1156 E Pender St

The 1909 house at 1156 East Pender Street is located between Glen Drive and Vernon Drive. Originally a 1 1/2 storey house, a comparison between a contemporary picture and an archival image shows that the house was later elevated by adding a full basement. Although the house seemed destined to change owners every couple of years, the spell was broken by an Austrian family that lived at 1156 East Pender Street for four decades.

The house features a symmetric facade, a porch with four pillars, and a front-gabled roof. The main floor has horizontal clapboard siding, whereas the pediment is covered by shingles.

Within the first ten years, ownership of the house changed seven times. The first resident of the small house was engineer James Wilkinson, followed by Thomas Milligan, who was conductor at BC Electric Railway. Other owners were Mrs. J.H. Hooper, Thomas Johnstone, and longshoreman Frank Langdon. In 1921, the tradition of short-term occupation ended when the Dutka Family moved in.

Paul and Annie Dutka moved from Austria to Vancouver respectively in 1911 and 1913, got married in 1914, and lived at 1156 East Pender Street for about 40 years (1921-1960). The couple was accompanied by Paul’s brother, Aleck for some years. Paul refused to enlist during the First World War and was arrested for this deed on July 30, 1918.