Narrow Results By
Crabtown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark674
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1912-1957
- Heritage Value
- North Burnaby's waterfront was the location of a unique squatter's community known as Crabtown. Although its origins are obscure, it is believed that the first shacks were built before 1912. When the depression of 1913-1917 began, the shacks became permanent homes for impoverished workers. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the community grew larger. Crabtown was not a slum, but a neighbourhood - the community even rallied together to build a water supply system and trails up the steep bluff with steps and banisters so children could go to school safely. In 1957, the National Harbours Board decided that Crabtown was encroaching on Federal property and evicted all 130 residents. Within a few months, residents were relocated and 114 homes were levelled.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
Images
François & Cezarie Comeau Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark580
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- c.1925
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Esmond Avenue
- Associated Dates
- c.1925
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This home was built for Francois Xavier “Frank” Comeau (1863-1943), a blacksmith who moved from Quebec to Vancouver in about 1890, and his wife Cezarie Marie (née Fortin, 1860-1950), also from Quebec, whom he married in 1903. Featuring a front gabled roof with decorative triangular eave brackets, this comfortable Craftsman bungalow displays other characteristics typical of the style such as lapped siding at the foundation, a shingle-clad main floor, casement windows and stained glass transoms on the front elevation. The most notable feature of the plan is the inset verandah with subtle segmental-arched openings and tapered square columns.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Area
- 566.71
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 306 Esmond Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
George & Rose Nuttall Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark585
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- 1921
- Other Names
- HILLCREST
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- HILLCREST
- Geographic Access
- McGill Street
- Associated Dates
- 1921
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This house was built for local plumber contractor George Nuttall (1883-1970) and his wife Rose Ann Nuttall (née Clagg, 1881-1955). George continued to live in the house after Rose’s death, until his own death in 1970. Although typical of the Craftsman style and form with its side-gabled roof, triangular eave brackets and front gabled dormer, this house has a number of special details, such as its beautiful art glass transom windows. The front verandah supports are massive stucco columns that contain stained glass lanterns with the house name, Hillcrest, and address.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Area
- 566.71
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 3756 McGill Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
John & Jessie MacLean Residence
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark608
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Residential building.
- Associated Dates
- c.1926
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Pandora Street
- Associated Dates
- c.1926
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This cottage illustrates the traditionalism of the interwar years, when domestic ideals were expressed through modest homes displaying period revival influences. Reflecting the influence of the British Arts and Crafts movement, it features a symmetrical plan, a side jerkin-headed roof, a gabled front dormer and twin-coursed shingle siding, and retains its original wooden-sash windows with unusual multi-paned upper sash. It was built for John R. and Jessie MacLean. The house was recently restored by the owners.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Area
- 566.71
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 3827 Pandora Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Kitchener Elementary School
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark614
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- School building.
- Associated Dates
- 1925
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Gilmore Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1925
- Description
- School building.
- Heritage Value
- This landmark school was designed by the architectural firm of Bowman & Cullerne, specialists in the design of educational facilities. After Harold Cullerne (1890-1976) returned from service during the First World War, he joined J.H. Bowman (1864-1943) in a partnership that lasted from 1919 to 1934. The firm’s projects include the Seaforth School (1922, now relocated to Burnaby Village Museum), Burnaby North High School (1923), and the Nelson Avenue School (1927). This was originally designed as a two-storey, four-room building in 1925, with two-storey four-room wings added two years later. The building has been altered with the addition of stucco cladding over the original siding and replacement windows, but has retained its original form and massing, as well as its domed roof ventilator.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
- Architect
- Bowman & Cullerne
- Area
- 20478.11
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Street Address
- 1351 Gilmore Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Masonic Cemetery
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark622
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Cemetery site.
- Associated Dates
- 1924
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Halifax Street
- Associated Dates
- 1924
- Description
- Cemetery site.
- Heritage Value
- Tucked into a sloping site in a zone that is now transitional between light industrial and residential uses, the Masonic Cemetery is a beautifully landscaped oasis. Two outstanding features of this cemetery are the Woodward mausoleum, constructed in 1924, and the 1930s entrance gates. These substantial gates are constructed of random-coursed granite, and mark the cemetery’s main entrance off Douglas Road. An elaborate granite mausoleum, built for the prominent Woodward family, is located on axis with the main entry, at the brow of the slope. The Egyptian Revival style of the mausoleum was inspired by the opening of Tutankamun’s tomb just two years earlier, a discovery that sparked world-wide Egyptomania. The Woodward’s department store dynasty was founded by Charles Woodward (1852-1937), who visited Vancouver in 1891 and bought two lots for a store. Woodward’s drug department opened in 1895. In 1901, he took an option on a lot at the corner of Hastings and Abbott Streets and incorporated as Woodward’s Department Stores, which opened in November 1903. The family continued to run the business until 1993, when it went bankrupt and was sold to the Hudson’s Bay Company. A number of the Woodward family are interred here.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
- Area
- 60137.87
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 4305 Halifax Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Rosser Elementary School
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark636
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- School building.
