Burnaby South and Burnaby North were Burnaby's first high schools. The first rooms of the school were built in 1922 on the same grounds as the Kingsway East Elementary School. In 1940, a two-storey building was erected and additions were made in 1963, 1967 and 1972. Kingsway East closed in 1925 and its buildings were used by the high school for Industrial Arts and Home Economics. In the early 1990s, a new "urban education centre" (Burnaby South/B.C. School for the Deaf) was opened, replacing the old Burnaby South High School.
The Jacob and Margaret Wysong House is a two and one-half storey, wood-frame Arts and Crafts house with a hipped roof and hipped dormers. Symmetrical in massing, it is distinguished by its masonry verandah columns, foundations and chimneys. It is located on a corner lot on Sperling Avenue at Stanle…
The Jacob and Margaret Wysong House is a two and one-half storey, wood-frame Arts and Crafts house with a hipped roof and hipped dormers. Symmetrical in massing, it is distinguished by its masonry verandah columns, foundations and chimneys. It is located on a corner lot on Sperling Avenue at Stanley Street in the Edmonds neighbourhood of South Burnaby.
Heritage Value
The Jacob and Margaret Wysong House is significant for illustrating the early development of the Edmonds neighbourhood, a speculative subdivision that was created and marketed during the pre-First World War real estate boom. The area’s proximity to New Westminster, coupled with extensive views and two newly developed streetcar lines, ensured that Edmonds attracted a wave of suburban development. The scale of this house is atypical of the usual suburban lots, and reflects the prominence of this location and its spectacular views. Set on a large lot, the Jacob and Margaret Wysong House is a grand estate home that is one of the earliest, and most prominent, in South Burnaby.
This is also an exceptional example of Arts and Crafts architecture, displaying the use of native materials that was a hallmark of the style. The first owners were Jacob Wysong and his wife Margaret. Jacob Wysong, a local contractor, constructed the house in 1912. The stonework is exceptional, and the use of rough-cut granite and fieldstone, with overall shingle cladding, recalls the rustic vernacular common in Western park lodges, and evokes a country lifestyle in harmony with nature. The hipped roof was designed with a flat top that acted as a lookout tower that provided views of the surrounding landscape.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Jacob and Margaret Wysong House include its:
- prominent corner location in the Edmonds neighbourhood of South Burnaby
- residential form, scale and massing as expressed by its two and one-half storey plus raised basement height, symmetrical plan, hipped roof with flat top, hipped dormers, and hipped roof over the full open front verandah with a central front gable
- masonry elements such as rough-cut granite and fieldstone foundations, verandah columns, stair cheeks, and external and internal chimneys
- wooden-frame construction including original cedar shingling on dormers and facing verandah, shingling on remainder of house under later stucco cladding, and surviving original dimensional trim facing verandah and on dormers
- Arts and Crafts features such as the use of natural materials, open soffits and angled roof overhang
- windows including: double-hung 18-over-1 wooden sash windows; multi-paned casement windows; French doors to verandah; and front door with glazed sidelights
- associated landscape features including surrounding mature trees, hedges and perimeter plantings
The years 1911-1912 saw great expansion and settlement in Burnaby and large public works projects were undertaken to service the growing community. One project that was determined to be a necessity was the construction of a proper highway between New Westminster and Vancouver. The Province and the Municipality agreed to share the costs of construction (with Burnaby paying 25% and the Province 75%) and so Kingsway was built to improve the current Vancouver Road. The road was named after the famous King's Way in London, England.
The Kingsway East School is a two-storey wood-frame Arts and Crafts styled building. The school, and the adjacent cenotaph and memorial tennis courts, comprise Burnaby South Memorial Park.
The Kingsway East School is a two-storey wood-frame Arts and Crafts styled building. The school, and the adjacent cenotaph and memorial tennis courts, comprise Burnaby South Memorial Park.
Heritage Value
This school structure completed in 1913, the oldest surviving public education building in the city, was intended to be the auditorium and gymnasium for Burnaby’s first high school. However, because of the 1913 recession and the outbreak of the First World War, it was utilized as the Kingsway East Elementary School for the Edmonds District until 1921. Burnaby South High School opened here in 1922, and after it relocated this building was used for a variety of school purposes until it became redundant. The school was rehabilitated for community purposes in 2002-03 and renamed the Alan Emmott Centre to honor a former Mayor of Burnaby.
