Yesterday afternoon, I took the family for a walk to Fallaise Park in East Vancouver, which is located in our neighbourhood in Vancouver. We live in an area called “Diaper Hill”, to many of the older residents of the area. This area of East Van is located in Renfrew Heights that encompasses the area north of East 22 Avenue down to Grandview Highway, and from Boundary Road west to Rupert Street, this is my neighbourhood called “Diaper Hill”.
Why The Name Diaper Hill?
This area of Renfrew Heights in East Vancouver is named Diaper Hill for a very interesting reason. Houses were built in the 1940s in Diaper Hill for the World War 2 veterans coming home from the war. As the plaque below states diapers were hung on the clothing lines to dry and this area is on a hill (Renfrew Heights), the area became known as “Diaper Hill”, and there you have it.
Most of the WW2 vets have passed away or moved away, all that remains are a few old 2 bedroom rancher homes, the rest of the homes have been torn down to make way from new 3 level 7 bedroom homes selling for $800,000 +. I am a newer resident to Diaper Hill living here only for the past 3.5 years. It was interesting to me to find out about the colorful history of my neighborhood and thought I would share it.
Many of the streets in Diaper Hill are named after World War 2 cities such as Normandy, Anzio and Dieppe, to name only a few of them.
Falaise Park In Renfrew Heights, East Vancouver
The History Of Diaper Hill Written On A Plaque In Falaise Park In Renfrew Heights, East Vancouver
Mural Commemorating Diaper Hill
Mural Commemorating Diaper Hill
After leaving the Old Hotel Vancouver, where my parents lived after the war, we moved to Vimy Heights. I don’t remember the address; I was only 2. My sister was born when we were there but when my brother was born we needed more room so I think my grandfather gave my Dad $3,000.00 and we were able to buy a house on East 2nd Avenue. I have only vague memories of Renfrew Heights; we must have moved in right after it was built because I have a dim memory of being out in the front yard and there was no grass — just mud! My siblings don’t remember the place at all. Our neighbourhood on East 2nd was similar to Renfrew Heights in the way that all the neighbourhood kids, regardless of age, seemed to play together all day and just go home from lunch, back out, and then home when the streetlights came on! What an innocent time for us! We also had a Chinese vegetable man, milk trucks pulled by horses, the sawdust truck….why do all these memories come crowding in now that I am getting older??
Correction: Vimy Crescent was the name of our street.