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.
Survey plan of "Kingsway East School Site" "Burnaby Municipality" / "Lot 10, of the Subdivision of Lot "D" of... Lot 96, Group 1, New Westminster District"
Survey plan of "Kingsway East School Site" "Burnaby Municipality" / "Lot 10, of the Subdivision of Lot "D" of... Lot 96, Group 1, New Westminster District"
Photograph of the South Burnaby High School football team. Twelve boys and four men are posing for the camera on the sports field. All are unidentified except R. D. Peers (second from left, back row), Norman Macey (far left, centre row), and Mac Chekaluk (third from left, back row, in the white goa…
Photograph of the South Burnaby High School football team. Twelve boys and four men are posing for the camera on the sports field. All are unidentified except R. D. Peers (second from left, back row), Norman Macey (far left, centre row), and Mac Chekaluk (third from left, back row, in the white goalie jersey).
Photograph of the students and staff at Burnaby South High School. Thomas "Tom" Chalmers is 7th from the left in the front row, to the right of the boy wearing a bow tie. Gladys Robins has also been identified as being the girl wearing the striped shirt in the third row from the bottom, third over…
Photograph of the students and staff at Burnaby South High School. Thomas "Tom" Chalmers is 7th from the left in the front row, to the right of the boy wearing a bow tie. Gladys Robins has also been identified as being the girl wearing the striped shirt in the third row from the bottom, third over from the left.
Photograph of an unidentified class of teenaged girls and a female teacher. They are standing on the stairs or sitting on chairs laid out in front of the stairs to a double door to the school. The teacher is sitting on the right side of the photograph in the front row. All the girls have short hai…
Photograph of an unidentified class of teenaged girls and a female teacher. They are standing on the stairs or sitting on chairs laid out in front of the stairs to a double door to the school. The teacher is sitting on the right side of the photograph in the front row. All the girls have short hair, either parted and straight or bobbed. They are wearing loose fitting dresses with stockings. Some have scarves, ties and/or beads. The inscription and the signed gift form from the donor identify the photograph as a class at Burnaby South Highschool, from 1925. Inscribed on the negative and printed on the lower left of the photo: "#6." Annotated on the back of the photo: "1925 / B South." Stamped on the back of the photo: "Lloyd's Studio / 3966 Kingsway / McKay, B.C. Carl. 343R2."
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School soccer team, semi-finalists in the Greater Vancouver championship game, but beaten 3-0 by Vancouver Junior High. Identified: (front row, centre behind ball) Tom Chalmers. Teacher: Mr. H.B. Smith.
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School soccer team, semi-finalists in the Greater Vancouver championship game, but beaten 3-0 by Vancouver Junior High. Identified: (front row, centre behind ball) Tom Chalmers. Teacher: Mr. H.B. Smith.
Photograph of Burnaby South High School students seated and standing outside the school building. A sign at the top centre of the building reads, "Burnaby South / High School."
Photograph of Burnaby South High School students seated and standing outside the school building. A sign at the top centre of the building reads, "Burnaby South / High School."
1 photograph : sepia ; 11.5 x 16.5 cm, mounted on card 18 x 24 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School Senior Girl's Grass Hockey team for the 1928-1929 school year. Thirteen girls in uniforms are standing in two rows in front of the school building, holding their hockey sticks. A woman in a fur trimmed coat is standing in the centre of the back row.
1 photograph : sepia ; 11.5 x 16.5 cm, mounted on card 18 x 24 cm
Material Details
Card mount has a decorative border
Scope and Content
Photograph of the Burnaby South High School Senior Girl's Grass Hockey team for the 1928-1929 school year. Thirteen girls in uniforms are standing in two rows in front of the school building, holding their hockey sticks. A woman in a fur trimmed coat is standing in the centre of the back row.
Note written in blue ball-point pen on recto of photograph reads: "Wonderful French Teacher from Sorbonne, Fr. / Burnaby South High School - Grass Hockey Sr. Team 1928-29"
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.5 x 2.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Hilda Higham, in black, standing beside Janet (last name unknown) on the grounds of Burnaby South High School. The street in the background may be Kingsway.
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.5 x 2.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-107
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of Hilda Higham, in black, standing beside Janet (last name unknown) on the grounds of Burnaby South High School. The street in the background may be Kingsway.
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.
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 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.