Narrow Results By
Alta Vista Neighbourhood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark766
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1905-1924
- Heritage Value
- Alta Vista, named for its high views of the Fraser Valley, rapidly grew during the period 1910-1912, seeing its settlement jump from about a dozen buildings in 1910 to about four hundred by the end of 1912. Home-seekers were attracted to its location just a short walk from the B.C.E.R. line at Royal Oak and Highland Park and easily accessible to both New Westminster and Vancouver.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
Images
Greenwood Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark555
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- c.1911
- Other Names
- Albert & Emma Greenwood Residence
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- Albert & Emma Greenwood Residence
- Geographic Access
- Victory Street
- Associated Dates
- c.1911
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- Typical of the Arts and Crafts style, this house has a front gabled roof with triangular eave brackets and a front verandah with twinned square columns on tapered piers. It is notable for its stained glass windows and early ‘ripple’ float glass. Asbestos shingles were at one point added over the original siding, but are being removed by the owner, exposing the cedar shingles. The house is believed to have been built and occupied by Albert and Emma Greenwood.
- Locality
- Alta Vista
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 4569 Victory Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Murphy Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark623
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Gilley Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This bungalow was built for Joshua Robert Murphy (1861-1920), a mill superintendent, and his wife Elizabeth Ann (née Delby, 1871-1956). The Murphys lived in the house at least until Joshua’s death in 1920. A bellcast side gabled roof and central bellcast dormer accentuate the sophisticated construction. A full width verandah supported by tapered columns on tapered granite piers graces the front of the house. Originally, the dormer held an open sleeping porch with a segmental arch supported by short tapered columns matching those below. Despite this alteration, the house is otherwise in substantially original condition.
- Locality
- Alta Vista
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Stride Hill Area
- Area
- 1567.37
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 8610 Gilley Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Ocean View Burial Park - Landscape
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark629
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Cemetery site.
- Associated Dates
- 1919
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Associated Dates
- 1919
- Description
- Cemetery site.
- Heritage Value
- Burnaby’s landmark Ocean View Burial Park was British Columbia’s first non-sectarian cemetery created as a for-profit business enterprise. Organized by a group of local investors headed by Lieut. Col. G.H. Dorrell, the Ocean View Cemetery Company offered a place for burials that was not owned or associated with a civic government, religious or fraternal organization. The cemetery’s design was the vision of Albert F. Arnold, an officer of the Canadian Financiers Trust Company, who was “...always depressed by the lack of beauty in so many places of internment and inevitable neglect that finally reduced them to long-grassed places of unhappy memories.” One local newspaper described the landscape of the cemetery: "The design includes ornamental trees and shrubs, beautiful flower beds and smooth winding walks and drives, with a total absence of the usual somewhat ostentatious reminders of the harvest garnered by the grim reaper."
- Locality
- Alta Vista
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Suncrest Area
- Architect
- Albert F. Arnold
- Area
- 359280.00
- Contributing Resource
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 4000 Imperial Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Richard & Ada Neville Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark633
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- c.1918
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Nelson Avenue
- Associated Dates
- c.1918
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This Craftsman bungalow was built for the Neville family. Richard Neville (1884-1950) served as a Burnaby councillor in 1924 and is remembered as the man who gave the CCF party (now the NDP) land on Maple Avenue on which to build Jubilee Labour Hall. He worked as a tile layer for the O’Neill Company and was married to Ada Neville (née Cook, 1885-1970). Ada Neville still lived in this house at the time of her death. Typical of the Craftsman style, the house has a side gabled roof with large front gable dormer, triangular eave brackets, an open arched front verandah and a textural mix of siding including cedar shingle on the main floor and lapped siding at the foundation.
- Locality
- Alta Vista
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
- Area
- 936.00
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 6935 Nelson Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Roy & Catherine Cummins House
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark506
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Located on Rumble Street in the Alta Vista neighbourhood, the Roy and Catherine Cummins House is a one and one-half storey, front-gabled rustic Arts and Crafts house, distinguished by the use of log construction and fieldstone verandah columns.
- Associated Dates
- 1912
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Rumble Street
- Associated Dates
- 1912
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- By-law No. 11959
- Enactment Date
- 17/10/2005
- Description
- Located on Rumble Street in the Alta Vista neighbourhood, the Roy and Catherine Cummins House is a one and one-half storey, front-gabled rustic Arts and Crafts house, distinguished by the use of log construction and fieldstone verandah columns.
