ONCE UPON A TIME IN GIBSONS

The Town of Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Heritage Register

Prepared for the Town of Gibsons By Going Coastal Communications Group

Presented August, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Heritage Planning in the Town of Gibsons...... 3 Role of the Town of Gibsons in Heritage Preservation ...... 3 About the Heritage Inventory and Register ...... 5 Heritage Designation Bylaws ...... 6 Heritage Revitalization Agreements ...... 7 Heritage Conservation Covenants...... 7 Heritage Conservation Areas ...... 7 Town of Gibsons Heritage Inventory Town of Gibsons Heritage Inventory – List of Built Sites ...... 11 Town of Gibsons Heritage Inventory – List of Parks, Heritage Trees and Ecologically Significant Sites ...... 12 Town of Gibsons Heritage Register – Built Sites Eaglenest (former Gerussi Residence ...... 15 Stonehurst (former Inglis Residence) ...... 17 Jack’s Lane Bistro (former Gibsons Telephone Exchange)...... 19 Jack’s Boarding House ...... 21 Gift of the Eagle Gallery (former Pentecostal Church) ...... 23 Hillside Antiques & Second Hand (former Hauka Repair Shop / Gibsons Electric)...... 25 Gibsons Heritage School (former Gibsons Landing Elementary School) ...... 29 Gibsons Cinema (former Twilight Theatre)...... 33 St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church...... 35 Celestial Intruder...... 39 Village Store (former Wyngaert’s General Store) ...... 41 Ballentine Apartments ...... 43 Marina House (former Orkestra Inn) ...... 45 Pigs Rugby Clubhouse (former Gibson’s Landing Municipal Hall) ...... 47 Lowden Home...... 49 Bethlehem Chapel, St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church...... 51 Gibsons Heritage Playhouse (former Howe Sound Women’s Institute Hall)...... 55 Gibsons Government Wharf ...... 57 Smitty’s Marina House and Chandlery...... 59 Molly’s Reach (former Smith’s Hardware Store)...... 61 Olafsen Residence (former Methodist Church Manse or Parsonage)...... 63 Fletcher House ...... 65 Winn Road Boat Works (former Malcolm & Hicks Boat Works)...... 67 Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives (former Elphinstone Pioneer Museum)...... 69 Town of Gibsons Heritage Register – Parks, Heritage Trees, and Ecologically Significant Sites Oak Tree, Gower Point Road...... 75 Cedar Tree, Winegarden Park...... 77 Gospel Rock (or Shepard’s Rock) ...... 79 Pioneer Park Cemetery ...... 81 Walnut Tree, Molly’s Lane...... 83 Brothers Memorial Park...... 85 Fir Tree, Christensen Village, Shaw Road...... 89 List of Sources ...... 91 Acknowledgements...... 92

2 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register HERITAGE PLANNING IN THE TOWN OF GIBSONS

As residents of Gibsons, our heritage is rooted in the traditions and sacred places of the Squamish Nation, in the roads and trails cut by the first lumbermen to log these slopes in the 19th century; in the stories of the first settlers; and in the surviving houses, buildings, and plantings built in the area over the past century. Through the buildings and plantings, the people who built our community expressed the culture, tradition and artistic sentiment of their time and gave rise to the unique viewscapes that provide Gibsons with its character.

Keeping our past alive through preservation of these structures and plantings, and through maintenance of our coastal ecology, provides our residents – particularly our children – with a sense of our place in the history of our evolving community. Recent rapid growth in Gibsons and area indicates that identification and preservation of key elements of our heritage is more important now than ever. Heritage preservation can provide focus to our neighbourhoods. As Gibsons and the surrounding rural areas of Elphinstone and West Howe Sound contemplate restructure, a comprehensive Heritage Plan developed by the Town of Gibsons (as a complement to the existing Official Community Plans) will be a key element to preserving neighbourhood character, and providing focus to ensure future development maintains the charm and uniqueness of our growing community.

Cooperation among residents, businesses, and local government is essential if the best examples of heritage places (buildings, physical features, natural landscapes) are to be maintained and preserved.

