Geoff Goodship's grandmother didn't much like the house that was built for her at 2717 Clarke St. in Port Moody.
She came from a wealthy family in England, where she'd grown up in a sprawling home complete with servants. Minny later married Frederick Appleyard and moved to B.C., where he worked as a millwright and manager at the sawmill that provided the first-grade, knotless cedar that went into building the home, which was completed in 1908.
(Goodship's family history differs from the information provided by the city, which has Appleyard purchasing the home from its first owner sometime after 1910.)
"My grandmother was not allowed to get involved in the design of the house at all; she was only allowed to see it when they moved in," Goodship recalled. "She was quite cross about this."
The design, Minny complained, was not made for a woman with children - it had a large kitchen and a formal dining room but no family eating area.
"They were very much deeply in love and they spent a long, happy married life but it was very rough compared to how she'd grown up," Goodship said of his grandmother. "Her house was filled with servants, whereas my grandfather... may have come from the stable."
The Appleyards would later give the home to their daughter - who by the mid-1930s had five children with her husband, Lawrence Goodship - and then moved in to a small brown bungalow they'd built next door.
Geoff Goodship was born in 1932, the last of three girls and two boys, and grew up in the iconic Appleyard house. He remembers walking up a trail, past the electric sub-station on the corner and across the main drag to get to school.
He also used to take walks with his grandfather, who served as a Port Moody alderman in 1917 and 1919. Appleyard also put in a stint as a school trustee.
"He had lost two fingers on his right hand in a shingle mill incident, so all he could offer me was two fingers to hold on to," Goodship said of his grandfather. "He was a very kind man."
And while his grandma was never fond of the Edwardian-style home, which was originally an off-white with green window trim, Goodship, who now lives in Campbell River, has fond memories of it.
As a kid, he could often be found outside on the covered porch, which proved an ideal spot for riding his bicycle or playing with friends on a rainy day.
"And I think I liked the bathtub, which was upstairs in the bathroom," he said. "I used to think it was a great big bathroom until I visited the house recently - it's actually incredibly small."
Goodship also remembers the front stairs, made of solid fir, and that he slept in each of the bedrooms.
"As more kids moved away, I finally got a bed to myself," he joked.
At some point Goodship's father, the city's postmaster from 1943 to 1956, built an addition on to the home to make it more functional for a family of seven, with an entry hall, extra bathroom and a breakfast nook for casual dining.
Fast forward to 2005, when Coquitlam businessman Fred Soofi purchased the home to save it from the wrecking ball and moved it across the street, where it became the Heritage House Pizza Co.
Now, it's being moved again, this time to make way for the Evergreen Line guideway.
The Appleyard residence was purchased by the provincial government and donated to the city of Port Moody to help preserve its architectural heritage. The city will be moving it later this month to Kyle Street, where it will serve as part of the Port Moody Arts Centre hub, and is applying for a Heritage Canada Legacy Fund grant to help pay for any necessary renovations.
An open house at the arts centre on June 28 will give the public a chance to comment on the rezoning and official community plan amendments needed to change the property at 126 Kyle St. from residential to arts and culture uses.
The grant application must be submitted by the end of September.
Goodship is thrilled that his childhood home will be preserved.
"First of all, I'm pleased to see it wasn't torn down," he said. "It's great to see it restored so beautifully. And I'm glad it's going to be used by your arts community - and I plan to visit."
