Vancouver / Keefer Street / Strathcona

642 Keefer Street

A house first listed in the 1905 directory. The Eaton name stayed longest, from 1905 to 1925, starting with Jess Eaton, who worked for the B. C. E. Ry. The address is gone today.

Eatonemp. B. C. E. Ry.1905–1925 · 3 directories
Not in the directory1935–1955
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

by 1905
first listed in the directories
20 yrs
the Eaton name, 1905 to 1925
1
household named, 1905–1925
Address gone
today, by the City's records
Now part of 636
Keefer Street, the land it stood on inferred

The house

From 1905 to 1925 the Eaton name is in three directories in a row (printed “Eaton, Jess”, “Eaton Jesse” and “Eaton J”): Jess Eaton, who worked for the B. C. E. Ry, in 1905.

Today

The City no longer lists this address. Lots here were merged or redeveloped, so the building is almost certainly gone. On the 1912 fire insurance map it stood on land that is part of 636 Keefer Street today (inferred). We confirmed the number through the heritage register: Goad's 1912 prints “642” on lot 9 block 84.

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
  • Eaton, Jessemp. B. C. E. Ry.

Henderson's City of Vancouver Directory, p. 74

1935

Not in the directory this year.

British Columbia and Yukon Directory

1945

Not in the directory this year.

British Columbia and Yukon Directory

1955

Not in the directory this year.

Vancouver and New Westminster City Directory

Coming: the full history of 642 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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One email, when it's ready. We use your email for nothing else and never share it. Privacy

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.