Role of the Town of Gibsons in Heritage Preservation The Local Government Act empowers the Town of Gibsons to undertake heritage conservation through • Heritage Inspections (to give notice that a property may be visually inspected to determine if it has heritage significance) • Heritage Impact Assessments (owner or developer may be required to provide information prior to development about the heritage significance of a site or building, and how to maintain heritage character) • Temporary Heritage Protection (enacted through a Heritage Protection By-law or through an Order in Council, the Town may prevent or suspend work on a project for a time, to allow all parties to discuss the effects and consider recognition or protection.)

The Town began its commitment to heritage preservation with its support of the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum (now the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives.) From its inception in the 1960’s, the Town has provided housing for the collection and significant operating support. The collection reaches beyond the Town’s boundaries, to catalogue early settlement, farming and industry throughout the Coast. In 2003, the Sunshine Coast Regional District agreed to designate some financial support for the Museum to supplement the Town’s.

In the 1990’s, the Gibsons Landing Heritage Society – working with the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum to expand its cataloguing of historical resources, particularly photographs, – was instrumental in achieving Historical Site designation through the Provincial Government for the former Howe Sound Women’s Institute Hall (Gibsons Heritage Playhouse), and the Gibsons Heritage School.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 3 As a visible reflection of its Vision Statement (“to reveal the authentic cultural and natural heritage of Gibsons and to advocate its conservation) the Town of Gibsons took an important first step towards heritage protection with the establishment of the Advisory Heritage Committee, reporting to the Town Planner. Under the AHC, the Town began to identify elements for a Heritage Inventory listing elements of historical, cultural and/or ecological importance within the boundaries of the Town of Gibsons.

In 2006, Heritage Protection became an important element of the Official Community Plan (Sec. 6.4). Through the OCP, the Town indicates that it will depend upon provisions in the Local Government Act which encourage owners to designate their properties for heritage preservation. As set out in the OCP, the Town plans to support completion of a Heritage Strategy and Heritage Management Plan (outlining the Town’s interdepartmental program to cooperatively identify, preserve and enhance the community’s historical aspects) as well as an expanded Heritage Inventory. With these tools, the Town will be better equipped to develop guidelines and policies aimed at preserving a heritage building’s “character, while retaining the scale, spatial relationship, plantings and green space and, where possible, the fabric and line of the existing building.” (OCP, p. 42)

The Town’s small physical size (4.4 sq. ha.) and limited tax resources preclude local government purchase of heritage buildings of sites. Instead, through involving private property owners, the Town plans to encourage their active participation on designation of heritage sites, possibly to the extent of establishing a heritage conservation area within the Town. A Heritage Protection By- law may also be enacted at a future date. Until then, the Town plans to use BC Heritage Legislation and the Federal Heritage Places Initiative to access available programs and funding for preservation and restoration and to further secure protection by listing significant properties on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The Town plans to consult with the Heritage Conservation Branch of the Provincial Government to identify sites of archeological significance within the Town, so that any applicant for development on or near a known archeological site may be advised of the need to prepare a BC Archeological Impact Assessment.

The Town of Gibsons is also planning to participate in the national Historic Places Initiative, a multi-phased program aimed at conserving and celebrating Canada’s historic sites. The centerpiece of that initiative, the aforementioned Canadian Register of Historic Places, may be viewed on-line. Components include a new standard for the renovation of heritage buildings, a certification program for building renovation and federal financial incentives.

The Town will be reviewing the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund, which awards financial incentives to eligible commercial sites listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places (provided that conservation work complies with the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.) This information will be part of a package presented to property owners who will be encouraged to participate in the program. Through this initiative, the Town will be encouraging the development of new or enhancement of existing commercial purposes for historic properties within the community, while preserving them through proper conservation and saving threatened properties from demolition or destruction.

