Central Park
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Associated Dates
- 1891
- Heritage Value
- In 1860, as the Royal Engineers constructed the road from New Westminster to Vancouver (now Kingsway), a military reserve was set aside at the trail's highest point along the ridge. This reserve provided a particularly good scenic look-out since the original forest had burned down prior to 1860, the remaining stumps offered unobstructed views. By the 1880s, the city council of both New Westminster and Vancouver eyed the reserve as potential recreation ground. As construction of the tram line was underway, the Provincial Government moved to designate the whole reserve as a park. On January 14, 1891, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia proclaimed it as a public recreation ground.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 3883 Imperial Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Central Park Entrance Gate
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.
- Heritage Value
- The Central Park Entrance Gate is significant as a ceremonial entry to a major park, for its connection with the early history of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) and as an important design by an accomplished British Columbian architect.
When the original interurban line between Vancouver and New Westminster was constructed in 1891, one of the first stations was located where the tramway crossed the Vancouver-Westminster Road (now Kingsway) within the newly-created Central Park. The interurban line ran through the park on a diagonal right-of-way (the current SkyTrain line, opened in 1986, follows this original alignment). In 1912 an agreement was reached between the successor interurban company, the BCER, and the Central Park Provincial Park Board, to deed additional land for an expanded right-of-way through the Park in exchange for improvements that included the construction of an ornamental stone wall and gate with an iron arch, with an illuminated 'Central Park' sign, adjacent to the interurban station on Kingsway. This was an early and rare example of an electric sign used for a public recreation facility.
The Gate is also significant as a surviving early design by Robert Lyon (1879-1963), an Edinburgh-born and trained immigrant who was one of the most accomplished of British Columbia's early architects. After he moved to Vancouver, he was employed by the BCER from 1911 until 1918, and worked on a broad range of projects including some of the grandest and most innovative local industrial structures of the time. The arch was built by the Westminster Ironworks Company, one of the leading firms of its kind in Western Canada, operated by John Reid of New Westminster. The Gate was completed in 1914; in 1968 the decorative ironwork was removed due to corrosion and placed in storage.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of the Central Park Entrance Gate include its:
- two subtly tapered massive stone pillars, which rise in stages from a larger base to a shaft with random coursed multi-coloured granite with roughly formed grey granite quoins, to a top formed of finely finished grey granite blocks with a coved and bracketed cap
- adjacent gate posts with monolithic pyramidal granite caps
- low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east, constructed of random coursed multi-coloured granite with a river rock triangular cap
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Organization
- British Columbia Electric Railway
- Central Park Provincial Park Board
- Architect
- Robert Lyon
- Builder
- John Reid
- Westminster Iron Works Co.
- Function
- Primary Current--Park Fixture
- Primary Historic--Park Fixture
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 017-767-172
Legal Description: Block B of Lot 2 Except Firstly: Part on Plan 8669 and Secondly: Part on Plan LMP4689 District Lot 151, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 3443
- Boundaries
- The property (Central Park) is a municipally-owned park that lies at the western edge of Burnaby, between 49th Avenue to the south, Kingsway to the north, Boundary Road to the west and Patterson Avenue to the east.
- Area
- 853,403.82
- Contributing Resource
- Structure
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Names
- Lyon, Robert
- Reid, John
- Westminster Iron Works Company
- British Columbia Electric Railway Company
- Central Park Provincial Park Board
- Subjects
- Structures - Fences
- Street Address
- 3883 Imperial Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Central Park Neighbourhood
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1925-1954
- Heritage Value
- Although still largely a rural area during the 1920s, subdivisions began appearing in the Central Park neighbourhood at this time. Development was slowed by the Great Depression of the 1930s but the influx of commercial buildings and new housing initiatives in the post-war boom led to a period of rapid growth especially in the Garden Village subdivision which was undertaken in 1953 with the plan to build 500 modern homes in the 140-acre site. Despite the closure of the interurban line in 1953, the neighbourhood remained an active commercial and residential centre.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Less detail
Central Park Neighbourhood
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1891-1904
- Heritage Value
- Central Park was one of the first and fastest-growing communities in Burnaby. Located along the electric tram line and the Vancouver Road (Kingsway), it was also chosen for a government settlement project referred to as the Central Park Small Holdings. The lands held by the Provincial Government were subdivided and sold around 1894 and by 1899 the settlement was large enough to warrant the construction of an Anglican Church there.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Less detail
Central Park Neighbourhood
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1905-1924
- Heritage Value
- In 1906, Maxwell Smith, President of the Central Park Farmer's Institute gave a speech in which he commented on the growth of this district and its ideal location during the boom years after 1905. He said: "Central Park is destined to become the epicentre of a great commercial metropolis, when Vancouver and New Westminster will have both expanded and prospered until they meet and fill up the intervening distances with residences of a new city, greater than few can now imagine, even in their wildest flights of fancy...we are proud of the two cities that lie on either side of us but they are, but mere hamlets compared with the great city that is to be on this peninsula. The time is coming when there will be one vast city, one commercial metropolis, and Central Park will be the heart of it."
