before the apartments.
Henderson's City of Vancouver Directory, street section p. 94
Frontenac Apartments
Name section, as printed
Turley Percival E emp B C Tel Co r 2649 Quebec
24 suites lettered A to X and a caretaker in the basement, Mrs J E Turley. Seven suites empty. Percival E Turley, of the BC Telephone Co, lives here too.
Suites, as printed
basement Turley Mrs J E
A Brown Alfred C
B Bishopric John
C McNeill James
D Dowker Alem
E Bishopric Ellen C
F McLaughlin Mrs —
G Wilson Thos
H Robertson Mrs Mary J
I Bennett Wm J
J McIntosh Geo
K vacant
L Gilletz Peter
M vacant
N Arsneau T E
O vacant
P Engle John H
Q vacant
R Maxwell Mary E
S vacant
T vacant
U Holman Verl
V White Lester M
W vacant
X Hayes Saml S
Henderson's Greater Vancouver City Directory, street section p. 139
Frontenac Apts
Name section, as printed
Hill-Tout Chas prof h S 2649 Quebec
Hill-Tout Jas E sch tchr Van r S 2649 Quebec
Hill-Tout Lillian r S 2649 Quebec
Hilton Capt Herbt S supt CGMM h K 2649
Every suite let. Charles Hill-Tout, “prof”, lives in suite S with James E, a Vancouver school teacher, and Lillian. In K, Captain Herbert S Hilton, a superintendent with the CGMM. W J Bennett, in suite I in 1915, is still there.
Suites, as printed
A Cates F O
B Lowe L F
C Taylor H E
D Pugsley R L
E Gow J M
F Powell F
G Morton J
H Astle I S
I Bennett W J
J Kaganorff S
K Hilton H S
L Brownlee H
M Munro J A
N Brown A
O Blair E
P Wallace P
Q Fraser M
R Pearson W H
S Hill-Tout C
T Scott J W
U McRae R F
V Wilson F G
W Ferguson D D
X Hood M
basement Curtis F W
Wrigley-Henderson Amalgamated British Columbia Directory, street section p. 106
Frontenac Apts
Name section, as printed
Hill-Tout Chas prop Frontenac Apts h R, 2649 Quebec
The name section now gives Charles Hill-Tout as proprietor of the Frontenac, living in suite R. Suite U is split into three. Miss M Brydon (V) and L Harrington (I) arrive; both are still here in 1945.
Suites, as printed
A Scott Mrs M I
B Jenkins Mrs H S
C White Mrs T W
D Martin Mrs M J
E Cosgrove Mrs M
F Mulvaney C A
G Cullins G
H Hunter R
I Harrington L
J McLeod D B
K Cook Mrs E B
L Parsons M S
M Booth Mrs L A
N Gawne J
O Blackhall —
P vacant
Q Tame J
R Hill-Tout C
S Johns Mrs M W
T Ogston J R
U1 McGregor Mrs E
U2 Karp Miss A
U3 Robertson Mrs K
V Brydon Miss M
W Dalrymple H D
X Dryburgh Mrs A
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section p. 129
*Frontenac Apts
Name section, as printed
Hill-Tout Meada A wid C h A, 2649 Quebec
28 households. In suite A, Meada A Hill-Tout, listed as Charles's widow (“wid C”). (The street section prints her initials as “F A”; the name section gives Meada A.)
Suites, as printed
A Hill-Tout F A
B Wooding G M
C Matheson Mrs M
D Chalmers Mrs R
E Cummings H G
F McGonigle J E P
G Darrach H
H Fraleigh K E
I Harrington L
J McLeod D B
K McDonagh W E
L Stevenson Mrs M
M McCallum J B
N March A J
O Fremlin Miss H A
P Young Mrs M L
Q Wilson G
R Cope C
S Kibler N O
T Hyde H W
U1 Cope Mrs A N
U2 Archibald Miss B
U3 Glover Mrs M
U4 May Mrs M
V Brydon Miss M
W Whitlaw E N
X Tooke H O
Y Lucas Mrs M
British Columbia and Yukon Directory, street section p. 128
34 households; the suites are renumbered 1 to 40. 11 of the 1945 surnames are still here. Names after 1945 aren't shown.
Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory, street section p. 201
The neighbours
The 2600 block of Quebec as each directory lists it, odd numbers (west side) first.
1905
| 2605 | Coville, John |
| 2613 | Boyd, George, carpenter |
| 2621 | Stone, F. W., blind mfg'r |
| 2631 | Mouat, John N. |
| 2639 | Downey, George, traveller |
| 2649 | Rogers, Ernest, bookkeeper |
| 2644 | Vacant |
1925
| 2615 | Richardson W C |
| 2621 | Granger I L |
| 2631 | Bennett J |
| 2637 | Carson J A |
| 2649 | Frontenac Apts |
| 2600 | Mt Pl Bapt Ch |
| 2644 | Bayne G A |
1945
| 2601 | Farries A, gro |
| 2615 | Giroux Mrs A |
| 2621 | Granger Miss I L |
| 2631 | Ewert H |
| 2637 | Nelson O |
| 2649 | Frontenac Apts |
| 2600 | Mt Pleasant Baptist Ch |
The street and the city
In the 1905 directory the cross streets on this stretch of Quebec run 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Avenue. 9th Avenue became Broadway, and by 1915 the directories use the new name.
The Hill-Touts: a Charles Hill-Tout lives in suite S in 1925, listed as “prof”, and is the Frontenac's proprietor in 1935. In 1945 Meada A Hill-Tout is listed as his widow. He is very likely the well-known Professor Hill-Tout, though no directory says so inferred
Across Quebec stood the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, drawn on the 1912 map and listed at 2600 in every directory from 1915 to 1945.
Down the block at 2621, Miss I L Granger is listed in 1925, 1935 and 1945.
Of the eleven addresses on this block in the directories to 1945, the Frontenac is the only building from before 1946 still standing.
How we know
Every year here comes from that year's printed city directory, held by the Vancouver Public Library. Canvassers compiled each one door to door, so a listing is who they recorded at the door, not a legal record of who owned or rented it. Names are copied as printed, spellings and all.
The street section lists each address in order; the name section lists each person with their work and address, which is where the jobs come from. h marks a householder, r someone living there, wid a widow. Anything we infer (a likely build date, a misprinted number, a renumbered address) is marked as inferred. Names are shown up to 1945; later years say only how the address was used.
An example, not for sale yet
Want this for your house?
- All 24 suites in every decade, with each tenant's work from the name section
- Who stayed: tenants traced from suite to suite across the decades
- The 1912 map plate and the street around it, decade by decade
- The page behind every line, so you can check it yourself
Not on sale yet.