4 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register About The Heritage Inventory and Register Maintaining an inventory of sites (reviewed every 2 – 3 years) is the first step towards preserving the community’s heritage. Sites are identified to the AHC as historically, culturally or ecologically significant – perhaps through association with an important person, event, or historical trend, or through its own integral beauty or unique character – and listed in the Inventory in order to draw the attention of the community as well as relevant Town departments. Traditionally, a Heritage Inventory provides a basic list of bare-bones site information and an indication of type of significance (e.g. historic, cultural, ecological.) After reviewing the information, the AHC then advises the Town Planner if the sites in the inventory do in fact have heritage value or heritage character that should be preserved.

The Town of Gibsons’ current Heritage Inventory now lists 24 built sites (one of which is a component artwork on a private lot), and is arranged by street address, in alphabetical order. The building’s current name, followed by its historic name (if different), and its evaluation follows. The evaluation categories are based on any combination of historic, architectural, cultural, spiritual, scientific, ecological or social values and are: A. Primary Significance (represent the best example of a particular style or type, or is associated with a person or event of significance) B. Significant (represents a good example of a style or type, may have some documented historical or cultural significance) C. Contextual or Character (buildings that contribute to the historic character of an area or streetscape, usually found in groupings of more than one building but may be of individual importance.) P. Provincial Heritage Designation

Future designations may indicate buildings which are protected through conservation agreements, are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, or in which specific features and fixtures are protected.

These sites should now be listed, with the owner’s permission, on a Heritage Register. The Town Planner is in the process of reviewing procedures for establishing a Heritage Register for the Town of Gibsons. The Heritage Register would differ from the Heritage Inventory primarily in the amount of research undertaken on the history of each property. A prototype Heritage Register follows the inventory, as significant research has already been completed on each site’s character, or which explains its historic value, and identifies its character-defining elements. In other communities, the information required to move a site from the Inventory to the Register is contained in a Statement of Significance, designed to ensure the Town’s evaluations are consistent with provincial and federal standards. A Statement of Significance is required for a site to be included on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

It should be noted that inclusion in the Heritage Inventory or Heritage Register does not constitute heritage designation or any other form of permanent heritage protection, nor can it force property owners to save a resource. Heritage designation is a legal means of heritage protection; at present, heritage designation is conferred by the Provincial Government as the Town has no by-laws in place to confer such protection.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 5 Establishment of a Heritage Inventory and Heritage Register are important steps in the Town’s vision to protect the fragile sites of historic, cultural and ecological importance in our community. Further steps which may be considered are listed below.

Heritage Designation By-laws At present, the Town Planner is also reviewing the need for a Heritage Designation By-law, as a tool to formalize the protection of heritage places through an agreement between the owner and the Town. Protected sites would be identified in the By-law with a specific Heritage Zoning tied to that property’s title, and eligibility for property tax relief (Council must adopt an annual by-law to allow such tax relief to continue and to set the rate), and eligibility for equivalencies under building code requirements as applicable. Non-monetary support such as relations to zoning, technical assistance from staff, commemorative or information plaques, would be negotiated on a person-by-person basis and tailored to the circumstances of each site.

The Heritage Designation By-law would also ensure maintenance of a site’s integrity and character by requiring a Heritage Alteration Permit be acquired prior to any structural restoration or repair. This would allow the Planning Department some oversight of the project, in order to advise on preservation of unique elements.

A Heritage Designation By-law may also make provision for a grant through a formalized Building Preservation Program (to be enacted with the initial by-law or added at a future date). Through this program, the Town may grant up to 50% of the cost of the work, up to a given sum (e.g. $3,000) in any given calendar year for up to a specified number of years (usually, 3 years.) Applicants would be required to apply for assistance through the Advisory Heritage Commission, which would review and recommend approval to the Town Planner.

A Voluntary Heritage Protection program may be an element of the by-law. This would be a tool for the property owner and the Town to come to an agreement on how a heritage site may be maintained through enacting special zoning variances to accommodate continued or adaptive uses while giving flexibility for sensitive and profitable development. It should be noted that Heritage Conservation Covenants in the Land Title Act support a property owner and the Town establishing a legal agreement concerning the conservation of a heritage resource attached to the title of the property.

