Vancouver / Quebec Street / Mount Pleasant

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.

Rogers, Ernestbookkeeper1905Frontenac Apartments26 to 35 listings a year1915–1955
Read every ten years. A band is one household, joined across directories by surname; tap one for its directory page. After 1945 the directories' names aren't shown.

A full history of this house is coming: every resident's job, the whole block decade by decade, and a PDF with the page behind every line. One email when it's ready

1912
built, by the City's record; the address is listed from 1905
Still standing
on the Heritage Register, category B
Now 2637
today's address on Quebec Street inferred

The house

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 block around it

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.

1912 fire insurance map of Quebec Street at 11th Avenue, with the Frontenac marked
Quebec Street at 11th Avenue in 1912. The Frontenac is the brick building; across Quebec is the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Goad's Fire Insurance Map, 1912, georectified by the City of Vancouver (Open Government Licence – Vancouver). The circle marks the address.

The neighbours

The 2600 block of Quebec Street. Your lot is outlined in red; pick a year to see who the directory lists on every lot.

Quebec Street WEST SIDE · ODD EAST SIDE · EVEN 26002699 2601 Quebec Street · Gone2601Coville JKenny's Korner +1Farries AMing's Gro2605 Quebec Street · Gone2605Coville, JohnEnright Johnnot listedDuncan W Snot listednot listed2613 Quebec Street · Gone2613Boyd, Georgenot listednot listednot listednot listednot listed2615 Quebec Street · Gone2615Nettleton AlfredRichardson W CGiroux FGiroux Mrs A*a household2621 Quebec Street · Rebuilt (built 1992, City's figure)2621Stone, F. W.O'Neil Timothy EGranger I L*Granger Miss I L*Granger Miss I L*a household2631 Quebec Street · Gone2631Mouat, John N.vacantBennett JKitchen AEwert Ha household2637 Quebec Street · Not matched2637Anderson Scott BCarson J AStephenson B MNelson Ovacant2639 Quebec Street · Gone2639Downey, Georgenot listednot listednot listednot listednot listed2649 Quebec Street · Still standing (built 1912, City's figure)2649Rogers, ErnestFrontenac Apartments +25Frontenac Apts +25Frontenac Apts +26*Frontenac Apts +28*Frontenac Apts +342600 Quebec Street · Standing, age not recorded2600Mount Pleasant Baptist…Mt Pl Bapt ChMt Pleasant Regular Bap…Mt Pleasant Baptist Ch*Mt Pleasant Baptist Ch2644 Quebec Street · Gone2644vacantvacantBayne G Anot listednot listednot listedNot in the 1955 directory
The 2600 block of Quebec Street, Mount Pleasant. Lots are placed by house number.Scroll sideways on a small screen
Pre-1946 building still standsRebuilt after 1945Address gone todayNot matched*: some member of the family owns the property, to the best of our knowledge (the directory's own mark, printed from 1935)
0 of 21905→15
0 of 31915→25
1 of 51925→35
2 of 51935→45
Who stayed on the 2600 block: of the addresses with a named household in both directories, how many still had the same surname ten years on.

The record

Each directory's listing for this address, as printed, with its page at the Vancouver Public Library. *: some member of the family owns the property, to the best of our knowledge (the directory's own mark, printed from 1935).

1905
  • Rogers, Ernestbookkeeper

A house, before the apartments.

Henderson's City of Vancouver Directory, p. 94

1915
  • Frontenac Apartmentsbuilding
  • basementTurley Mrs J Ecaretkr
  • ABrown Alfred C
  • BBishopric John
  • CMcNeill James
  • DDowker Alem
  • EBishopric Ellen C
  • FMcLaughlin Mrs —
  • GWilson Thos
  • HRobertson Mrs Mary J
  • IBennett Wm J
  • JMcIntosh Geo
  • Kvacant
  • LGilletz Peter
  • Mvacant
  • NArsneau T E
  • Ovacant
  • PEngle John H
  • Qvacant
  • RMaxwell Mary E
  • Svacant
  • Tvacant
  • UHolman Verl
  • VWhite Lester M
  • Wvacant
  • XHayes Saml S

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.