- Associated Dates
- 1923
- Other Names
- NORTH BURNABY HIGH SCHOOL
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- NORTH BURNABY HIGH SCHOOL
- Geographic Access
- Pandora Street
- Associated Dates
- 1923
- Description
- School building.
- Heritage Value
- Originally built as North Burnaby High School, this eight-room school became Rosser Avenue School in 1945. It has been altered with replacement windows, the application of stucco over the original siding and an addition, but has retained its historical form, including a hipped roof with half-timbered gables and a domed roof ventilator. The Rosser Elementary School was designed by the architectural firm of Bowman & Cullerne, who specialized in school design. The firm’s projects include Seaforth School (1922, now relocated to Burnaby Village Museum), Windsor Street School (1923), and Nelson Avenue School (1927).
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Architect
- Bowman and Cullerne
- Area
- 10579.94
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Street Address
- 4375 Pandora Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Vancouver Heights Neighbourhood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark666
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1925-1954
- Heritage Value
- Vancouver Heights remained an important residential and commercial centre in Burnaby throughout the 1925-1954 period. The area had its own Board of Trade and the North Burnaby Library was created to serve the residents. In 1949, the Hastings streetcars stopped running, but the area retained its reputation as one of the best shopping districts in the city.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
Images
Vancouver Heights Neighbourhood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark741
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1905-1924
- Heritage Value
- On December 13, 1912, The British Columbian Weekly described the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood as follows: "The northern portion of the municipality in the vicinity of Boundary Road has during the past three years made tremendous strides towards settlement. At that time Mr. James Herd and Mr. Peters were the only residents of the district...Soon, however, the timber was removed, streets laid out and other conveniences such as water, light and transportation provided... The school population of the district has increased so rapidly that the school has been enlarged twice this year and is at the present time inadequate. About 200 children are attending now. There are three churches in the district and one mission...At present time there are two large blocks containing six stores..."
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
Images
Vancouver Heights United Church
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark648
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Church building.
- Associated Dates
- 1926
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Ingleton Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1926
- Description
- Church building.
- Heritage Value
- This building was originally built in 1926 as the Vancouver Heights United Church; a Sunday School was added in 1931, which conformed to the church building’s Romanesque influenced style. This unique Burnaby building has retained its remarkable three-storey tower with buttresses and stepped parapet. It now houses the New Apostolic Church.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Area
- 1133.42
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 271 Ingleton Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
![Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/337-003.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Aili Topalian by Eric Damer October 11, 2012 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory419
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1945
- Length
- 0:10:12
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's parents. Aili tells the story of her parents meeting, getting married and eventually setting in Crabtown with their two children. She explains what it was like to live in Crabtown during the depression years; the homes were…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's parents. Aili tells the story of her parents meeting, getting married and eventually setting in Crabtown with their two children. She explains what it was like to live in Crabtown during the depression years; the homes were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into the sand.
- Date Range
- 1920-1945
- Photo Info
- Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003.
- Length
- 0:10:12
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 11, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Aili (Rintanen) Topalian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 11, 2012. Major theme discussed: growing up in Crabtown.
- Biographical Notes
- Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) came to British Columbia in 1936 from a homestead near Burnt Lake, Alberta. After a few months in Vancouver and then a Burnaby apartment, the Rintanens moved to a house on the Burrard Inlet. The family lived over the water, in a house built on a deck, secured to the top of pilings that were sunk deep into the sand. Aili's mother Aune Rintanen found work at a fish and chip shop in downtown Vancouver and her father Gus Rintanen worked in a nearby mill. Aili and her sister Trudi (later Tuomi), attended school in Burnaby. For nine years the Rintanens created a home for themselves in an area now called Crabtown, although no one living there called it that.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:39:00
- Interviewee Name
- Topalian, Aili Rintanen
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/337-003.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track one of recording of interview with Aili Topalian
Track one of recording of interview with Aili Topalian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-028/MSS171-028_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Aili Topalian by Eric Damer October 11, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory420
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1945
- Length
- 0:07:49
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's collection of photographs. Aili describes each photograph and tells stories of her childhood along the waterfront at Burrard Inlet; the homes of Crabtown were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into t…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's collection of photographs. Aili describes each photograph and tells stories of her childhood along the waterfront at Burrard Inlet; the homes of Crabtown were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into the sand.
