Burnaby Mountain Park & Centennial Pavilion
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark794
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Centennial Way
- Associated Dates
- 1958
- Heritage Value
- The first formal park dedication bylaw covering Burnaby Mountain was passed in 1942, but the boundaries were re-adjusted in 1952 with the creation of the Trans Mountain Pipeline site. Significant portions of the mountain remained as dedicated park, however, and in 1957, the site was chosen to house Burnaby's contribution to the celebration of British Columbia's centennial - the Centennial Pavilion. The grounds around the pavilion became a favourite picnic site that provided for the first time a formal viewpoint and public access to other mountain trails. In the 1980s, the Pavilion underwent major renovations and opened in 1986 as Horizons restaurant.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Street Address
- 100 Centennial Way
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Helen 'The Swinging Girl' Neon Sign
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark591
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- Commercial building.
- Associated Dates
- 1956
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Other Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear Sign
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear Sign
- Geographic Access
- Hastings Street
- Associated Dates
- 1956
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 12771
- Enactment Date
- 19/04/2010
- Description
- Commercial building.
- Heritage Value
- While the building here is of some importance as the former North Burnaby municipal office, its primary importance is its delightful neon sign that has become a North Burnaby landmark. Helen Arnold opened Helen’s Childrens Wear shop in the building next door to the old Municipal offices in 1948. In 1955, when North Burnaby moved out, she moved into the vacated building. As part of the renovations, Helen enlisted the assistance of her good friend Jimmy Wallace, owner of Vancouver’s Wallace Neon Company, to create a new sign for her expanded business. One of the company’s designers, Reeve Lehman, created the swinging neon girl that was installed in 1956. Designed in two parts, one section of the sign is cloud shaped and reads ‘Helen’s’ while the other section is a moving representation of a little girl on a swing. The sign is nine feet six inches high and nine feet wide, and the lower section is animated with an internal motor and gears. It immediately became a landmark on Hastings Street, and recently the sign’s design fame has spread far and wide as one of the best surviving examples of kinetic neon art in North America.
- Locality
- Vancouver Heights
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
- Community
- Burnaby
- Names
- Helen's Childrens Wear
- Street Address
- 4142 Hastings Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
North Burnaby Cenotaph
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark550
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The North Burnaby Cenotaph is located in Confederation Park at the north end of the park on axis with the adjacent sports oval. The form of the memorial is of an obelisk atop a solid rectangular base, adorned with plaques commemorating those lost in the First World War, Second World War and the Kor…
- Associated Dates
- 1953
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Willingdon Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1953
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- The North Burnaby Cenotaph is located in Confederation Park at the north end of the park on axis with the adjacent sports oval. The form of the memorial is of an obelisk atop a solid rectangular base, adorned with plaques commemorating those lost in the First World War, Second World War and the Korean War.
- Heritage Value
- Built in 1953 by stonemason and First World War Veteran, Walter Holmes Morrice, the cenotaph was erected by the North Burnaby Legion Post #148 and is one of four memorials to citizens of Burnaby whose lives were lost at war. Strategically placed in an active and vibrant public park that was dedicated in 1927 and is used for sports, family outings and social gatherings, the cenotaph celebrates the freedoms that soldiers gave their lives to protect. The cenotaph is still used as a memorial site and bears witness to annual Remembrance Day ceremonies. Built of irregular granite blocks, the cenotaph is a solid structure of modest ornamentation that visually anchors the north end of the park. The site of the cenotaph and its adjacent gardens are surrounded by a simple barrier of continuous chain supported by low metal fence posts, providing a sense of solemnity and ceremony to the site.
