2 records – page 1 of 1.

Jubilee Grove Arch

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark533
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Description
The Jubilee Grove Arch sits at the corner of Kingsway and Patterson Avenue. Located within Central Park, the ceremonial arch and its decorative plantings provide a visual anchor to the northeast corner and entry point to the park.
Associated Dates
1939
Formal Recognition
Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
Street View URL
Google Maps Street View
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Geographic Access
Imperial Street
Associated Dates
1939
Formal Recognition
Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
Enactment Type
Bylaw No. 9807
Enactment Date
23/11/1992
Description
The Jubilee Grove Arch sits at the corner of Kingsway and Patterson Avenue. Located within Central Park, the ceremonial arch and its decorative plantings provide a visual anchor to the northeast corner and entry point to the park.
Heritage Value
Jubilee Grove Arch was dedicated as part of the municipality’s celebration of the Jubilee of the coronation of King George V and was dedicated during Burnaby’s annual May Day celebrations in 1935. Much of the construction work was carried out by local citizens under the direction of the Burnaby Engineering Department through a Depression era work relief program that provided a way for local residents to pay their taxes. The garden was also chosen as the site for the ceremonial planting of an oak tree from the Royal Forest at Windsor, in honor of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. The original bronze garden dedication plaque and oak tree remain at the site today. The decorative stone arch was erected in 1939 as a symbol of Burnaby's, and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia’s, strong ties to the English monarchy at the time, and the arch’s unveiling during May Day ceremonies shows the social role that such a commemorative feature played both to the local government and people of Burnaby. It was erected just prior to the Royal Visit of 1939, the first time that reigning British monarchs had travelled to Canada. Built of Haddington Island sandstone, the arch itself was reconstructed from a salvaged architectural element of a historic Vancouver landmark. The arch originally framed the entrance door to the Vancouver Club building in Vancouver, built in 1893-94 on West Hastings Street and designed by architect C.O. Wickenden. The building was demolished in 1930, however the arch was stored and rebuilt as the focal point of the Jubilee Grove after being bought by the Municipality of Burnaby. The work was undertaken by Italian-born stone mason Rizieri Stefanini (1879-1954), the owner of Burnaby Monumental Works. The re-use of the arch symbolizes the close tie between Vancouver and Burnaby and the joint evolution of the neighbouring cities.
Defining Elements
The Jubilee Grove Arch has character-defining elements that recognize it both as a remnant of a past building and as a new and individual structure. These include its: - axial diagonal placement and prominent corner location marking one of the entries to Central Park - visibility and accessibility as a public monument - hand carved stone blocks of Haddington Island sandstone - decorative twisted-rope motif carved to outline the arch - supporting rusticated sidewalls with planting urns - original bronze dedication plaque - flanking ornamental gardens - Royal Oak tree and plaque
Historic Neighbourhood
Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Maywood Area
Organization
City of Burnaby
Architect
C.O. Wickenden
Builder
Rizieri Stefanini
Burnaby Monumental Works
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)
Documentation
Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
Names
Burnaby Monumental Works
Street Address
3883 Imperial Street
Street View URL
Google Maps Street View
Images
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Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory244
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1906-1975
Length
0:09:00
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his fath…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his father's ranch of six acres, which grew mostly strawberries to sell in Vancouver.
Date Range
1906-1975
Photo Info
Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004
Length
0:09:00
Subjects
Agriculture - Fruit and Berries
Geographic Access
Imperial Street
Historic Neighbourhood
Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Kingsway-Beresford Area
Interviewer
McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”
Interview Date
November 17, 1975
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Murdock McMurray and his wife Lillian (Wray) McMurray conducted by Pixie McGeachie on November 17, 1975. Major themes discussed are: Burnaby's development, the Wray Shoe store and Murdock McMurray's cordwood delivery business.
Biographical Notes
Murdock McMurray was born in Vancouver in 1892 to Wilhelmina May and Robert William McMurray. Other children in the family included older siblings John “Jack” and Margaret Lillian, younger siblings Minnie May born May 4, 1895 and Hampton born June 8, 1902. Murdock’s father Robert worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) but retired shortly after moving his family to Burnaby in 1906. He bought six acres of land of what had been previously the Gilley Ranch, the base of operations for Gilley Bros. Ltd. at 2519 Windsor Street (later renumbered and renamed to the 6400 block Imperial Street). Murdock McMurray quit school early to apprentice as a printer. By sixteen he had left the trade and gone into partnership with his older brother Jack. With a team of horses, harness and a wagon, the brothers helped to macadamize roads, haul building supplies for new homes, deliver cord wood for heating, clear land and excavate basements. When Jack McMurray set off to serve overseas during World War I as a driver in the engineer corps, Murdock bought his team of horses and continued working, mainly in the Deer Lake district. In 1916 Murdoch McMurray partnered with Emerson Doran, nephew of the owner of Doran's Mill to buy Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard. As everything was geared towards the war effort, Murdock and Emerson soon ran out of work and had to sell the business. Murdock sold off his horses and equipment and went to work at the ship yard on Pitt River. By 1919 Jack McMurray had returned home from overseas and was working as a fireman at the Shull Lumber and Shingle Mill on the Fraser River. In 1921, he and Murdock teamed up with Emerson Doran and repurchased the Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard which they ran together until 1947. Murdock McMurray married Lillian Wray on September 17, 1925. Lillian was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wray, who came to settle in the Jubilee area of Burnaby in 1919. The family lived on Dow Road and Edward Wray operated Jubilee Shoe Store and Post Office. He was known throughout the district as "Wray - The Shoe Man." Mrs. Wray died in 1957 at the age of eight-six and Edward Wray died January 14, 1967 at age of ninety-three. Murdock and Lillian lived at Inverness Street (now Arcola) and raised three children together, Bob, Jack and Bessie. Murdock McMurray died in New Westminster on April 28, 1985 at the age of ninety-two. Lillian Ethel (Wray) McMurray died in Burnaby on February 28, 1986 at the age of eighty-seven.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
0:58:55
Interviewee Name
McMurray, Lillian Wray
McMurray, Murdoch
Interviewer Bio
Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine. On 24 September, 2011, the City of Burnaby dedicated the reading at the City Archives in honour of Pixie and formally named it the Pixie McGeachie Reading Room in recognition of her years of service to the community.
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
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 two of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray

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