History & Heritage
History
Archaeological evidence indicates that native Indians inhabited the Southlands
area as early as 400 B.C. The mouth of the Fraser provided abundant hunting
and fishing grounds for coastal Salish Indians who settled in at least
three locations: the Angus Lands, Celtic Island and the Musqueam Reserve
area. In 1879, the Musqueam Reserve was formally dedicated and in 1892,
Southlands became part of the newly incorporated District of South Vancouver.
In 1908, while land was available in Marpole for development, land in
the Dunbar area (then owned by the CPR and the province and part of the
old Municipality of Point Grey) was unsuitable for development having
been logged off and left a mass of fallen, burnt timbers. The first non-native
settlers in the area were the Mounts who purchased a lot on 22nd Avenue
in 1912 and built a shack; the lot became 3379 West 22nd Avenue.
In 1912, a section of the University of British Columbia lands was subdivided
and lots were laid out based on town planning principles of the day. The
streetcar reached Clare Road (now Dunbar Street) in 1913 and went as far
as 41st Avenue by 1925. By 1927,the area was served by three streetcar
routes. Dunbar-Southlands became part of Vancouver in 1929 when the Municipality
of Point Grey amalgamated with the City of Vancouver.
The first significant land development in Dunbar-Southlands occurred
in the mid-1920s and some of the homes built during this period still
stand today. Because West Point Grey's 1922 zoning by-laws dictated that
these early homes be situated well back on their lots, those that remain
standout as neighbourhood landmarks. Subsequent development took place
in the years following World War II and then again in the early 1970s
when King Edward Place and Salish Park were developed.
Heritage
The former Convent of the Sacred Heart,
now St George's School,
West 29th Ave is a significant heritage building in the area.
Dunbar-Southlands has a rich architectural heritage and, fortunately,
a number of significant homes and buildings still remain from the area's
early settlement days. As of June 1992, there were 21 structures listed
on the Vancouver Heritage Register.
Lord Kitchener School located on Blenheim at King Edward was built in
1914. This building features a refined combination of wood surfaces and
textures, and is a very good example of the sophisticated use of wood
that could be seen in Vancouver prior to the First World War.
Some of the earliest homes in this area are designed in the English Arts
and Crafts and the Edwardian Building styles. Many of the homes were built
before 1920 and remain as single family homes to this day. The Haigler
House at 3537 W. 30th Avenue is a good example of such a building. Community
support prompted its preservation.
For detailed information on heritage buildings in this area, and in Vancouver
generally, visit City
of Vancouver Heritage.
Additional information is available through the City
of Vancouver Archives.
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