History & Heritage
History
Although the first settlers arrived in the late 1800s, Killarney remained
an area of second growth forest and farms until after WWII.
The first non-native settler to the area was William Rowling in 1868.
A surveyor in the British military, he received the only land military
grant in Vancouver for his service to the British Empire. Before long
Rowling and his family owned 3.5 kilometres of land along the Fraser River
shoreline, including all of Killarney's riverfront land.
George Wales was the first to settle in northern Killarney, which actually
developed as the outskirts of the village of Collingwood. In 1878, he
bought 221 acres (90 hectares) for $1 an acre. The street on which his
house stood still bears the family name today. The remaining land was
auctioned off in 160-acre parcels in 1888, and by 1890, the No. 1 Road
(now 45th Avenue) and the No. 2 Road (now 54th Avenue) were built along
the properties' northern boundaries.
Perhaps the most important transportation route was the interurban line,
built in 1891. The interurban tracks followed along Vanness Avenue and
crossed Kingsway at Central Park. Residential development followed along
the interurban route, and eventually the street grid moved southward towards
Marine Drive, bringing settlers into Killarney and the Champlain Heights
area.
Between 1892 and 1929 Killarney was a part of the District of South Vancouver.
In 1929, it amalgamated with The City of Vancouver. In 1913 Westminster
Road was paved and renamed Kingsway. Gradually the business area developed
at Kingsway and Joyce. When the bog area south of No.1 Road (now 45th
Avenue) was drained and developed at Killarney Street, and the new high
school and community centre were built, the area became known as Killarney.
In the 1970s, the southern part of the area was transformed into Champlain
Heights. Champlain Heights is now fully developed, and a new comprehensive
residential project, Fraser Lands, is proceeding along the area's most
southerly boundary, the Fraser River.
Heritage
Killarney developed long after most Vancouver neighbourhoods, so the
number of heritage buildings within its boundaries is few. Scattered throughout
the neighbourhood are examples of early farm houses early residential
development from the 1920's and some excellent examples of modern (1960's)
residential developments.
Some Killarney's most significant heritage assets relate to the natural
environment, reminders of a time when vegetation, not urbanization, dominated
the landscape. An example is the line of mature fir trees and small orchard
of apple trees planted near the eastern corner of 54th Avenue and Tyne
Street. This was the former property of F.W. Stewart, who transplanted
the orchard in the late 1800s.
Detailed information on the city's heritage and a complete list of heritage
buildings is available at City
of Vancouver Heritage.
Additional information is available through the City
of Vancouver Archives.
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