Focus on the Record – Records of Heritage Preservation

Posted on May 21, 2015 by richmondarchives

Since 1961 when the Historical and Museum Advisory Committee was formed, Richmond’s municipal government has been involved in identifying and preserving heritage sites in the community.

The old Richmond United/Methodist Church building being moved to Minoru Park, 1967. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1989 33 1

One of the first major heritage projects undertaken was in 1967, when the original Richmond United/Methodist Church building at the corner of River Road and Cambie was purchased by the municipality, moved to Minoru Park and renamed Minoru Chapel.

Steveston Museum and Post Office (formerly Royal Bank / Northern Bank) during restoration, 1980. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1997 42 1 125

The acquisition and restoration of heritage buildings by the municipality continued in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Royal Bank (originally Northern Bank) in Steveston, London Farm, and the Britannia Shipyard being the most notable during this time.

London Farm before restoration, 1977. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1985 187 7

Britannia Shipyard area, 1988. City of Richmond Archives, Heritage Advisory Committee, File 2-1-3

Other important heritage preservation activities included the establishment of the Steveston Heritage Conservation Area and the development and preservation of Garry Point Park and Scotch Pond.

Cover of the first Heritage Inventory for Richmond, 1984. City of Richmond Archives GP 34

The establishment of a Heritage Advisory Committee by the municipality in 1984 marked the beginning of a formalized program for heritage preservation. That committee, later reconstituted as the Richmond Heritage Commission, conducted a number of important heritage studies, not the least of which was a formal Heritage Inventory for Richmond. The first inventory was published in 1984 and several updates have been made since.

The City of Richmond Archives has comprehensive records documenting heritage preservation activities in the community, dating back to the records of the Historical and Museum Advisory Committee and including minutes, research files, project files, studies and reports of the Heritage Advisory Committee/Heritage Commission. In addition, records of the Engineering Department and the Leisure Services Department document restoration, maintenance and programming activities at municipally-owned heritage sites. Records of the Planning Department, Law Department and Clerk’s Office provide an accurate picture of the process by which heritage properties were acquired, and how policies relating to non-City owned property of heritage significance have developed.

[Note – this is an updated version of an article first published in the Fall 2014 issue of the Archives News]

Vantage Point – Industry on the South Arm of the Fraser

Posted on May 7, 2015 by richmondarchives

Steveston Harbour showing canneries and fish boats, 1959. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2010 87 29

A recent addition to the holdings of the City of Richmond Archives is an album of aerial photographs taken from 1959 to 1962 showing industry on the South Arm of the Fraser River, at New Westminster, and on the Upper Fraser.

The album was created by the New Westminster Harbour Commission with aerial photographs taken by George Allen.

Crown Zellerbach paper mill and wharf, 1959. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2010 87 28

Images from 1959 depict Steveston Harbour and the wharves of what were Richmond’s three major industrial plants on the South Arm: Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill, Canada Rice Mills, and LaFarge Cement.

Canada Rice Mills plant and wharf, 1959. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2010 87 27

The photographs were taken in the same year that the Deas Island (George Massey) Tunnel was opened.

La Farge Cement plant, showing Don and Lion Island, 1959. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 2010 87 31

The 52 photographs in the album are among a larger number of images that have been recently scanned as part of the ongoing Archives digitization program.

Early Navigation and the Leading Tree at Garry Point

Posted on April 16, 2015 by richmondarchives

In the early days of navigation, mariners depended heavily on knowledge of landmarks and geographical features to find their way. This was especially true when entering harbours and river mouths. Early navigational charts showed important physical features that would be visible to mariners, and at the mouth of the Fraser River one of the most important of these was “The Leading Tree”, a large tree at Garry Point which stood out starkly on the otherwise featureless landscape of Lulu Island.

This view of Steveston’s “Cannery Row” shows a rare image of the Leading Tree at Garry Point, on the left, ca. 1890. Photo from City of Richmond Archives digital reference files.

Article from the New Westminster Daily Columbian, November 21, 1891. (City of Richmond Archives Reference Files.)

The Fraser was first charted in 1859 by Captain G.H. Richards, who also had a series of navigation buoys anchored to mark the river channel.

On his chart the tree was featured as a navigational marker and it subsequently appeared in future Admiralty charts and sailing directions for decades to come.

The tree was called by several names, the Leading Tree, the Lone Tree, the Garry Tree and the Garry Bush and was either a spruce, pine or fir, depending on which record is read. Regardless, it was a vital guide in making one’s way into the river, even for experienced local mariners.

Improvements in navigating the river continued, with the availability of river pilots and installation of lightships and lighthouses at the Sand Heads, but the tree continued to be a navigation aid until 1891 when newspaper reports in the May 30, 1891 Daily Columbian raised concerns about the tree’s future, saying that “Mr. Turner (George Turner, formerly of the Royal Engineers) had two mattresses sunk at Garry Bush to try and save it from being carried away. Garry Bush, a well known land mark to mariners, is a tall pine tree with some wild crab apple trees growing about, on the lower end of Lulu Island.”