- Heritage Value
- The Roy and Catherine Cummins House is valued for its association with the early settlement of Burnaby. Its construction is linked to the opening of the Burnaby Lake Interurban line, which ran through the central part of Burnaby, providing access between Vancouver and New Westminster. The accessibility of the area, combined with spectacular views of the Fraser River, made Alta Vista a desirable Edwardian era middle-class neighbourhood. The house was built in 1912 for Roy Franklin Cummins and his wife, Catherine Emma Cummins (née Cook), shortly after their marriage. Roy Cummins was a lineman with the B.C. Electric Railway Company, an economic driving force in Burnaby. The Roy and Catherine Cummins House is a unique and sophisticated local example of a rustic Arts and Crafts structure. Roy Cummins constructed the house from logs cleared for the construction of Rumble Street; the house is also unique for its use of local fieldstone for its verandah columns and chimney. Reminiscent of park lodge architecture, it exemplifies the semi-wild nature of the area as it was being opened for subdivision. It is also an indication of how far Burnaby was removed from the more urban lifestyles and attitudes of Vancouver and New Westminster.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of the Roy and Catherine Cummins House include its: - location on a steeply sloping site in the Alta Vista neighbourhood of Burnaby - residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its one and one-half storey height plus full basement, front-gabled roof and shed dormer, full open front verandah and partial rear verandah - peeled log construction including notched corner posts, log verandah roof framing and log balustrades - masonry elements including fieldstone verandah columns and internal chimney, and board-formed concrete foundations with fieldstone aggregate - rustic Arts and Crafts features such as the use of natural materials, tapered columns, front door with sidelights and exposed eave purlins - original windows, including wooden sash casement windows in multiple assembly with continuous transoms - interior features including fir-panelled walls, wooden mouldings and fieldstone fireplace - associated landscape features including terraced stone walls
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
- Function
- Primary Historic--Single Dwelling
- Primary Current--Single Dwelling
- Community
- Alta Vista
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D.026-635-534
- Boundaries
- The Roy and Catherine Cummins House is comprised of a single residential lot located at 4156 Rumble Street, Burnaby.
- Area
- 718
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Documentation
- City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, Heritage Site Files
- Street Address
- 4156 Rumble Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Interview with Ethel Lewarne and Beverley Burrell 24-Jun-75 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory50
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1899-1923
- Length
- 0:08:23
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Ethel Lewarne's childhood years living in Burnaby, through her first years of marriage.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Ethel Lewarne's childhood years living in Burnaby, through her first years of marriage.
- Date Range
- 1899-1923
- Photo Info
- Leer family; Ethel Leer Lewarne is standing on the far right, 1911. Item no. 204-052
- Length
- 0:08:23
- Subjects
- Occupations - Grocers
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- 24-Jun-75
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Ethel (Leer) Lewarne and Beverley (Lewarne) Burrell by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury June 24, 1975. Major theme discussed is: the Depression. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Ethel Cecilia Leer was born in 1899 in London, England to George Frederick and Sarah Ann Leer. In 1908, the Leer family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. George Frederick Leer began working for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Ethel’s younger brother George Leer was born about this time. A third child was born but unfortunately did not live past infancy. The Leers arrived in Burnaby in 1911 and bought two lots in Alta Vista at the corner of Portland and McGregor. George Frederick and Sarah Ann were active members of the All Saints Anglican Church on Royal Oak. Ethel went to Dundonald school from 1911 to 1913 with Miss Bowell as her teacher, then on to Britannia High School from 1913 to 1915. Ethel’s father, George Frederick Leer died March 23, 1919 at the age of forty-one. Ethel Cecilia Leer married Alfred Lewarne on December 26, 1921 in Burnaby. Alfred was born February 9, 1893 in Cornwall, England. Before marriage he worked for a creamery in Vancouver. After marriage, Alfred began his own ice cream business in Burnaby. The Lewarnes bought a lot along Nelson Avenue and built a house. Their first child Patricia "Tricia" (later McCleod) was born in 1923, their second was Beverley “Bev” (later Burrell). Their third child, William A. “Bill” Lewarne was born in 1926. Bill grew up to become one of the most popular Mayors in Burnaby’s history, serving from 1981 to 1987. He also served as a member of Council from 1973 to 1975 and 1977 to 1981. After Alfred Lewarne’s death on May 5, 1962 at the age of sixty-nine, Ethel continued living in the family home. Ethel’s mother, Sarah Ann Leer died May 11, 1963 at the age of eighty-seven.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:00:59
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, Ethel Leer
- Burrell, Beverley "Bev" Lewarne
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Ethel Lewarne and Beverley Burrell
Track one of interview with Ethel Lewarne and Beverley Burrell
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-13/100-13-13_Track_1.mp3![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg?width=280)
Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory442
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1893-1944
- Length
- 00:05:35
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s parents’ history (Ethel Leer and Alfred Lewarne) and growing up in South Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s parents’ history (Ethel Leer and Alfred Lewarne) and growing up in South Burnaby.
- Date Range
- 1893-1944
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:35
- Names
- Lewarne, Ethel Leer
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track two of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_2.mp3