The impressive scale of the Kingsway East School is indicative of the relative size of the community and its growing demand for schooling at the time of construction, illustrating the value that early community residents placed on education. Built to plans of the Burnaby School Board architect, Joseph Henry Bowman (1864-1943), it also indicates the individual values and design control exercised by the school board during this era.
It is also significant for its Arts and Crafts style, allied to the typical Craftsman residential vocabulary, which was employed locally for school buildings of the Edwardian era. By using a common architectural vocabulary, this allowed the institution to reflect the values and aspirations of the local community. The Arts and Crafts style also demonstrated an allegiance to British educational antecedents and a demonstration of loyalty to the Mother Country.
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School choir. Identified: (front row, 2nd from left) Grace Smith, teacher (later, Grace Pletcher). She was the daughter of James and Agnes Smith of Royal Oak Road.
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School choir. Identified: (front row, 2nd from left) Grace Smith, teacher (later, Grace Pletcher). She was the daughter of James and Agnes Smith of Royal Oak Road.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 12 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School graduating class out in the feild, standing and sitting in rows. The last row of boys standing over a chainlink fence.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 12 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
214-008
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1988-15
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School graduating class out in the feild, standing and sitting in rows. The last row of boys standing over a chainlink fence.
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School orchestra. Identified: (front row, 3rd from left) Grace Smith, teacher and band leader. Grace Smith (later Grace Pletcher) was the daughter of James and Agnes Smith.
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School orchestra. Identified: (front row, 3rd from left) Grace Smith, teacher and band leader. Grace Smith (later Grace Pletcher) was the daughter of James and Agnes Smith.
Photograph of staff from Burnaby South High School 1937-38 standing on stairs outside of the school. Staff are identified from left to right; back row: Bob, McKeown, C. Scott, Bill McKeown, Herb Fleming, Tom Chalmers, Fred Pratt, Norm McDonald; middle row: Alvin Mooney, George Grant, Hester Draper,…
Photograph of staff from Burnaby South High School 1937-38 standing on stairs outside of the school. Staff are identified from left to right; back row: Bob, McKeown, C. Scott, Bill McKeown, Herb Fleming, Tom Chalmers, Fred Pratt, Norm McDonald; middle row: Alvin Mooney, George Grant, Hester Draper, Emma Parks, Tom Sanderson, Jack Harkness; front row: Janey Findlay, Catherine Rees, Laura Swencisky, Mabel nee Young (Hardy), Olive Day, Helen Putnam and Betty Hammond.
Photograph of staff from Burnaby South High School 1937-38 standing on stairs outside of the school. Staff are identified from left to right; back row: Robert McKeown, Mr. C. Scott, Mr. Fred Pratt; third row: Mr. Ireland, Mr. (George) Grant, Mr. (Norm) McDonald, Mr. (Herb) Fleming; second row: Mr. …
Photograph of staff from Burnaby South High School 1937-38 standing on stairs outside of the school. Staff are identified from left to right; back row: Robert McKeown, Mr. C. Scott, Mr. Fred Pratt; third row: Mr. Ireland, Mr. (George) Grant, Mr. (Norm) McDonald, Mr. (Herb) Fleming; second row: Mr. (Thomas) Sanderson, Miss (Betty) Hammond, Miss (Helen) Putnam, Miss (Hester) Draper, Mr. (Jack) Harkness; front row: Miss (Janey) Findlay, Miss Kidd, Miss (Mabel) Young, Miss (Catherine) Rees, Miss (Laura) Swenisky.
Photograph of students from Burnaby South High School on the stairs outside of the school. Teacher, Mabel nee Young (Hardy) is seated on the far left of the front row, none of the students have been identified by name.
Photograph of students from Burnaby South High School on the stairs outside of the school. Teacher, Mabel nee Young (Hardy) is seated on the far left of the front row, none of the students have been identified by name.
