Vancouver / Keefer Street / Strathcona

620 Keefer Street

A wood-frame house standing by 1905. John A. Clandenning, a foreman, was the householder for at least twenty years, and Milton Clandenning, a machinist who boarded here in 1915, had the house by 1935 inferred: same Milton. By 1945 it was Pelmira Bezzasso's, and the City's heritage register still calls it the Bezzasso House.

Clandenningforeman1905–1935 · 4 directories*Bezzasso Mrs P1945A householdnames after 1945 withheld1955
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

1905
built, by the City's record
30 yrs
the Clandenning name, 1905 to 1935
2
households named, 1905–1945
Still standing
on the Heritage Register, category B
Same number
as today inferred

The house

John A. Clandenning, a foreman, is listed here in 1905, the earliest directory in the record. The City's assessment record also gives 1905 as the year built. The 1912 fire insurance map shows a wood-frame house on the lot, set back from Keefer with a rear wing, among a row of similar houses.

It still stands. The Vancouver Heritage Register lists it in category B as the Bezzasso House, after the family living here in 1945.

Of the 26 addresses on this block that appear in the directories between 1905 and 1945, six still have a building from before 1946 (601, 602, 612, 620, 630 and 658). The rest were rebuilt or merged into larger lots.

The block around it

In 1905 the cross street at the west end of the block was Carl Avenue (“Carl ave. intersects” in that year's listing). By 1912 it was Princess Avenue, and the fire insurance map still notes the old name.

The 1905 directory gives a job for nearly everyone on the block: a grocer, a painter, a tailor, a mill hand, a logger, a planerman, an engineer, a Gas Company worker and the principal of Strathcona School across the street.

From 1915 the directories stop naming many residents of this block. They print “Foreigners” at 643 and 647 in 1915; “Chinese” at four addresses and “Japanese” at 611 in 1925; and “Orientals” at five addresses in 1935. The canvassers didn't record these people's names, so we can't give them. By 1945 the directory names them: at 615 and 630, listed only as “Orientals” in 1935, it gives W H Dong and W H Lee.

In 1935 the block lists K Ikeno at 611 and J Oiye at 661. In 1942 the federal government forced Japanese Canadians to leave the coast, and their homes were later sold without their consent. Neither name is on the block in 1945.

1912 fire insurance map of the 600 block of Keefer Street, with 620 marked
The 600 block of Keefer in 1912. Princess Avenue is labelled “late Carl”, its old name. Goad's Fire Insurance Map, 1912, georectified by the City of Vancouver (Open Government Licence – Vancouver). The circle marks the address.

The neighbours

The 600 block of Keefer Street. Your lot is outlined in red; pick a year to see who the directory lists on every lot.

Keefer Street NORTH SIDE · ODD SOUTH SIDE · EVEN 600699 601 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1901, City's figure)601Creech, Georgenot listednot listednot listednot listednot listed611 Keefer Street · Gone611Fulthrop, Alfredvacant“Japanese”*Ikeno KSplett M*a household615 Keefer Street · Gone615Parsons, R.Brown Geo“Chinese”“Orientals”Dong W Ha household625 Keefer Street · Gone625Adams, George R.McClelland John EKirkup S J*Evenuk PTriska H*a household627 Keefer Street · Gone627Marsh FrankCrosetti JPalamow ASywulych W*a household631 Keefer Street · Gone631Hay, RobertHay RobtHay R“Orientals”*Anaka J*a household635 Keefer Street · Gone635Bradley, JohnVanstone WmBrecknell JBrecknell Joccupied, no name givena household643 Keefer Street · Gone643Monks, Edgar“Foreigners”not listednot listednot listednot listed647 Keefer Street · Gone647“Foreigners”McDowell SFranceschini CCavasin R*a household653 Keefer Street · Gone653Tapella JosephTosey JTosi J*Chow Mrs J M*a household659 Keefer Street · Gone659Hancock, Albert J.Gini C“Chinese”Jackson Mrs Eoccupied, no name given*a household661 Keefer Street · Gone661Hancock Albt Joccupied, no name givenOiye JBrubon M*a household673 Keefer Street · Gone673Cates, WilliamCates Wm EMookini HWakaluk J*Wakaluk J*a household677 Keefer Street · Gone677Smith, PeterBarker WmRabinnovitz OKosovic SSoon Fnot listed602 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1901, City's figure)602Tom Gregory H.McLean James DCarlson C“Orientals”Chomyshak J*a household612 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1905, City's figure)612Vicars, Joseph G.Vicars Joseph GJohnson Mrs A*Ellefsen AHing Mrs M*a household620 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1905, City's figure)620Clandenning, John A.Fraser Alex +1Clandening J A*Clendenning M A*Bezzasso Mrs P*a household626 Keefer Street · Rebuilt (built 1976, City's figure)626Armstrong, JohnRichardson Thos“Chinese”Vollstrom D*Wong J*a household +1630 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1905, City's figure)630McDougall Mrs Jessie“Chinese”“Orientals”Lee W H*a household636 Keefer Street · Rebuilt (built 1946, City's figure)636Good Shepherd MissionGood Shepherd Mission642 Keefer Street · Gone642Eaton, JessEaton JesseEaton Jnot listednot listednot listed652 Keefer Street · Rebuilt (built 1975, City's figure)652Howie Miss J LWomen's Miss SocWomen's Miss Soc*Wong Mrs J S*a household658 Keefer Street · Still standing (built 1904, City's figure)658Inches DavidMorris M*Morris J*Minichiello J*a household666 Keefer Street · Gone666McMeekin, John WalterLewis Mrs —Isaac S“Orientals”Parker Sa household674 Keefer Street · Gone674Luxton RReliable Mt MktHeikkila Ma household676 Keefer Street · Gone676Harkness JamesSmith Miss G DFarber Mrs E +1Morrison Da household
The 600 block of Keefer Street, Strathcona. 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)
5 of 131905→15
3 of 141915→25
3 of 111925→35
1 of 131935→45
Who stayed on the 600 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
  • Clandenning, John A.foreman

The earliest directory in the record.

Henderson's City of Vancouver Directory, p. 74

1915
  • Fraser Alex
  • Clandening John A

Two households. Milton Clandening, a machinist at the Ford Auto Co, boards here. The street section misprints the Clandening number as 520; the name section has it right.

Reader's note: Printed "520"; its place in the street's order makes it 620.

Henderson's Greater Vancouver City Directory, p. 99

1925
  • Clandening J A

John A is still the householder. C Clandening, a mechanic, also lives here.

Wrigley-Henderson Amalgamated British Columbia Directory, p. 72

1935
  • *Clendenning M A

Milton A, the machinist who boarded here in 1915, is now the householder; the name is spelled Clendenning this time. inferred: same Milton

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, p. 88

1945
  • *Bezzasso Mrs P

Pelmira Bezzasso, widow of J., is the householder; Merco and Norma Bezzasso live here too. The heritage register names the house after this family.

British Columbia and Yukon Directory, p. 85

1955
  • a household

One listing. Names of residents after 1945 aren't shown; businesses and buildings are.

Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory, p. 131

Coming: the full history of 620 Keefer 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.