With the Town of Gibsons attracting the notice of developers, a Heritage Designation By-law could provide the Town Planner with an important tool through a Temporary Protection Designation. Applied to a structure not afforded official protection but still of significance to the community, this Designation would give the Town and the property owner a specific window of opportunity to discuss alternatives which might allow a heritage site to be preserved.

A Heritage Designation By-law could also enshrine a formal Interpretive Plaque Program, enabling the Town to develop a systematic and comprehensive “storytelling” experience to complement its heritage preservation efforts. Such plaques (similar to the one placed near George Gibson’s original landing spot along the Seawall) could celebrate marine heritage, relate short biographies of local personalities, identify heritage trees and explain their significance, and mark other locations of historical note.

6 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register Heritage Revitalization Agreements A Heritage Revitalization Agreement is a by-law in the form of an agreement between the Town and a site owner. It is significantly different from heritage designation, as it has the flexibility to vary requirements found in other by-laws, either by being more restrictive or providing relations to by-law requirements.

A Heritage Revitalization Agreement is most useful where creative solutions, including incentives, are needed to retain a heritage building, structure, or feature in a new development. This could apply to a rezoning, subdivision or development permit. Examples of variances include lot size, setbacks, building height, use or density, parking, landscaping, park or open space requirements, or development cost charges. It should be noted that if a Heritage Revitalization Agreement varies use or density, Council must hold a Public Hearing. The Agreement may be altered, but only with the consent of both the property owner and the Town.

Heritage Conservation Covenants A Heritage Conservation Covenant (HCC) is an agreement that protects part or all of a heritage property. It is negotiated with property owners and registered on title of the land. A Covenant can apply to either a natural or built feature. The owner signs the Covenant with either the Town or another interested party such as the Gibson’s Landing Heritage Society. Unlike a Heritage Revitalization Agreement, an HCC cannot vary other Town regulations such as zoning. It is most useful where no changes to a property or building are proposed to take place, and the owner wishes to enter into a covenant with the Town to ensure long-term protection.

Heritage Conservation Areas The Official Community Plan touched upon the concept of establishing Heritage Conservation Areas. These would provide protection to larger areas of heritage significance (e.g. Heritage Hills neighbourhood.) The type of protection may be customized to fit the circumstances of selected properties, and must be listed on a schedule. Protection therefore may apply to only a part or to all of a property or site. Not all properties within the area need to be protected, and those with little or no heritage value may be excluded entirely or have minimal conditions attached.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 7

8 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register

TOWN OF GIBSONS

HERITAGE INVENTORY

AS AT AUGUST 15, 2006

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 9

10 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register TOWN OF GIBSONS HERITAGE INVENTORY BUILT SITES

Current Building or Historic Building or Address Evaluation Site Name Site Name Allison Way 361 Eaglenest Gerussi Residence B St Bartholomew’s Anglican St. Bartholomew’s North Road 659 A Church – Bethlehem Chapel Church Gibsons Way 529 The Inglis House Stonehurst A Gibsons Telephone A Gibsons Way 546 Jack’s Lane Bistro Exchange Derelict Gibsons Way 547 -- Jack’s Boarding House C Gibsons Way 689 Gift of the Eagle Gallery Pentecostal Church C Hillside Antiques & Second Hauka Repair Shop / Gibsons Way 697-699 A Hand Gibsons Electric Gibson’s Landing Gibsons Way 805 Gibsons Heritage School A, P Elementary School Gibsons Way 909 Gibsons Cinema Twilight Theatre C St Mary’s Roman Catholic Gibsons Way 958 A Church Headlands Road 331 Celestial Intruder A Marine Drive (rear) 596 Lowden Home Demolished Wyngaert’s General Marine Drive 416 Village Store A Store Marine Drive 426 Ballentine Apartments C Marine Drive 564 Marina House Orkestra Inn A Marine Drive 574 Pigs Rugby Clubhouse Municipal Hall A Howe Sound Women’s North Road 662 Gibsons Heritage Playhouse A, P Institute Hall School Road foot Gibsons Government Wharf C Smitty’s Marina House & School Road 643 C Chandlery School Road 647 Molly’s Reach Smith’s Hardware Store A The Manse or Seaview Road 607 Olafsen Residence A Parsonage South Fletcher Rd. 499 Fletcher House A Malcolm & Hicks Boat C Winn Road foot -- Works Derelict Sunshine Coast Museum & Elphinstone Pioneer Winn Road 716 C Archives Museum