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Less detail
Central Park Tramline
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1891
- Heritage Value
- In the 1890s, local entrepreneurs launched electric railways in Vancouver, New Westminster, and Victoria, eager to cash in on the promise of future growth in the major cities of the time. In the Lower Mainland, two companies started building electric rail in 1890: the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Co., which undertook the ambitious project of building the first real interurban line from New Westminster to Vancouver, and the Westminster Street Railway, who eventually built streetcar service and installed electric lighting in New Westminster. By April 20, 1891, both companies merged to form the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company. Local entrepreneurs Henry V. Edmonds, David Oppenheimer, Benjamin Douglas, and Samuel McIntosh, were the directors, all of whom had extensive real estate holdings in the area. Interurban service launched on June 3, 1891, travelling along 12 miles of track from New Westminster to eastern Vancouver, running through Burnaby – which was then an unincorporated area. Installing the single-track line from Vancouver to New Westminster through uneven, forested terrain was a mammoth undertaking. The clearing of the 100-foot right of way and laying the track called for a large work force, some of whom were Chinese "gandy dancers" who had worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway lines. The line was eventually taken over by the B.C. Electric Railway Company in 1897, who remained the owners until the line was finally closed on October 23, 1953 and replaced with the modern bus system. The construction of the SkyTrain along the old route in 1986 reintroduced passenger rail to this historic transportation corridor.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Less detail
Daniel & Amelia Mowat House
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Beresford Street
- McKay Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 13058
- Enactment Date
- 12/03/2012
- Description
- Residential building.
- Heritage Value
- This home was built by Daniel Mowat (1848-1923) and Amelia Mary Mowat (née Hoy, 1848-1923). Daniel originally worked as a merchant, and was operating a chicken farm at this location as early as 1908, and later a goat ranch. It is one of Burnaby’s few two-storey Arts and Crafts residences. The generous proportions of the house, its broad, medium-pitched, front-gabled roof and symmetrical design serve as further features. Additionally, the house boasts a high degree of integrity, retaining its original shingle wall cladding, half-timbered gables and original windows – a combination of casement windows with stained glass transoms and double-hung windows with square, multi-paned upper sashes.This house is located adjacent to what was once the Central Park interurban rail line, operated by the B.C. Electric Company, which conveniently connected this area of Burnaby to Vancouver. The arrival of this commuter line in 1892 led to the suburban development of this area of Burnaby.
- Locality
- Central Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 6368 McKay Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Ford Motor Company
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Associated Dates
- 1938
- Heritage Value
- In 1938, the Ford Motor Company selected Burnaby as its site for a new assembly plant to serve Western Canada. Ford purchased the land which had been owned by the Silver family at Kingsway and Silver Avenue and built its factory using steel from Burnaby's Dominion Bridge Company. During World War II, the plant was used to produce military vehicles. In 1988, the building was demolished and the Station Square development was constructed on the site.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 4600 Kingsway
Less detail
Jubilee Grove Arch
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The Jubilee Grove Arch sits at the corner of Kingsway and Patterson Avenue. Located within Central Park, the ceremonial arch and its decorative plantings provide a visual anchor to the northeast corner and entry point to the park.