Item is a silent digitized film segment identified as Reel 6. The film segment opens with colour footage of people lawn bowling at Burnaby's Central Park. Dot Digney, Sid and Connie Swan can be seen bowling. This footage is followed with Andy Digney and Charles E. Jones at the Bird's of Paradise b…
Item is a silent digitized film segment identified as Reel 6. The film segment opens with colour footage of people lawn bowling at Burnaby's Central Park. Dot Digney, Sid and Connie Swan can be seen bowling. This footage is followed with Andy Digney and Charles E. Jones at the Bird's of Paradise bird sanctuary followed by footage of Stanley Park. The footage continues and interchanges between black and white and colour as the Digney's take a ferry ride to North Vancouver where they visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Fishermen's Cove. The reel closes with footage of skiers on Grouse Mountain and a fire at Pier D in 1938.
Photograph of students from Class 16 of Burnaby South High School 1937-38 seated on the stairs outside of the school. Students are identified from left to right; back row: Arnold Stevens, Alvin Tracey, Len Ridgway, Ken McHale, Ralph Hollett, Cliff Adams, Cecil Bernard, George London; fourth row: Ca…
Photograph of students from Class 16 of Burnaby South High School 1937-38 seated on the stairs outside of the school. Students are identified from left to right; back row: Arnold Stevens, Alvin Tracey, Len Ridgway, Ken McHale, Ralph Hollett, Cliff Adams, Cecil Bernard, George London; fourth row: Carol Armstrong, Verna Moller, Evelyn Newman, Laura Card, Dorothy Deroche, Audrey Brown, Betty Salisbury, Gilbert Porter; third row: Hazel Alexander, Effie Langford, Ivy Baldwin, Eleanor Moller, Mabel Conrad, W. Davies, Gladys Guthrie, Dorothy Jackson; second row: Florence Breed, Dorothy Douglas, Grace Harrison, Lucy Speckman, Barbara Moson, Dorothy Gordon, Maxine Bard, Elaine Pappas; front row: M. Young, Winnie Dunbury, Jessie Reynolds, Frances Guthrie, Jean McDonald, Grace Brown, Doris Cleghorn, Bob Robertson.
Photograph of Class 'E' of Burnaby South High School 1936-37. Students are grouped together outside the school in front of a stone wall and fence. Students are identified from left to right; back row: Edgar Sheldon, Jack Pickwell, Arthur Lewis, Ellis Breed, Jack Brown, Clifford Murphy, George Nesbi…
Photograph of Class 'E' of Burnaby South High School 1936-37. Students are grouped together outside the school in front of a stone wall and fence. Students are identified from left to right; back row: Edgar Sheldon, Jack Pickwell, Arthur Lewis, Ellis Breed, Jack Brown, Clifford Murphy, George Nesbitt, David Frith, Pete Smith, Ken Smith, Delmar Birlch, Ken Cross and Dick Frisko; third row: Eileen Hassell, Pat Speirs, Marjorie Anderson, Maruine Walker, Pearl Dakin, Margaret Anford, Helen Pickwell, Doreen Gold, Katherine Stevenson, Barbara Gold, Ruth Nichols, Jean O'Brien, Caroline McArthur; second row: Ida Mancell, Betty Hanna, Eileen Sanders, Nora Palmer, Connie Coulson, Eileen Thould, Margaret Thould, Margaret Johnston, Hilda Dunn (teacher), Mary Massey, Joyce Thornley and Mabel nee Young (Hardy) (teacher); and front row: Lavina Worms, Gwen McLeod, Reta Elliott, Margaret Sutherland, Margaret Buchanan, Pat Leworne, Ruth Thomson, Ben Lewarne, Dorothy Simpson and Grace Frith.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. One man in a suit lays down dirt, while two others stand behind him, looking on.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
214-009
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1988-15
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. One man in a suit lays down dirt, while two others stand behind him, looking on.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. A man in a suit lays down dirt. A young girl can be seen in the background waving a flag behind the fence, as another man stands watching, wearing a fedora. A thi…
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
214-010
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1988-15
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. A man in a suit lays down dirt. A young girl can be seen in the background waving a flag behind the fence, as another man stands watching, wearing a fedora. A third man is standing off to the right, also watching.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. A man in a suit smooths out the dirt around the tree, as another man stands watching from behind a fence, wearing a fedora.
1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 5.5 cm, mounted on heavyweight drawing paper 20 x 23.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
214-011
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1988-15
Scope and Content
Photograph of the tree planting ceremony that took place at the Burnaby South High School to mark the Coronation of King George the 6th. A man in a suit smooths out the dirt around the tree, as another man stands watching from behind a fence, wearing a fedora.