EVALUATION CODE KEY A. Primary Significance (represent the best example of a particular style or type, or is associated with a person or event of significance) B. Significant (represents a good example of a style or type, may have some documented historical or cultural significance) C. Contextual or Character (buildings that contribute to the historic character of an area or streetscape, usually found in groupings of more than one building but may be of individual importance.) P. Provincial Heritage Designation

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 11 TOWN OF GIBSONS HERITAGE INVENTORY PARKS, HERITAGE TREES AND ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT SITES

Park Name / Tree Species / Address Location Evaluation Ecol. Significant Site Name Gower Point Road TREE, Oak Rear, condo complex C Gower Point Road TREE, Cedar Winegarden Park C Gower Point Road/Shaw Rd ROCK, Gospel (Shepard’s) A Marine Drive PARK, Pioneer (Cemetery) A Molly’s Lane TREE, Walnut Rear, Molly’s Reach A Park Road PARK, Brothers Memorial B Christensen Care Shaw Road TREE, Fir A Facility

12 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register

TOWN OF GIBSONS

HERITAGE REGISTER:

BUILT SITES

AS AT AUGUST 15, 2006

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 13

14 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register

EAGLENEST 361 Allison Way Constructed: 1969 (west wing added 1981) Type of construction: Lindal Log Home with custom log construction Original owner: Bruno Gerussi photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION and INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION

Renowned Canadian actor/producer Bruno Gerussi, who starred in the long-running CBC series The Beach- combers, contracted the original Lindal Log Home with 360° views and wrap-around decks atop the highest point on Gibsons Bluff. The west wing, designed by Bruce Gorman, is multi-level with a local stone fi re- place core, cathedral ceilings, and a studio/media room. The original Japanese-style dining room has been altered and the outdoor pond fi lled in; landscaping ac- centuates the native rock outcroppings on the property. The large pass-through from the kitchen to the sunroom accommodated occasional fi lming of items for Gerussi’s Celebrity Cooks program in the late 1970s (most of the series was shot in Ottawa.) In the former master bed- room (now a playroom) overlooking Gibsons Harbour and the former Molly’s Reach Beachcombers set, the original mirror where Gerussi applied his makeup is still in place. This was Gerussi’s primary residence until shortly before his death in 1995.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 15 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

STONEHURST c. 1940

16 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register STONEHURST (The Inglis House) 529 Gibsons Way (DL686, PL3307, Lot 22, Blk 2, PID: 012-984-949) Constructed: 1912 Type of construction: Wood frame with shingle siding, gable roof Original owner: Dr. Frederick K. Inglis photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION and INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION

Dr. Frederick K. Inglis (a dedicated amateur carpenter as well as a University of Manitoba graduate in medicine and divinity) constructed Stonehurst shortly after his arrival on the Sunshine Coast. Its 22 rooms featuring 9’ ceilings, constructed with 12” studs, were designed to house Dr. Inglis, his wife Alice, and their six children, as well as the doctor’s medical offi ce and pharmacy. It served as the Coast’s only medical centre until St. Mary’s Hospital was built at Pender Harbour.

A hospitable and devout man, Inglis’ faith and inherent pacifi sm was challenged by the events of the First World War. The socialist community of Finns which settled much of Upper Gibsons (then called Gibsons Heights) greatly infl uenced his thinking, and he debated their points of view with the local Methodist minister, James Shaver Woodsworth.

