An Authentic Neighbourhood, with a Story to Tell
Prior to 1850s
About 150 years ago, the Heights was part of the rolling landscape that would one day be Greater Vancouver. It was one of three hills - each successively higher - facing the inlet and the mountains across from it (the three hills later became known as the Heights, Capitol Hill and Burnaby Mountain). The hill abounded in Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock, alder, dogwood and vine maple trees. It was a lush, thick forest, where deer and black bear dwelled, and two fish-bearing creeks poured into the inlet. The shoreline was a place to gather shellfish, which the aboriginal people did for thousands of years before. The timeless hill was about to change, however.
By the late 1800s, logging was already happening all across the Lower Mainland, and Burnaby was no exception. Numerous logging camps popped up on this hill, and the once nameless land began to be subdivided and claimed by landowners. Douglas Road, which was carved in 1865, cut through the Heights, heading southeast, and Hastings/Barnet Road, built in 1903 took folks east towards Port Moody. Logging roads crisscross what is today Confederation Park and the lower western slope of Capitol Hill.
In contrast to South Burnaby, North Burnaby's early development was in a sense, an extension of Vancouver. The Heights commercial area has been a street-level community shopping area for nearly one hundred years now, and still retains much of its unique flavour.
The Pioneer Era: 1908-1926
In the early 1900s, thousands of immigrants came to the west coast of B.C. With the opening of Hastings Street in 1902, and the arrival of the streetcar in North Burnaby in 1908, Burnaby was finally open for larger settlement. The first wave of settlers was overwhelmingly of British, Scottish, and Irish descent.
The first real estate development was undertaken by the Galt Brothers in 1908, where they developed the area bordered by Boundary, Intel, Pandora, and Gilmore. They cleared land, rough graded the streets and lanes, and laid seven miles of sidewalks, sewers, and five miles of water pipes. Altogether, it took approximately 250 men two years to complete it. It was intended to be an alternative to the upscale Shaughnessy community in Vancouver. Buyers of lots were obligated to build houses of value of $3,500, a high figure compared to the average house price of $1000. C.J. Peter, an associate of the Galt Brothers, built Seton Villa Manor $75,000, which was an extraordinary figure for the time.
With population growth, the first merchants soon appeared. The first grocer in the Heights was located at Alpha and Hastings and was run by the Goodridge family. A second, operated by the Field family opened some time later at Willingdon and Hastings. Prior to World War I, most stores in the Heights were located near Boundary and Hastings. In the 3900 block, there was a butcher shop and hardware shop run by Bill Kidd, and a butcher and grocery store were on the 3700 block. The BC Market was first managed by Davies, and was later sold to Mr. Mathieson. Additionally, between 1911 and 1913, a number of other businesses were established including a druggist, bakery, and print shop.
North and South Burnaby have developed radically differently. This can be attributed in part to the lack of north-south transportation channels in early years. This resulted in a history of independence for North Burnaby. In the early years, only a few roads connected the "two halves", and trips were long and uncomfortable.
In North Burnaby, the impetus for development was two fold: the extension of Hastings Street, and the trolley line that accompanied this extension. Conversely, South Burnaby was built around Kingsway and the trolley line between New Westminster and Vancouver. In 1912, both Kingsway and Hastings St. were blacktopped. At this time, sidewalks were made of wooden planks, and lighting was non-existent.
In 1913, there was a secessionist movement in North Burnaby from some residents to separate from Burnaby. A year later, the Vancouver Heights Ratepayers Association was established. The Association waged a number of battles to establish land uses for the area that they felt were the right fit.
With the establishment of the trolley in North Burnaby, the streetcars originally stopped at Boundary. However, around 1913, the municipal council put the question of an extension line to the ratepayers of Burnaby. The extension passed, and in December of that year, the extension, officially named the Burnaby Extension began.
Locally, the streetcar was known as the Toonerville Trolley. The residents of North Burnaby named it after a comic strip of the time. The trolley became the main transportation method in the early years, as car ownership was quite low. It ran every 24 minutes, and 12 minutes during rush hour. The trolley operators were renowned for their helpful and friendly nature.
In the early years, shopping was a social event. Rosamond Greer remembers shopping in the Heights "as a social event. It could take as long as an entire morning just to purchase a few groceries. Depending upon how many ladies had ventured forth that day, for Burnaby was a warm and amiable community, and all were friends as well as neighbours."(Burnaby Centennial Anthology - Stories of Early Burnaby, 1994).
In the early years, the Heights area was still a rural district. Many of the main streets were made of planks of wood, and the Toonerville trolley ran on a single track from Boundary to Ellesmere Avenue.
In the 1920s most shops in the Heights were on the south side of Hastings between Boundary and Gilmore. These included: Rodney Newman Meats, Oben's Bakery, Lee Kee Grocery, Culley's Theatre, Alder's Drug Store, Monk's Dry Goods, and Y. Hoy Fruits and Vegetable. There was also a barbershop and a pool hall on the southwest corner of Hastings and Gilmore. The first supermarket, the Piggly Wiggly opened on the southeast corner of Hastings and Gilmore.
Culley's Hall had the distinction of being the first movie house in the area. Silent movies were shown there and later, the hall hosted wedding receptions and served as a meeting hall and eventually a dance studio. The Heights Theatre at Ingleton and Hastings operated until the Regent Theatre opened on Hastings between MacDonald and Gilmore. During this decade, the North Burnaby area was serviced by a police sub-station at 4093 Hastings.
Consolidation Era 1926-1954
In this period, a number of factors helped shape North Burnaby. The Depression years from 1930-1939 lead to many bankruptcies. Following that, World War II was a period of sacrifice, and the growth did not begin again in earnest until the Post-war years. The newcomers to North Burnaby in this era were more varied than previous times.
In 1926, the North Burnaby Board of Trade was established, and operated under the B.C. Board of Trades Act. The Board boasted no less than 30 founding members. "Activities which the Board has taken an active and effective part in during the years, include the widening of Hastings Street, provision of ornamental street lighting (1926 beautification of Hastings), garbage disposal, transportation problems, assistance at the North Burnaby Library Board, equalization of fire rates, and activities aiming at the betterment of living conditions in the community" (Burnaby Advertiser, Thursday, July 31, 1952).
The Royal Canadian Legion opened a branch in the Heights in 1928, when Branch 78 was formed, and it was later renamed Branch 148. The members financed the building of a meeting hall at 4257 Hastings. However, the bank called the loan and the branch lost its hall. Without the hall, the association stopped most operations until a new hall was built at 4356 Hastings.
The first gas pump in Burnaby was operated by Bill Kidd from his hardware store on Hastings. In 1928, Bill Kidd sold his hardware store to Bob Robertson, who operated the store for the next 40 years.
The feel of the area as it was is encapsulated in part by one of the early residents: "It was a wonderful thing living and shopping on Vancouver Heights, as the area up Hastings from Boundary to Willingdon Avenue was called. Everyone knew each other -the store owners knew all the children by name."
As late as 1946, North and South Burnaby were still like two separate entities not connected in any sense except through an elected board. Hugh Steward served as president for the North Burnaby Board of Trade from 1940-46. He helped to amalgamate the North and South Boards of Trade into the Burnaby Chamber of Commerce.
Then, in 1949, the streetcars stopped running on Hastings Street. Combined, these two events marked the end of an era for North Burnaby.
Modern Era: 1954-Present
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