The article states that in the previous three years 400 to 600 feet of shoreline had been washed away and that the roots of the tree had become undermined. A later article from November 21, 1891, titled “An Ancient Landmark Gone” stated that despite efforts to save the tree, it had been washed away in a gale on the 20th.

Gambles Observatory at Garry Point in 1909. Built as a tide gauge, a fixed red light was added to it after the tree was washed away. It was visible for six miles. (City of Richmond Archives photo 1978 34 3)

The loss of the tree prompted the authories to install a light at Garry Point, mounted atop Gamble’s Observatory, which had been built as a tide gauge by Provincial Government Public Works Engineer F.C. Gamble, the supervisor of dyking operations in the lower Fraser Valley.

A walking tour map of Garry Point Park from 1989 shows significant locations around the park, including the location of the “Garry Point Tree”, No. 11, and Gamble’s Observatory, No. 12. (City of Richmond Archives Reference Files)

The construction of the Steveston Jetty in 1911 and a program of dredging have stabilized the shifting main channel and newer lights and navigation markers and buoys make the trip up the river much less risky than in the past, but all these modern aids to navigation have a heritage that stems back to a single large tree that grew at Garry Point.

Vantage Point – The View from Richmond’s First High-Rise Development

Posted on April 9, 2015 by richmondarchives

In the shadows of the Park Towers complex, Richmond Square and beyond looking northeast, ca. 1974. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1988 123 656

Advertisement in Richmond Review newspaper, November 10, 1972. City of Richmond Archives newspaper collection

The early 1970s saw the construction of Richmond’s first high-rise buildings, the 17-storey Park Towers complex off Minoru Boulevard. The three-tower project was designed by Erickson-Massey Architects under the terms of the municipality’s first land use contract. Prior to this time, the highest building in Richmond was Richmond General Hospital, at a height of 6 storeys.

The first two towers (“C” and “B”) opened for occupancy in 1972 and were designed as rental accommodation. The final tower (“A”) was completed the following year and became condominium housing. The Towers were advertised as a place for “luxurious living …in the heart of Richmond.”

Richmond Square, No. 3 Road and beyond looking east, ca. 1974. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1988 123 652

Shortly after construction of the final tower, Engineering Department staff took photographs from the building of its surroundings, including Richmond Square (now Richmond Centre Mall) to the east and Minoru Park to the west. These slides were recently described and scanned as part of the City of Richmond Archives’ ongoing digitization program.

Richmond Twin Theatres, Municipal Hall and beyond looking southeast, ca. 1974. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1988 123 654

The images provide a view of Richmond’s Town Centre in transition at the beginning of its rapid development through the 1970s and 1980s.

Minoru Park (with Minoru Chapel) and beyond looking northwest, ca. 1974. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1988 123 660

[Note – this is an updated version of an article first published in the Spring 2015 issue of the Archives News]

Focus on the Record – Records of Early Parks and Recreational Facilities

Posted on March 19, 2015 by richmondarchives

The establishment of a Recreation Commission in 1954 and the subsequent incorporation of parks and recreation services into the administrative structure of municipal government under the direction of the Parks and Recreation Commission resulted in the rapid growth of recreational land, facilities, and services in Richmond.

Little League Tournament at Brighouse Park, 1961. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1978 33 28

Prior to the establishment of the Commission, just over 20 acres of land in the municipality was parkland, much of which was maintained by local community associations and groups. The Parks and Recreation Commission was initially established composed of elected members of both Council and School Board, which allowed for the coordinated development of school playing fields and municipal parks, simplified the planning of their locations, and reduced duplication of services.

Deed of Land. Purchase of part of present-day Minoru Park, 1958. City of Richmond Archives MR 66, File 1540

In 1958, major plans and projects came to fruition under the direction of the Commission, the most significant being the purchase of land from BC Turf and Country Club, the owners of the Brighouse Park Race Track. That land, first known as Centennial Park, is the southern part of what is now Minoru Park. By 1959, Centennial Pool, Richmond’s first swimming pool, had been opened on the site.

Swim meet at Centennial Pool, 1963. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1985 77 26

Development there continued through the 1960s with the installation of a track, the building of a pavilion, arena, arts centre and library.

Opening of Minoru Sports Pavilion, 1964. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1978 32 40

In 1970, the municipality acquired 217 acres for the Richmond Nature Park as the first of many new parks and community centre projects in that decade.

Aerial view of Richmond Nature Park, 1977. City of Richmond Archives Photograph 1978 41 5

The City of Richmond Archives holds records documenting the growth of recreational opportunities in Richmond, including minutes of the Parks and Recreation Commission, bylaws and bylaw files relating to park acquisition and the building and maintenance of facilities, administrative and operational records of the early Recreation Department and the later Leisure Services Department, records of the Richmond School Board, and records of community associations and cultural and sports groups affiliated with the Commission.

[Note – this is an updated version of an article first published in the Spring 2014 issue of the Archives News]

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