Eventually, J.S. Woodsworth’s pacifi st views confl icted with the pro-war activists of the Methodist Church, led by William Winn. Refusing to bend to public opinion, in 1917 Woodsworth either resigned or his resignation was forced by the church council, and he was required to move his wife and six children out of the Manse. The Inglis family offered them shelter at Stonehurst.

In those close quarters, the ongoing Inglis-Woodsworth debate of socialist and pacifi st theory intensifi ed. The positions they hammered out over the Inglis kitchen table in Gibsons, BC may have changed the course of Canadian history. These thoughts formed the basis of the humanist principles on which Woodsworth founded the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) party - a democratic-socialist hybrid of capitalism and socialism later renamed the New Democratic Party.

Dr. Fred Inglis retired in 1945 when son Hugh assumed the medical practice, and passed away in 1950, at the age of 80.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 17 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Harry Herbert Winn, photographer

GIBSONS TELEPHONE OFFICE c. 1952

Harry B. Winn, son of 1912 pioneer William Whitehead Winn, with wife Lou in front of Gibsons Telephone Offi ce. The couple originally operated the fi rst telephone exchange from the living room of their cottage next door (seen at right)

18 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register JACK’S LANE BISTRO (formerly Gibsons Telephone Exchange Building) 546 Gibsons Way (SL686, Plan LMP 4351, Lot 11, Blk G PID: 024-603-473 Constructed: 1949 Type of construction: Two storey frame construction Original owner: Harry B. Winn

photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 (above) and 2006 (right) Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE TO COMMUNITY This second telephone offi ce on the Sunshine Coast was purpose-built; the original fi r boards on main fl oor now feature plywood “patches” where the telephone exchange connected to equipment in the basement. This building replaced the fi rst telephone exchange which had been established by Harry and Lou Winn shortly after their arrival on the Sunshine Coast in 1910, and had been operating from the front room of their cottage next door. The fi rst exchange served the coast well for almost 40 years, but as the number of phones increased from the fi rst two (at Dr. Inglis’ offi ce and the Whittaker General Store) to over a thousand, Winn realized the service merited its own premises. In the post World War II boom, phones were becoming more and more common in homes and businesses. Trunk lines from Vancouver had almost tripled (from 2 to 5!). By 1955, when Harry and Lou retired, a new and larger switchboard was necessary. When BC Telephone Co. purchased the phone service in 1961, there were 2,126 phones on the Coast. Increased automation provided 24-hour-a-day service, and the manual telephone exchange became obsolete. The building eventually housed the Port Mellon Industrial Credit Union, antique shops, gift shops, a bookstore, a bakery, and a bistro. The building is now closed pending redevelopment.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 19 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

JACK’S BOARDING HOUSE c. 1937

20 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register JACK’S BOARDING HOUSE 547 Gibsons Way (PL 3307, Lot 19 of 20, BL2, DL 688, LMP 6775, PID 012-984-850) Constructed: 1919 Type of construction: Wood frame Original owner: Flora and Isabella Jack photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Jack’s Lane, which terminates opposite this house, is named for Flora and Isabella Jack (one of whom was instrumental in the incorporation of the Village of Gibson’s Landing.)

The building was purpose-built as a boarding house, and at the time of its construction it boasted one of only 3 indoor bathrooms on the Sunshine Coast. It has been operating as a boarding house continuously since it was built.

In 2003 it changed hands and the current owner (James Stewart McGilliveray) indicated an intention to continue operating it as a rooming house.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 21 22 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GIFT OF THE EAGLE GALLERY (formerly Gibsons Pentecostal Church) 689 Gibsons Way (Lot 14, Plan 4303) Constructed: 1947 Type of construction: timber frame Original owner: Pentecostal Assembly of Canada photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION The fi rst Pentecostal Church on the Sunshine Coast was built in a day by volunteers, and listed many area pioneers amongst its congregation.

The congregation purchased the property at the corner of Martin Road and Gibsons Way (then known as the Sechelt Highway) in April, 1947. Lumber was delivered to the site June 30, and at daybreak on July 1 members of Pentecostal congregations from Vancouver and Victoria joined locals to construct a church building and attached manse. By sunset, the structure was completed, doors and windows installed, and the fi rst coat of white paint applied.

