Barclay Manor

In 1890, the property at 1447 Barclay Street was owned by Sir Donald Smith and Richard Angus. Later that year, Lucy A. Tetley and Charles Tetley, a mining engineer and chief accountant for Vancouver bought the property for $650 and became the block’s first residents. The Tetleys built an original green and white house on the lot and lived there until 1902, when they sold the house to Edgar Bayliss for $3,500.

Next, Bayliss sold the house and property to Francis (Frank) and Emily Baynes in 1903. They lived in the house until they tore it down and rebuilt it in 1905. Francis Baynes was the manager of the Dominion Hotel in Gastown, which was owned by his wife’s family, the Sherdahls.

In 1909, the Baynes family added a large three-storey addition to the rear of the house at the cost of approximately $10,000. This addition briefly served as hotel until it was rented by Lena M. Clermont later that year.

Miss Clermont was listed as superintendent (or matron) of Barclay Manor from 1909 through 1916. The West End Hospital moved from 1357 Barclay Street to 1447 Barclay Street in 1910, and the directories sometimes referred to the building as “Miss Clermont’s Private Hospital”. From 1916 to 1918, Helen G. Tolmie was listed in the directories as matron.

The hospital ceased operation in 1919 and the building became a residence for young Catholic working women called “Rosary Hall” and was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace.

In 1925, the property became a boarding house called Barclay Manor. It served as a place for officers from naval ships to use when in port and helped thousands of young individuals seek their way in the world over the years. At that time, the rent included two meals a day with maid service from $23 a week shared, to $30 a week for a single room.

In 1970, Barclay Manor was purchased by the City of Vancouver and ceased to be a boarding house.

The 1909 three-storey addition was demolished in 1988 and the rear of the house was reconstructed to a design appropriate to Edwardian times. The remainder of the house was faithfully restored to its pre-1909 condition.

In 1990, Barclay Manor was reopened and became one of the locations of the West End Seniors’ Network in an agreement with the West End Community Centre Association and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

(For more information about some of the history of Barclay Manor, please see the Fall 2019 [Volume 30, Issue 3] edition of the BC History of Nursing Society newsletter.)