Historic Places in Lower Mainland, BC

Alder Grove Heritage Society is housed in a small 1910 BC Mills prefab building originally owned by F. J. Hart. The building has been home to a real estate office and bank. It was also the town’s telephone office from 1917 – 1951, when it was moved to become the office for a motel. Saved from demolition in 1992 by the Alder Grove Heritage Society, it was moved to its current location and fully restored.

Mackin House is an Edwardian home built in 1909 as a company home for the second in command at the Fraser Mills Lumber Company. It is staged with period appropriate furniture and artifacts to give visitors a sense of what life in Coquitlam would have been like for someone living at that time in upper middle class.

This historic place is valued as part of a larger context represented by the community of Maillardville and its deep associations with the French Canadian roots of its early residents. An unusual characteristic of this place is the placement of the street grid, which features a cross-axis centred on the church square of Notre Dame de Lourdes; this layout is without precedent in Western Canada.

Located in the heart of New Westminster, Irving House is one of the oldest community heritage sites in BC. Step back to the 1800s as you enter the colonial home of Captain William Irving, King of the Fraser River.

With heritage buildings dating back to 1885, tell the stories of multi-ethnic residents and workers at the Britannia Cannery and Britannia Shipyards: First Nations, Chinese, European, and Japanese. This collection of buildings has national value and was designated a National Historic Site in 1992 by the National Historic Sites and Monuments Board.

Located in the historic fishing village of Steveston, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site is a Parks Canada site which presents the history of Canada’s West Coast fishing industry. Built in 1894, the Cannery was once the largest building of its kind and the leading producer of canned salmon in British Columbia. Interactive exhibits bring to life the machines that once churned out millions of cans of salmon. Through guided tours, programs and exhibits, discover the history of the site and its people.

London Farm is a four-acre historical site that overlooks the south arm of the Fraser River. The site features an 1890’s farmhouse in a park-like setting surrounded by heritage and herb gardens, a restored barn from the Spraggs family, old farming equipment, chicken coop, bee apiary, garden allotments and large lawns with picnic tables and gazebo.

The museum’s building was built in 1905 as Steveston’s (and possibly Richmond’s) first bank. The bank served early Steveston settlers and industry workers until 1963, when it was converted into a retail space and subsequently, a doctor’s office. Come and see the original office of the Bank Manager, or stop by to admire some art pieces from local artists in our pop-up gallery.

Explore Surrey’s railway history at the Cloverdale Station of the B C Electric Railway line. The replica station starts your Journey Back in Time when the electric Interurban rail cars provided transportation though the Fraser Valley.

Historic Stewart Farm is situated on the unceded, traditional and ancestral lands of the Salish peoples, including the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), and se’mya’me (Semiahmoo) nations. 

At the Surrey, BC heritage site, history comes alive, telling the story of a hardworking Surrey family in the early 1900s.

Founded in 1931 and located on the unceded territories of the x^wməθk^wəýəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səĺilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, the Vancouver Art Gallery is Western Canada’s largest public art museum. Our mission is to create—through art—paths to share perspectives, build and engage communities and shape our collective future together. This is expressed through exhibitions showcasing historical and contemporary art from BC and around the world; education programs that encourage dialogue and understanding; and publications that advance scholarship on a wide range of artistic subjects.

Located near the busy intersection of Georgia and Granville Streets, the Vancouver Block is a striking Edwardian Commercial building topped by a large clock tower and finished with ornamental terracotta. A landmark on the Vancouver skyline since 1912, the 15-storey building was commissioned by the wealthy Dominic Burns and designed by the architectural partnership of John Parr and Thomas Fee, one of the city’s most prolific firms.

Welcome to the Roedde family’s home. Gustav and Matilda Roedde settled in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1888, and Gustav became Vancouver’s first bookbinder while working for the Vancouver News Advertiser. In 1890 he opened his own bookbinding business as G.A Roedde Bookbinders and by 1893 was successful enough to afford to build a house in the new West End neighbourhood. Roedde House, design attributed to famed architect Francis Rattenbury, is a City of Vancouver-designated Class A Heritage House.

Situated in the heart of Vancouver’s historic Chinatown neighbourhood, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is an oasis of tranquility and reflection amid the bustle of urban life. Modeled after the Ming Dynasty scholars’ gardens in the city of Suzhou, it became the first authentic full-scale Chinese garden built outside of China upon its completion in April 1986.

For over 60 years, the Vancouver Maritime Museum has been sharing stories about the Pacific Northwest and the Arctic, creating experiences that build bridges between the past and future.

Located in Historic Powell Street (Paueru Gai) in the heart of the Downtown Eastside, VJLS-JH is a National Historic Site. Overcoming racism, social injustice, displacement and dispossession, through the miraculous efforts of the Japanese Canadian community, we as an organization have rebuilt and evolved to become a living symbol of community resilience and strength. VJLS-JH now stands as one of the only properties that was returned to Japanese Canadians after the WWII Internment and Dispossession. Today, we continue to educate Japanese language, culture, run a childcare centre, and have transitioned into developing heritage and community programming.

The West Vancouver Community Arts Council (WVCAC), established in 1968, is a not-for-profit organization that advocates for both visual and performing artists.  Our mandate is to provide opportunities for people to enjoy and participate in cultural activities, deliver visual, literary and performing arts programs, foster interest in our diverse cultural heritage, and promote the many talented individuals living and working in our community. Since 1991, the Arts Council has occupied the Silk Purse, a waterfront art gallery and studio.  We host 13 art shows per year and we are open to the public free of charge, Tuesday through Sunday.

The bronze map on the monument at Sumas Pioneer Park shows a pre-drainge Semá:th Xó:tsa (Sumas Lake) surrounded by Stó:lō lands, contrasted with a post-drainage map showing the impact of colonization on the environment.

Turner House is a small attic storeyed timber framed board and batten cottage, built by Royal Engineer George Turner in the 1870s; The building has since been relocated to Clayburn Village, near the site of the first brickworks.

There is a unique Sikh place of worship on South Fraser Way in Abbotsford, BC called The Gur Sikh Gurdwara (temple), designated as a National Historic Site by Prime Minister Jean Chretien on July 31, 2002. A hundred- plus-year-old Sikh religious institution, built by Sikh settlers (started in 1908); this gurdwara is a testament to the pride, vision and steadfastness of a settler community at the turn of the last century.