- Date Range
- 1920-1945
- Photo Info
- Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003.
- Length
- 0:07:49
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 11, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Aili (Rintanen) Topalian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 11, 2012. Major theme discussed: growing up in Crabtown.
- Biographical Notes
- Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) came to British Columbia in 1936 from a homestead near Burnt Lake, Alberta. After a few months in Vancouver and then a Burnaby apartment, the Rintanens moved to a house on the Burrard Inlet. The family lived over the water, in a house built on a deck, secured to the top of pilings that were sunk deep into the sand. Aili's mother Aune Rintanen found work at a fish and chip shop in downtown Vancouver and her father Gus Rintanen worked in a nearby mill. Aili and her sister Trudi (later Tuomi), attended school in Burnaby. For nine years the Rintanens created a home for themselves in an area now called Crabtown, although no one living there called it that.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:39:00
- Interviewee Name
- Topalian, Aili Rintanen
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Aili Topalian
Track two of recording of interview with Aili Topalian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-028/MSS171-028_Track_2.mp3Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory488
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1925-1970
- Length
- 00:07:42
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Go…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Government Street has a jog in it at Brighton.
- Date Range
- 1925-1970
- Length
- 00:07:42
- Subjects
- Occupations - Teachers
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Government Road Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- April 9, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger 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 Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:41:53
- Interviewee Name
- Boulanger, Annie
- 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 computerization in business 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.
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Annie Boulanger
Track six of interview with Annie Boulanger
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-022/MSS187-022_Track_6.mp3Interview with Edward Apps by Rod Fowler February 22, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory456
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1918-1950
- Length
- 00:05:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Ed Apps’ brief overview of the changes in Burnaby since he arrived in 1946, where he grew up in England, his war service, and the reasons that he and his wife Margaret immigrated to Canada from England
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Ed Apps’ brief overview of the changes in Burnaby since he arrived in 1946, where he grew up in England, his war service, and the reasons that he and his wife Margaret immigrated to Canada from England
- Date Range
- 1918-1950
- Length
- 00:05:30
- Subjects
- Migration
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 22, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Edward Apps, conducted by Rod Fowler. Ed Apps 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 Ed Apps involvement in community groups, particularly his work in seniors organizations lobbying for seniors’ housing since his retirement, and views about the role of Rate Payer groups, unions and politics in the development of North and South Burnaby. He also talks about his origin in England, his war service, arrival with his wife Margaret in Burnaby in 1946, his work with the Burnaby School Board and for the local union, the location of some of the older schools, the history of his house, and briefly about his wife and children. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Edward Apps was born in 1918 in London, England, and grew up in Kent and Essex. In WWII he flew the third glider to land in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. He and his wife Margaret Hope (1915-1985) immigrated to British Columbia in 1946, joining his wife’s parents, who had immigrated earlier in 1939, in Burnaby Heights in North Burnaby. He worked for the Burnaby School Board as Foreman Painter, and served on CUPE Local 379 Executive, until his retirement in 1982. In 1948 Ed Apps bought his first lot, for $150.00, in the 4700 block on Georgia Street, building houses there and in the 4100 block before buying his present home, a ca.1900 farm building, in the same area in 1954. North Burnaby was “bush country and orchards” in the 1950s; his two sons played in the ravines; and the family used the tram system on Hastings and Boundary Road for transportation. Development of municipal services seemed slower in North than South Burnaby, and Ed Apps remembers the strong role Rate Payers groups had in creating local services and lobbying Municipal Council for provide services. After retirement Ed Apps became involved in several local and provincial seniors organizations, advocating for better housing, including serving on the Executives of the Network of Burnaby Seniors and the Council of Senior Citizens Organization, and was active in the provincial Seniors Research and Resource and CMHC Housing Committee. He also served on the Centennial Committee of Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:56:50
- Interviewee Name
- Apps, Ed
- 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 computerization in business 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.
