"Central Park" found 41 records

Central Park Entrance Gate

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark544

Repository: Burnaby Heritage Planning

Description: The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.

Associated Dates: 1913

Formal Recognition: Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register

Street View URL: Google Maps Street View

2 images

Repository: Burnaby Heritage Planning

Geographic Access: Imperial Street

Associated Dates: 1913

Formal Recognition: Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register

Enactment Type: Bylaw No. 9807

Enactment Date: 23/11/1992

Description: The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.

Heritage Value: The Central Park Entrance Gate is significant as a ceremonial entry to a major park, for its connection with the early history of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) and as an important design by an accomplished British Columbian architect. When the original interurban line between Vancouver and New Westminster was constructed in 1891, one of the first stations was located where the tramway crossed the Vancouver-Westminster Road (now Kingsway) within the newly-created Central Park. The interurban line ran through the park on a diagonal right-of-way (the current SkyTrain line, opened in 1986, follows this original alignment). In 1912 an agreement was reached between the successor interurban company, the BCER, and the Central Park Provincial Park Board, to deed additional land for an expanded right-of-way through the Park in exchange for improvements that included the construction of an ornamental stone wall and gate with an iron arch, with an illuminated 'Central Park' sign, adjacent to the interurban station on Kingsway. This was an early and rare example of an electric sign used for a public recreation facility. The Gate is also significant as a surviving early design by Robert Lyon (1879-1963), an Edinburgh-born and trained immigrant who was one of the most accomplished of British Columbia's early architects. After he moved to Vancouver, he was employed by the BCER from 1911 until 1918, and worked on a broad range of projects including some of the grandest and most innovative local industrial structures of the time. The arch was built by the Westminster Ironworks Company, one of the leading firms of its kind in Western Canada, operated by John Reid of New Westminster. The Gate was completed in 1914; in 1968 the decorative ironwork was removed due to corrosion and placed in storage.

Defining Elements: Key elements that define the heritage character of the Central Park Entrance Gate include its: - two subtly tapered massive stone pillars, which rise in stages from a larger base to a shaft with random coursed multi-coloured granite with roughly formed grey granite quoins, to a top formed of finely finished grey granite blocks with a coved and bracketed cap - adjacent gate posts with monolithic pyramidal granite caps - low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east, constructed of random coursed multi-coloured granite with a river rock triangular cap

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Organization: British Columbia Electric Railway; Central Park Provincial Park Board

Architect: Robert Lyon

Builder: John Reid; Westminster Iron Works Co.

Function: Primary Current--Park Fixture; Primary Historic--Park Fixture

Community: Burnaby

Cadastral Identifier: P.I.D. No. 017-767-172 Legal Description: Block B of Lot 2 Except Firstly: Part on Plan 8669 and Secondly: Part on Plan LMP4689 District Lot 151, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 3443

Boundaries: The property (Central Park) is a municipally-owned park that lies at the western edge of Burnaby, between 49th Avenue to the south, Kingsway to the north, Boundary Road to the west and Patterson Avenue to the east.

Area: 853,403.82

Contributing Resource: Structure; Landscape Feature

Ownership: Public (local)

Names: Lyon, Robert; Reid, John; Westminster Iron Works Company; British Columbia Electric Railway Company; Central Park Provincial Park Board

Subjects: Structures - Fences

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Street View URL: Google Maps Street View

Images

Central Park Entrance Gate, 2013.. Front elevation. thumbnail

View of Central Park Entrance Gate and Kingsway, 1921 (Oblique view from northeast. Historic Photo). Copyright: City of Burnaby. thumbnail

Central Park Neighbourhood

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark751

Repository: Burnaby Heritage Planning

Associated Dates: 1905-1924

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Heritage Planning

Associated Dates: 1905-1924

Heritage Value: In 1906, Maxwell Smith, President of the Central Park Farmer's Institute gave a speech in which he commented on the growth of this district and its ideal location during the boom years after 1905. He said: "Central Park is destined to become the epicentre of a great commercial metropolis, when Vancouver and New Westminster will have both expanded and prospered until they meet and fill up the intervening distances with residences of a new city, greater than few can now imagine, even in their wildest flights of fancy...we are proud of the two cities that lie on either side of us but they are, but mere hamlets compared with the great city that is to be on this peninsula. The time is coming when there will be one vast city, one commercial metropolis, and Central Park will be the heart of it."