- Defining Elements
- The character-defining elements of the North Burnaby Cenotaph include its: - axial location in the park and setting among active municipal facilities such as a school and library - strong symmetry of massing and design - obelisk form set atop a rectangular base - limited palette of materials - random coursed granite used as primary building material - bronze plaques commemorating the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War - surrounding pathways and flowerbeds
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Capitol Hill Area
- Organization
- North Burnaby Legion Post #148
- Builder
- Walter Holmes Morrice
- Function
- Primary Current--Park Fixture
- Primary Historic--Park Fixture
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 017-040-752 Legal Description: Parcel 1, District Lots 122 and 188, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan NWP87902
- Boundaries
- The property (Confederation Park) is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 250 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby.
- Area
- 184,160.00
- Contributing Resource
- Landscape Feature
- Structure
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Street Address
- 250 Willingdon Avenue
Images
Trans Mountain Pipeline Company
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark685
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Shellmont Street
- Associated Dates
- 1953
- Heritage Value
- On March 21, 1951 the Parliament of Canada granted the Trans Mountain Oil Pipe Line Company a charter. By May of the following year, the Corporation of Burnaby gave final reading to Bylaw No. 3203, which resulted in the conveyance of land in DL 142, 143 and 144 (Burnaby Mountain site) to the Trans Mountain Oil Pipe Line Company. Construction of the Burnaby Mountain tank farm was completed in October of 1953 and the site became operational as the first shipment of oil reached Trans Mountain’s Burnaby Terminal.
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
- Street Address
- 8099 Shellmont Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19150
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1950-2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) + 65 photographs + 26 photographs (jpg) + 1 portfolio (15 col. photographs + 12 col. laser prints) + 1 col. laser print + 6 business cards + 1 identification card + 1 booklet
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of an oral history interview with Jimmy Chow and his wife, Donna Polos; photographs of Jimmy Chow and his family soon after they immigrated to Canada in the 1950s as well as a sampling of photographs and records documenting Jimmy Chow's career in the film industry. Fonds is arranged…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Hipman "Jimmy" Chow and Donna Polos fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) + 65 photographs + 26 photographs (jpg) + 1 portfolio (15 col. photographs + 12 col. laser prints) + 1 col. laser print + 6 business cards + 1 identification card + 1 booklet
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of an oral history interview with Jimmy Chow and his wife, Donna Polos; photographs of Jimmy Chow and his family soon after they immigrated to Canada in the 1950s as well as a sampling of photographs and records documenting Jimmy Chow's career in the film industry. Fonds is arranged into series: 1) Jimmy Chow and Donna Polos interviews series 2) Jimmy Chow family photographs series 3) Property master photographs series 4) Property master records series
- History
- Hipman "Jimmy" Chow was born in Lin Pong Lee, Hoiping, China in 1948. In 1950, Jimmy Chow and his mother, Gim Gee Chow (1913-1991) fled China to escape the Communist Revolution and to be reunited with his father, Robin Chung Dip Chow (1906-1990) who’d immigrated to Canada many years earlier. Jimmy’s elder sister Shao-Lin Chow stayed behind in China. Jimmy’s father, Robin Chung Dip Chow immigrated to Canada in 1921 at 14 years of age and was forced to pay the Chinese head tax of $500. In 1950, Jimmy and his mother first fled to Hong Kong before immigrating to Canada and arriving in Vancouver. Jimmy Chow’s birth name is Hipman Chow but when he arrived in Canada, his father indicated that he needed an English name and he was given the name “Jimmy” but retained his birth name “Hipman Chow”. Over the years, Jimmy has also used the name “James H. Chow” and is often credited by this name in the film industry. For the first four years after immigrating, Jimmy and his parents lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec where his father had work in hotels and restaurants. While living in Asquith, Saskatchewan Jimmy attended school and began to learn English. In 1954, Jimmy and his parents returned to Vancouver, first living in the area of Strathcona before settling in the neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant where they purchased a house located on 15th Avenue east of Main Street. While living in Mount Pleasant, Jimmy attended both