Burnaby North and Burnaby South were the first high schools built in the City. Before the high school opened, Burnaby students had to travel to Vancouver if they wished to pursue education beyond an elementary level. In 1921, arrangements were made to use the basement of the Presbyterian Church for instruction of local students. By 1922 the Burnaby North High School opened at its first permanent location (4375 Pandora Street - which is now Rosser Elementary). In 1945, the Willingdon Avenue site was built and was used until a new building was constructed in 1961 on Hammarskjold Drive. From 1962, the school was used as Burnaby Heights Junior High school, but it closed in 1982 and the junior high students went to the new Burnaby North on Hammarskjold.
Although the Hastings street-car extension to Ellesmere opened in 1913 and there had been much speculation in the area during the real estate boom of 1909-1913, development in Capitol Hill did not really take off until after World War One when workers in Vancouver started to look to Burnaby for affordable but centrally-located neighbourhoods in which to build their homes. The 1913 one-room school had to be replaced in 1923 and in 1948, members of the community came together to build a new Community Hall.
The Capitol Hill Neighbourhood remained a primarily residential neighbourhood after the population boom of the 1950s and 1960s. The commercial focus remained the Hastings Street corridor, while the City of Burnaby moved to protect a conservation area on the north side of Capitol Hill and dedicated parkland throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
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…
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
Photograph of a boy celebrating his birthday in the Tinkerbell Cooperative Kindergarten classroom. He is sitting at the table in front of a large white birthday cake with candles.
Photograph of a boy celebrating his birthday in the Tinkerbell Cooperative Kindergarten classroom. He is sitting at the table in front of a large white birthday cake with candles.
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.3 x 2.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of (left to right): Jack Murray, Howard Golden, Andrew [Stanloft?], and Jack Dwyer, on the Capitol Hill School grounds. Jack is holding a ball on which is written; "[illegible] 1936".
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.3 x 2.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-218
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of (left to right): Jack Murray, Howard Golden, Andrew [Stanloft?], and Jack Dwyer, on the Capitol Hill School grounds. Jack is holding a ball on which is written; "[illegible] 1936".
Photograph of four unidentified Burnaby Fire Department trainees standing in front of a 1954 triple combination LaFrance fire engine at Confederation Park.
Photograph of four unidentified Burnaby Fire Department trainees standing in front of a 1954 triple combination LaFrance fire engine at Confederation Park.