The same nowhere

Neighborhoods no longer distinct, says author

ENDULOUS

RACEMES cf purple

wisteria fall from the
eaves and frame the win-
dow of Michael Kluckner’s
English cottage-style house
that stands on a quiet iree-
lined, blossom-soaked street
in the Vancouver
neighborhood of Kerrisdale.

Evelyn Jacob
SPOTLGHT FEATURE

Inside the illustrator and author
of Vanishing Vancouver and most
recently Paving Paradise, cringes
at the sight of kitschy white viny!
siding and fake Spanish tile that
greets him every time he looks out
his back window.

As is the case with so many of
Vancouver neighborhoods in re-
cent years, the house next door is
an eyesore ir an area of mostly
older, elegant wood homes.

“‘There’s been a seal fun-
damental shift in values towards
building. We aren't building with
the idea of permanence,” laments
Kluckner, lifting a cup of pepper-
mint tea to his fips and resting it
back down again on an old
wooden table.

*‘People are more interested in
the great indoors, ! suppose. In-
stead of ‘my house is my home,’
the house is now a commodity.”

Kluckner’s abode is one of those
beautiful old houses with the big,
rambling porch where families us-
ed to sit and chat with their
neighbors. It’s exactly the kind of
structure Vancouver is in danger
of losing altogether, and along
with it, many fear, its heritage.

While several Lower Mainland
residents have bemoaned the loss
of B.C.'s heritage architecture,
none have spoken out against it as
convincingly, or with as much
urgency, as Kluckner, who is
speaking tonight at West Van-
couver's Siik Purse arts centre as

IMAGE CENTRE INC.

NEWS photo Paul MeGratls

4
MICHAEL KLUCKNER has been widely recognized for his fight to
raise public awareness of the value of heritage architecture. He
is speaking at West Vancouver's Slik Purse arts cantre tonight in
cefebration of National Book Week.

part of National Book Week.

Kluckner, a gentle, friendly, wiry
man, received wide public support
for his outrage over the trashing of
Vancouver neighborhoods in
Vanishing Vancouver, which first
appeared i in 1996,

His depiction of row upon row
of forlorn little houses with For
Sale signs struck a sensitive chord
with Vancouverites, who felt
powerless to stop the wrecking

alls from flattening some of the
finest houses on their block.

In Paving Paradise, he takes a
more hard-hitting approach. “he

loss of old buildings and
neighberhoods, he argues, is a
symptom of a more serious prob-
lem: out-of-control urban devel-
opment which has resulted in the
unsightly suburban sprawl, traffic
congestion and the ruin of
precious farmland.

“With Vanishing Vancouver,”
he says, ‘people thought it was
wonderful that someone was
painting sweet pictures of parts of
their neighborhoods that were
disappearing. But when you get
down to the business of saying you

See Cities page 32

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Wednesday, April 29, 1992 - North Shore News - 27

Crafts fair seeks artisans

NORTH VANCOUVER Com-
munity Arts Council is on the
look-out for artisans interested in
taking part in its 13th annual

juried Craft Fair.
The event is traditionall,; held

near the fountain in the Civic

Plaza at 14th and Lonsdale, this
year from June 18-27.

Artisans may obtain applica-
tions for table space, which is
$506 per artist, by phoning 988-
6844,

Meet the Artist

MICHAEL TICKNER

“BEACH CITY — VANCOUVER, BC?

In Attendance Saturday May 2
From 1 to 4 p.m.

Ambleside S Rage 1339 Marine Drive

Gallery

Selection — Quality —

West Van 922-3626

Innovative Custom Framing

Creating a
better bho imate
for B.C.

VANCOUVER LOWER MAINLAND.
Let’s work together.

i his is your invitation to
a public meeting to

help the Government of
British Columbia create fair
and balanced labour laws.

It's time for all of us to start
working together on
strategies to build a stronger
economy and maintain our
quality of life.

A fair and

Open process

Three special advisers
appointed by the Minister of
Labour — John Baigent,
Vince Ready and Tom Roper
~~ will hold a public meeting
at the Sheraton Villa Inn in
Vancouver on May 12,13,14

to hear your ideas.

Let us know what you think

is good or bad about the
current labour law. Tell us
how the Industrial Relations
Act can be changed to
promote harmony and stability
ia B.C.’s labour / management
climate.

The public meeting sessions
will be held during the day and
the evening. To book a
speaking time, call 775-1262.
Please mail written briefs as
soon as possible to:

Committee of Special Advisers

Ministry of Labour and
Consumer Services

Sixth Floor, 1019 Wharf Street

Victoria, B.C., V8V 1X4

Sheraton Villa inn
May vy ’ B ’ 14, 4331 Dominion St., Vancouver
\ Government of British Columbia

Ministry of Labour and Consumer Services
f Hon. Moe Sihota, Minister