In 1969 wings were added at the sides of the original building.

The building was deconsecrated in the 1990s and sold. It served briefl y as a second hand store, then sat vacant until it was acquired by a conglomerate of owners for an art gallery.

After extensive renovation by David Steele et al, on August 10, 1998 the premises re-opened as Gift of the Eagle Gallery. The gallery owners put considerable energy into interior renovation - adding large display windows facing the highway, removing the shared wall that originally sepa- rated church and manse, and exposing the timber beams. The nave’s original fi r board fl oor was exposed and refi nished, the fl oors in the wings were replaced. The manse’s original stone fi replace is still a feature of the picture-framing shop portion of the premises, and a mezzanine displays fi ne art and books where the altar once stood. The manse kitchen and other small rooms are still in place (although dedicated now to storage and other uses) and the building still sports the original roof.

Carol Doyle purchased the business from the co-owners in 2003 and the building in 2005.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 23 24 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register HILLSIDE ANTIQUES & SECOND HAND (formerly Gibsons Electric / Hauka Repair Shop) 697-699 Gibsons Way (Lot 4, Plan 7759) Constructed: 1950 Type of construction: frame on cement slab Original owner: Don and Margaret Hauka

photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Don and Margaret Hauka purchased the original Gibsons Post Offi ce building in 1950 and moved it in sections up the highway to the site of the current house. The building was renovated as a residence. The showroom/repair shop was constructed at the front of the property and was a gathering place for anyone who shared Hauka’s love of electronics, tinkering, and inventing. A lifelong and gifted inventor, Hauka designed his own airplane and racing car by the time he reached eighth grade. Hauka was notorious for taking in televisions and radios to repair, but his various invention projects took precedence. “In the end,” says his son Don (DJ) Hauka, “he’d just sell them a new TV or radio.” Hauka designed and built the fi rst unmanned submersible to operate on the West Coast. Launched in 1964, the unit housed a 16mm fi lm camera, early videotape camera and a still camera in its waterproof casing. Modifi ed arc lamps (his design is now standard) lit the dark ocean fl oor, and Hauka captured images of undersea life on our ocean fl oor, as well as helping pinpoint sunken barges and equipment. Mounted on an old “kelper” barge powered by a Glenifer engine, Hauka was a familiar sight as he cruised the bays, guiding his submersible with a control board built from old rotary dial telephones. The phone relays worked perfectly as a guidance system, with simple commands given by dialing a given number.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 25 photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 HAUKA WORKSHOP c. 2003 PHOTO COURTESY DJ HAUKA COURTESY PHOTO HAUKA’S SUBMERSIBLE CAMERA

26 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register Like all Hauka’s inventions, the submersible arose to solve a problem posed by one of the visitors to his shop, and its components were unpatented. “In the end, it took too long and cost too much in lawyers’ fees to jump through the patent department hoops,” his son recalls. In the early 1980s, with fi sh farms booming along the Sunshine Coast, Hauka was deeply concerned by industry-related deaths among divers. At that time, divers would be sent down to examine and repair aquaculture nets. Occasionally, the diver would get tangled in the net, panic or be unable to get free, and drown. Hauka felt the job could be done without using divers, and so designed his “Net-Minder.” The prototype drawings (preserved in the shop with all his designs) shows a camera attached to a pike pole, which would broadcast images to a chest-mounted monitor. The nets could be safely viewed from the deck, and a device on the pole could even effect simple repairs to the nets, by remote control.