- Associated Dates
- 1939
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Associated Dates
- 1939
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 9807
- Enactment Date
- 23/11/1992
- Description
- The Jubilee Grove Arch sits at the corner of Kingsway and Patterson Avenue. Located within Central Park, the ceremonial arch and its decorative plantings provide a visual anchor to the northeast corner and entry point to the park.
- Heritage Value
- Jubilee Grove Arch was dedicated as part of the municipality’s celebration of the Jubilee of the coronation of King George V and was dedicated during Burnaby’s annual May Day celebrations in 1935. Much of the construction work was carried out by local citizens under the direction of the Burnaby Engineering Department through a Depression era work relief program that provided a way for local residents to pay their taxes. The garden was also chosen as the site for the ceremonial planting of an oak tree from the Royal Forest at Windsor, in honor of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. The original bronze garden dedication plaque and oak tree remain at the site today.
The decorative stone arch was erected in 1939 as a symbol of Burnaby's, and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia’s, strong ties to the English monarchy at the time, and the arch’s unveiling during May Day ceremonies shows the social role that such a commemorative feature played both to the local government and people of Burnaby. It was erected just prior to the Royal Visit of 1939, the first time that reigning British monarchs had travelled to Canada. Built of Haddington Island sandstone, the arch itself was reconstructed from a salvaged architectural element of a historic Vancouver landmark. The arch originally framed the entrance door to the Vancouver Club building in Vancouver, built in 1893-94 on West Hastings Street and designed by architect C.O. Wickenden. The building was demolished in 1930, however the arch was stored and rebuilt as the focal point of the Jubilee Grove after being bought by the Municipality of Burnaby. The work was undertaken by Italian-born stone mason Rizieri Stefanini (1879-1954), the owner of Burnaby Monumental Works. The re-use of the arch symbolizes the close tie between Vancouver and Burnaby and the joint evolution of the neighbouring cities.
- Defining Elements
- The Jubilee Grove Arch has character-defining elements that recognize it both as a remnant of a past building and as a new and individual structure. These include its:
- axial diagonal placement and prominent corner location marking one of the entries to Central Park
- visibility and accessibility as a public monument
- hand carved stone blocks of Haddington Island sandstone
- decorative twisted-rope motif carved to outline the arch
- supporting rusticated sidewalls with planting urns
- original bronze dedication plaque
- flanking ornamental gardens
- Royal Oak tree and plaque
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Organization
- City of Burnaby
- Architect
- C.O. Wickenden
- Builder
- Rizieri Stefanini
- Burnaby Monumental Works
- Function
- Primary Current--Park Fixture
- Primary Historic--Park Fixture
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- P.I.D. No. 017-767-172
Legal Description: Block B of Lot 2 Except Firstly: Part on Plan 8669 and Secondly: Part on Plan LMP4689 District Lot 151, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 3443
- Boundaries
- The property (Central Park) is a municipally-owned park that lies at the western edge of Burnaby, between 49th Avenue to the south, Kingsway to the north, Boundary Road to the west and Patterson Avenue to the east.