elementary and high school. While attending high school, Jimmy began working at the local grocery store where he worked for many years living at home and saving his money. In 1970 while attending Vancouver City College, Jimmy met his future wife Donna Polos. Two years later, they moved in together, married in 1981 and started a family. Jimmy and Donna first lived in North Burnaby before purchasing a house on Victory Street in Burnaby where they raised their three children. Growing up in a traditional Chinese Canadian family, Jimmy was always one who went against the grain. Although his father wanted him to get a business degree, Jimmy had aspirations for a different career path. Through the referral of a friend, he entered the film industry in 1973 working for CBC Vancouver. While working at the CBC, Jimmy gained valuable experience working on the set of the television series The Beachcombers, which launched his career in the film industry. Over a 45 year career, Jimmy worked on over 50 blockbuster movies, historical period films, science fiction films and fantasy films, where he honed in on his expertise as a set decorator, art director and property master. He built an international reputation through working with production companies, prop makers and antique sellers across the globe. As a property master in the film industry, Jimmy Chow has been responsible for designing, managing, and sourcing props for films such as: The BFG, Warcraft: The Beginning, X-Men 2, Fantastic Four, Watchman, Tron: Legacy, Little Women, Seven Years in Tibet, Shanghai Noon, The Shipping News, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Changeling, Man of Steel (Superman), Snow Falling on Cedars, Legends of the Fall, And the Sea Will Tell, Once a Thief and many more. With Jimmy's many years of professional experience in the film industry, he has been a union member of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians...) from July 1979, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science from 2018 and has worked as a guest lecturer in film production at Capilano University and Langara University. He was also a key contributor to the Burnaby Village Museum’s 2014 temporary exhibition Burnaby Makes Movies. Donna Polos was born in Vancouver in 1949 to parents Mayme "May" Helen Tillikana Polos (1931-1977) and Donald James Polos (1926-2017). Donna’s maternal grandparents, Elvi Tienhara and Toiva Tillikana immigrated to Canada from Helsinki, Finland. Donna’s paternal grandmother, Pauline Chimiki Polos emigrated from Ukraine to Argentina and then to Winnipeg. Donna’s paternal grandfather, James "Jimmy" Kostopolus emigrated as an orphan from Sparta Greece at the age of 12 years. In 1908, he first immigrated to the United States where he was denied entry so immigrated to Canada, entering through Halifax at Pier 17. When immigrating, James changed his last name to "Polos". Jimmy Polos arrived in Halifax with only five dollars in his pocket. He lived in Halifax for many years before making his way to Vancouver where he established three restaurants and raised his family. James was the proprietor of three restaurants in Burnaby including; the Home Apple Pie Café (1941-1944) located on East Hastings near Princess Avenue; Jimmy’s Café (1945-1955) located on East Hastings near Hawks Avenue and another restaurant located near 10th Avenue and Alma Street. Donna grew up with her family in Vancouver, first living in the downtown eastside before moving to a home near Joyce Station. Donna attended elementary school and high school while growing up in the neighbourhood of Joyce Station. Donna moved out of her family home at 21 years of age and lived with roommates before moving in with Jimmy Chow in 1972. Donna attended Vancouver City College and the University of British Columbia where she obtained her teaching degree in 1974. Donna first taught at Gilmore Elementary School before being hired to teach at Clinton Elementary School where she taught for nine years. While raising their three children, Donna worked part time teaching in schools in Burnaby. In 1991, after a near death experience, Donna became interested in fine art and took drawing and watercolour painting classes. This experience led her to experimenting with different painting techniques on paper and fabric. In 2008, Donna retired from teaching but continued her art career often working as an Artist in Residence at various schools and exhibiting her work. While living in Burnaby Donna has been politically active with a particular passion for heritage, housing and preserving the natural environment. Donna was instrumental in advocating and petitioning for the establishment of a tree bylaw in Burnaby which was eventually adopted by the City.
- Creator
- Chow, Hipman "Jimmy"
- Polos, Donna
- Accession Code
- BV022.21
- BV023.11
- Date
- 1950-2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Graphic Material
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- Hipman "Jimmy" Chow's name in Cantonese is Chow Hipman and in Mandarin is Zhou Xiamin.