26.03.26

DePencier House at 151 East 8th Ave (1958, CVA). Widely considered to be the oldest inhabited house in Vancouver outside of the downtown core. 

On the evening of March 25th, 2026 an upstairs fire burned out much of the two top floors. A faulty electric blanket was the alleged source. 

It has been determined that the barbershop is intact, but water damage has seeped and warped its way into the neighbouring osteria. 

"It was built in 1889 for early Mount Pleasant settlers, Henry (d. 1909) and Mary (d. 1896) DePencier, who lived here with their children and a domestic servant named Sarah Lowe. Henry DePencier was a grocery retailer whose store was located next door to his home. Giving up the retail trade, DePencier later worked as manager for North Pacific Lumber Co. and briefly, in 1891, a City of Vancouver councillor." (C. Hagemoen, 2022)