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Ed Apps
Track two of interview with Ed Apps
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-015/MSS187-015_Track_2.mp3![Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-001.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Elsie Ansdell by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory287
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1910-1946
- Length
- 0:09:17
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to the Brown-Johns first settling in Burnaby. Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell discusses land clearing for the family home, each of her parents and her brothers.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to the Brown-Johns first settling in Burnaby. Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell discusses land clearing for the family home, each of her parents and her brothers.
- Date Range
- 1910-1946
- Photo Info
- Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001.
- Length
- 0:09:17
- Subjects
- Land Clearing
- Geographic Access
- Napier Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 18, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with early Burnaby resident Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major themes discussed are: settling in Burnaby and the early years of the Brown-John family.
- Biographical Notes
- Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell’s father, a trained carpenter and cabinet maker, Victor Brown-John came to Canada from Wales in 1910. He cleared three lots at Napier and Gilmore Streets and built a two-roomed house. In 1912, he was joined by his wife and two eldest sons, Victor and Archie. Twin boys, Frank and Roy, were born in 1914 in the Burnaby home and their fifth son, Clive, was born in 1915. From 1916 to 1919 Victor John-Brown left Burnaby to serve overseas. Elsie Brown-John (later Ansdell) was born in 1921. Her younger brother, Gwyn "Jerry" was born in 1923. In 1925 Victor Brown-John suffered a fatal accident while working as a longshoreman in Northern British Columbia. Elsie attended Kitchener Elementary and North Burnaby High School. She married during the Second World War and moved to South Burnaby to raise her family whilst continuing to work in various department stores both in Vancouver and Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 33:02
- Interviewee Name
- Ansdell, Elsie Brown-John
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-001.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track one of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell
Track one of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-001/MSS171-001_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Elsie Ansdell by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory290
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1927-1938
- Length
- 0:08:14
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell's early memories of recreational activities and daily life as a young person in Burnaby (activities include swimming, skating and going to the movies). She mentions Frank Walsh's Garage and discusses photographs of Brown-John Truc…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell's early memories of recreational activities and daily life as a young person in Burnaby (activities include swimming, skating and going to the movies). She mentions Frank Walsh's Garage and discusses photographs of Brown-John Trucking, "the blasting stump" and Burns Acreage.
- Date Range
- 1927-1938
- Photo Info
- Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001.
- Length
- 0:08:14
- Subjects
- Recreational Activities - Swimming
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 18, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with early Burnaby resident Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major themes discussed are: settling in Burnaby and the early years of the Brown-John family.
- Biographical Notes
- Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell’s father, a trained carpenter and cabinet maker, Victor Brown-John came to Canada from Wales in 1910. He cleared three lots at Napier and Gilmore Streets and built a two-roomed house. In 1912, he was joined by his wife and two eldest sons, Victor and Archie. Twin boys, Frank and Roy, were born in 1914 in the Burnaby home and their fifth son, Clive, was born in 1915. From 1916 to 1919 Victor John-Brown left Burnaby to serve overseas. Elsie Brown-John (later Ansdell) was born in 1921. Her younger brother, Gwyn "Jerry" was born in 1923. In 1925 Victor Brown-John suffered a fatal accident while working as a longshoreman in Northern British Columbia. Elsie attended Kitchener Elementary and North Burnaby High School. She married during the Second World War and moved to South Burnaby to raise her family whilst continuing to work in various department stores both in Vancouver and Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 33:02
- Interviewee Name
- Ansdell, Elsie Brown-John
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell
Track four of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-001/MSS171-001_Track_4.mp3Interview with John Ferguson July 3, 1975 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory180
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1900-1939
- Length
- 0:08:23
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's memories of first coming to Burnaby in 1931. He describes the neighbourhood of Vancouver Heights and the people that lived there. He also describes the types of goods he sold at his Vancouver Heights Hardware Store.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's memories of first coming to Burnaby in 1931. He describes the neighbourhood of Vancouver Heights and the people that lived there. He also describes the types of goods he sold at his Vancouver Heights Hardware Store.
- Date Range
- 1900-1939
- Length
- 0:08:23
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- McLeod, Ross S.
- Interview Date
- July 3, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with John Ferguson by history student Ross S. McLeod, July 3, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression.
- Biographical Notes
- John Ferguson was born in Glasgow in 1900. He came to Canada with his family in 1910, and settled on Vancouver Island. In 1931 John Ferguson purchased the hardware store on the 3900 block of Hastings Street.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:21
- Interviewee Name
- Ferguson, John
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with John Ferguson
Track one of interview with John Ferguson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-18/100-13-18_Track_1.mp3