- Area
- 853,403.82
- Contributing Resource
- Structure
- Landscape Feature
- Ownership
- Public (local)
- Documentation
- Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
- Names
- Burnaby Monumental Works
- Street Address
- 3883 Imperial Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Kelly-Douglas Company
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Associated Dates
- 1946
- Heritage Value
- The Kelly Douglas Company was founded in 1896 as a wholesale grocery business. It enjoyed rapid success during the Klondike Goldrush of 1898 when it became a primary supplier for prospectors. In 1946, its headquarters moved from Vancouver to Burnaby and a manufacturing plant and warehouse was built on the site.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 4700 Kingsway
Less detail
Maywood Elementary School
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Associated Dates
- 1962
- Heritage Value
- Located between Nelson and Suncrest Schools, Maywood Elementary School was built in 1962 and helped eased the increasing enrolments at these other schools. Like other schools of this period, Maywood was built on one level with no basement and no high stairs. The classrooms were built in a line which could be easily added to as required. Additions to the original structure were completed in 1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972. Fires at the school in 1979 and 1989 caused extensive damage and required partial reconstruction of the building.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 4567 Imperial Street
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Maywood Neighbourhood
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1955-2008
- Heritage Value
- Burnaby's Maywood Neighbourhood consists of the Metrotown Town Centre - one of four Town Centres in the City. Metrotown is one of the region's most developed and fastest growing centres. It is served by the first SkyTrain line developed in the mid-1980s and anchored by B.C.'s largest shopping and entertainment complex. As an older centre that has progressively added new developments over the years, Metrotown offers a range of housing types and tenures from three-storey walk-up apartments to modern residential towers.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Less detail
Metrotown
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Associated Dates
- 1986
- Heritage Value
- Although the idea for Metrotown was first expressed in the 1970s, the building itself opened in 1986 and was soon served by the Expo Line of the new SkyTrain system. In the ensuing twenty years, the complex developed into three distinct but adjoining malls - Metropolis at Metrotown, Metrotown Centre, and Station Square. Today, Metrotown serves as the city’s commercial and retail anchor. The mall also includes two large office towers, which by 2001 were home to the head offices for Shaw Cable and TransLink.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 4700 Kingsway
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail
Simpson-Sears
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Associated Dates
- 1954
- Heritage Value
- The Simpson-Sears store on Kingsway opened in 1954 and was the second Simpson-Sears to be located in British Columbia. The store helped to solidify the neighbourhood's growing reputation as a major commercial centre in the Lower Mainland and became a prototype for the company's large format stores across Canada.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Street Address
- 4700 Kingsway
Less detail
Vancouver Road (Kingsway)
West Burnaby School (aka Kingsway West School)
William Wilson House
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Description
- The William Wilson House is a vernacular two-storey wood-frame Foursquare house with a hipped roof. It is situated at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Central Boulevard in the Metrotown area of Burnaby, adjacent to the SkyTrain line, and is now part of a multi-family residential complex.
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Other Names
- William & Annie Wilson House
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Other Names
- William & Annie Wilson House
- Geographic Access
- Wilson Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1913
- Formal Recognition
- Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
- Enactment Type
- Bylaw No. 10350
- Enactment Date
- 22/04/1996
- Description
- The William Wilson House is a vernacular two-storey wood-frame Foursquare house with a hipped roof. It is situated at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Central Boulevard in the Metrotown area of Burnaby, adjacent to the SkyTrain line, and is now part of a multi-family residential complex.
- Heritage Value
- The house is valued as the residence of William Wilson (1860-1935) and Annie Wilson (1868-1966) and demonstrates the development of Burnaby from a rural, farming community to an early commuter suburb, and is one of the few remaining early houses in the Metrotown area of Burnaby. Reflecting the area's early history, it was constructed on a subdivided piece of the Wilson’s 3.2 hectare farm that once bordered Kingsway, the primary road linking New Westminster to Vancouver. To develop his subdivided property, Wilson constructed a bisecting street, named it for himself and situated his new home on a large parcel adjacent to the interurban tramline.
Constructed in 1913, the William Wilson House is additionally valued as a modest vernacular example of an Edwardian era Foursquare house. Although simple in form, it is distinguished by an inset front verandah, front bay window and clipped ground level corner. Once commonly found in Burnaby, this is a rare surviving example of the homes typically constructed for the working-class families enticed to Burnaby as a consequence of the interurban tramline.
- Defining Elements
- Key elements that define the heritage character of William Wilson House include its:
- corner location, adjacent to the old interurban alignment
- vernacular Foursquare style as exemplified by its symmetrical form, square floor plan and cubic massing with pyramidal roof
- cladding, with narrow lapped wooden siding on the first storey and cedar shingles on the second storey
- recessed front verandah, with square columns and ground floor cut-away bay window
- regular fenestration, including double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows, and casement and transom assembly feature window in the living room
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Function
- Primary Historic--Single Dwelling
- Primary Current--Single Dwelling
- Community
- Burnaby
- Cadastral Identifier
- 023-352-701
- Boundaries
- The William Wilson House is comprised of a single residential lot located at 6088 Wilson Avenue, Burnaby.
- Area
- 2824.9
- Contributing Resource
- Building
- Ownership
- Private
- Street Address
- 6088 Wilson Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Less detail