The Capitol Hill Community Hall was designed by local architect Harold Cullerne (1890-1976). After Cullerne returned from service during the First World War, he joined J.H. Bowman in a partnership that lasted from 1919 to 1934. After Bowman retired in 1934, Cullerne practiced on his own, continuing to work on schools and institutional buildings, such as the Art Deco Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver. In 1944, Cullerne designed a community hall for Capitol Hill; the scheme was delayed, and redesigned before it was finally built after the end of the Second World War. A simple front gabled roof hall structure, this hall is a monument to community spirit, erected by community members on a volunteer basis, and used for community events for over half a century. The hall replaced two earlier structures, both destroyed by fire, that had served the same purpose.
This memorial comprises a cenotaph and three tennis courts: the former a monument of British Columbia granite inscribed with the names of fifty-one students of Burnaby South High School who lost their lives in the Second World War; and the latter a living memorial to these former students.
This memorial comprises a cenotaph and three tennis courts: the former a monument of British Columbia granite inscribed with the names of fifty-one students of Burnaby South High School who lost their lives in the Second World War; and the latter a living memorial to these former students.
Heritage Value
This memorial is important for its spiritual, symbolic, and cultural associations for the former students of Burnaby South High School, and for all youth in the community. The cenotaph is of personal significance to the families of those who lost their lives.
The unusual combination of cenotaph and living memorial - the tennis courts - represents a rare statement of a community's commitment to not allow the sacrifice of its youth to be forgotten by providing an active facility which draw people to the place on a regular basis rather than just on occasions of remembrance. As such it is an important symbol of a humanitarian ethic.
In combination with the Kingsway East School, now rehabilitated as the Alan Emmott Centre, this memorial represents a valuable haven of green-space and recreation in the high-density urban development that now surrounds it.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Burnaby South High School Cenotaph & Memorial Tennis Courts include the:
- location of the cenotaph adjacent to the living memorial
- spatial association of this memorial and the remaining school building
- physical fabric of both the granite monument and the tennis courts
P.I.D. No. 016-367-154
Legal Description: Lot 1, District Lot 96, Group 1 New Westminster District, Plan 86581
Boundaries
Burnaby South High School Cenotaph & Memorial Tennis Courts is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6650 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby.
Area
6,070.00
Contributing Resource
Building
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
Photograph of the camp site for the Air Defence, 1942-1946, at Kitchener Street and Madison Avenue. This is part of the Willingdon Heights subdivision site.
Photograph of the camp site for the Air Defence, 1942-1946, at Kitchener Street and Madison Avenue. This is part of the Willingdon Heights subdivision site.
Photograph of a trail in Robert Burnaby Park with a bridge in the middle ground and stairs leading to higher ground. The bridge and trail are surrounded by lush foliage and trees.
Photograph of a trail in Robert Burnaby Park with a bridge in the middle ground and stairs leading to higher ground. The bridge and trail are surrounded by lush foliage and trees.
Photograph of bridges in Robert Burnaby Park. Photograph is taken from a bridge in the foreground looking onto lush foliage and trees with another bridge in the distance.
Photograph of bridges in Robert Burnaby Park. Photograph is taken from a bridge in the foreground looking onto lush foliage and trees with another bridge in the distance.
Photograph of a campsite with two tents. An unidentified woman in a dress and hat is standing by the tent to the right. There are also two unidentified men and two dogs. One of the dogs is standing on the roof of a vehicle, and the other on a front wheel. There is illegible lettering on the door o…
Photograph of a campsite with two tents. An unidentified woman in a dress and hat is standing by the tent to the right. There are also two unidentified men and two dogs. One of the dogs is standing on the roof of a vehicle, and the other on a front wheel. There is illegible lettering on the door of the van. The area is wooded with tall grass and bushes. Charred tree stumps can be seen in the background. The location is unidentified, but it is likely that the photograph was taken in Burnaby.
Photograph of a woman with an infant in her arms, standing under the Central Park Arch at the Kingsway entrance to Central Park. The "Central Park" sign on the arch is electric.
Photograph of a woman with an infant in her arms, standing under the Central Park Arch at the Kingsway entrance to Central Park. The "Central Park" sign on the arch is electric.
This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of taking dance lessons and being in Girl Guides. She tells a story of seeing the Second Narrows Bridge collapse in 1958.
This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of taking dance lessons and being in Girl Guides. She tells a story of seeing the Second Narrows Bridge collapse in 1958.
Date Range
1944-2012
Photo Info
Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.
Recording is an interview with Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 7, 2012. Major theme discussed: the neighbourhood of Dover Street.
Biographical Notes
Judy Robins (later Hagen) was born in 1941 and grew up in South Burnaby. Her paternal grandfather, a master stone mason from Devon, moved to Vancouver in 1912 to find work before bringing over the rest of the family. He bought three lots in Burnaby and in 1918 moved his family to a small house on Dover Street (formerly Paul Street). Judy’s father, Jack, married, bought one of his father’s lots and built a new home for his family.
Judy attended school and church nearby, took dance and piano lessons and participated actively in Girl Guides. After high school, she attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) and then Simon Fraser University (SFU), worked for a few years and then married in 1967 before moving to Courtaney, British Columbia.
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Photograph of Roy Kivisto, Aili Rintanen, and Trudi Rintanen (later Tuomi) sitting on a rock together at the Burrard Inlet squatters' site known as Crabtown. Roy Kivisto was a family friend of the Rintanen's who enjoyed spending the summer on the waterfront. The first version of the Second Narrows …
Photograph of Roy Kivisto, Aili Rintanen, and Trudi Rintanen (later Tuomi) sitting on a rock together at the Burrard Inlet squatters' site known as Crabtown. Roy Kivisto was a family friend of the Rintanen's who enjoyed spending the summer on the waterfront. The first version of the Second Narrows Bridge is visible in the background.
1 photograph : b&w ; 3.1 x 5.2 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of the original Second Narrow Bridge, taken from the railway tracks facing west, possibly near MacDonald Avenue. Squatters houses are visible in the foreground.
1 photograph : b&w ; 3.1 x 5.2 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.3 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-120
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of the original Second Narrow Bridge, taken from the railway tracks facing west, possibly near MacDonald Avenue. Squatters houses are visible in the foreground.