The dash (—) is printed in the directory where a first name would go: it gives none.

Henderson's Greater Vancouver City Directory, p. 139

1925
  • Frontenac Aptsbuilding
  • ACates F O
  • BLowe L F
  • CTaylor H E
  • DPugsley R L
  • EGow J M
  • FPowell F
  • GMorton J
  • HAstle I S
  • IBennett W J
  • JKaganorff S
  • KHilton H S
  • LBrownlee H
  • MMunro J A
  • NBrown A
  • OBlair E
  • PWallace P
  • QFraser M
  • RPearson W H
  • SHill-Tout C
  • TScott J W
  • UMcRae R F
  • VWilson F G
  • WFerguson D D
  • XHood M
  • basementCurtis F W

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.

Wrigley-Henderson Amalgamated British Columbia Directory, p. 106

1935
  • Frontenac Aptsbuilding
  • AScott Mrs M I
  • BJenkins Mrs H S
  • CWhite Mrs T W
  • DMartin Mrs M J
  • ECosgrove Mrs M
  • FMulvaney C A
  • GCullins G
  • HHunter R
  • IHarrington L
  • JMcLeod D B
  • KCook Mrs E B
  • LParsons M S
  • MBooth Mrs L A
  • NGawne J
  • OBlackhall —
  • Pvacant
  • QTame J
  • R*Hill-Tout C
  • SJohns Mrs M W
  • TOgston J R
  • U1McGregor Mrs E
  • U2Karp Miss A
  • U3Robertson Mrs K
  • VBrydon Miss M
  • WDalrymple H D
  • XDryburgh Mrs A

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.

The dash (—) is printed in the directory where a first name would go: it gives none.

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, p. 129

1945
  • *Frontenac Aptsbuilding
  • AHill-Tout F A
  • BWooding G M
  • CMatheson Mrs M
  • DChalmers Mrs R
  • ECummings H G
  • FMcGonigle J E P
  • GDarrach H
  • HFraleigh K E
  • IHarrington L
  • JMcLeod D B
  • KMcDonagh W E
  • LStevenson Mrs M
  • MMcCallum J B
  • NMarch A J
  • OFremlin Miss H A
  • PYoung Mrs M L
  • QWilson G
  • RCope C
  • SKibler N O
  • THyde H W
  • U1Cope Mrs A N
  • U2Archibald Miss B
  • U3Glover Mrs M
  • U4May Mrs M
  • VBrydon Miss M
  • WWhitlaw E N
  • XTooke H O
  • YLucas Mrs M

28 households. In suite A, Meada A Hill-Tout, listed as Charles's widow (“wid C”).

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, p. 128

1955
  • *Frontenac Aptsbuilding
  • 1a household
  • 2a household
  • 3a household
  • 4a household
  • 5a household
  • 6a household
  • 7a household
  • 10a household
  • 11a household
  • 12a household
  • 14a household
  • 15a household
  • 16a household
  • 17a household
  • 19a household
  • 20a household
  • 21a household
  • 22a household
  • 23a household
  • 24a household
  • 25a household
  • 26a household
  • 27a household
  • 30a household
  • 31a household
  • 32a household
  • 33a household
  • 34a household
  • 35a household
  • 36a household
  • 37a household
  • 38a household
  • 39a household
  • 40a household

35 listings. Names of residents after 1945 aren't shown; businesses and buildings are.

Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory, p. 201

Coming: the full history of 2649 Quebec Street

Every line, both sections, every neighbour

  • Each resident's job and employer from the directory's name section
  • The block decade by decade, and who stayed
  • The 1912 map plate and what the street went through
  • A PDF with the page behind every line
$29

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Sources

Henderson's and successor city directories for Vancouver, 1905–1955, street sections, read by us line by line (Vancouver Public Library, BC City Directories); each year in the record links its page. Today's buildings: City of Vancouver Open Data (property tax report 2026, property addresses, Vancouver Heritage Register; Open Government Licence – Vancouver). The City's year built is BC Assessment's figure and can be approximate for old houses. Something wrong, or a name you'd like removed? Tell us.