In 2003, DJ and his siblings held an Estate Sale (termed an “Old Guys Sale” because as Hauka said “There’s stuff here that only an old guy would want. They’d say ‘don’t throw that out, I been lookin’ fer one o’ them fer years!”) The clearout of his father’s former repair shop was a fundraiser for the Don and Margaret Hauka Memorial Fund, established to cover costs of installing a display of Hauka’s inventions, particularly his unmanned submersible, and a recreation of the radio repair shop at the Museum. “This shop served as a community hub for so many years, and a lot of people have memories to share about my dad, which are as valuable to the community and need to be preserved, too,” according to DJ Hauka – who collected the reminiscences and donated them to the Museum, along with shop artifacts and the submersible.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 27 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museums & Archives photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museums & GIBSON’S LANDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL c. 1954 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museums & Archives photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museums & GIBSON’S LANDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL c. 1960

28 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GIBSONS HERITAGE SCHOOL (formerly Gibson’s Landing Elementary School) 805 Gibsons Way Constructed: 1911 - 1960 Type of construction: frame, gable roof DESIGNATED HERITAGE SITE PER HCA BYLAW 582, MARCH 15, 1988 photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Prior to the Howe Sound School District’s incorporation on June 12, 1890, Mrs. Henry Smith (Mrs. Lucy A.B. Smith) had been giving informal lesson to her daughter, nieces and nephew and “the Manning child” in a log cabin on the Gibsons property, “close to the beach,” probably near the site of the current Pioneer Park. A half-acre building site purchased from the Aslett pre-emp- tion in Gibsons Heights was acquired for a school building, and connected to the Village by the fi rst public road in Gibson’s Landing - School Road - built with a $400 provincial government grant.

On January 19, 1891 Lucy Smith held her fi rst class at the new one-room Howe Sound School.

By 1910, a larger building was needed. The one-room schoolhouse was moved to the rear of the property (onto an acre donated by James Chaster, who now held the Aslett pre-emption) with the aide of Clare Chamberlin’s team of horses and a block and tackle. This building, known as “The Barn,” served as an auxiliary classroom, manual training shop, gymnasium, and eventually as the area’s fi rst high school. It was torn down in 1954.

In 1937 the building was again expanded, from two rooms to fi ve.

It was not enough to accommodate the post-war boom. By 1951, students were crammed into the 5-room main school, overfl owing into the Barn and the recently-purchased Women’s Institute Hall, as well as a room rented from a cafe next to St. Bartholomew’s Church, the church’s Parish Hall and a private home adjacent to the church.

When Elphinstone Secondary School opened in 1952 on 12 acres purchased from Ernie Reitz it relieved much of the congestion.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 29 30 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register The school’s grounds increased with the gift of an additional triangle of land from Mr. and Mrs. Brys and purchase of land from William Farnham (who took over the Aslett pre-emption from James Chaster.)

When the new Gibsons Elementary School was built, the old building continued to serve as a classroom and became the fi rst Community School on the Coast. Subsequent renovations to the interior included ramps and elevator to aid the mobility-challenged. The renovations were not without controversy. During this time, a cairn was relocated to the School Road side of the build- ing at the time of renovations and the time capsule which had been buried beneath it was lost. Many of the maple trees which surrounded the building - planted by the pioneer families as part of a community picnic celebration in the post-World War I years - were cut down, to the chagrin of many residents.

After its designation as a Heritage Site in 1988, the building was renamed Gibsons Heritage School.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 31 32 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GIBSONS CINEMA (formerly Twilight Theatre) 909 Gibsons Way (Lot C, Plan 11354) Constructed: 1963 Type of construction: frame on concrete slab Original owner: Mike Jackson photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL and CULTURAL ASSOCIATION Before Heritage Playhouse opened, the Twilight Theatre was used for live performances (notably the Arts Council’s “Countryside Concerts” series), music and dance festivals and other events as well as serving as a movie theatre. Generations of young dancers learned their steps in the upstairs rooms. The 632-seat Twilight Theatre’ s construction was “sponsored” by Mike Jackson of Jackson Brothers Logging – opening in 1963 with a screening of The Pajama Game. From 1965 – 1995 the theatre was managed and later owned by Pamela and Raymond Boothroyd. The business and building were sold to the Kobas family in 1995, and the name changed from Twilight Theatre to Gibsons Cinema. The business was subsequently purchased by Deb and Doug Proby in 1996 who purchased the building in 2002. The business was sold to current owners Judy and Alvin Heil in 1999 and the building was sold in 2005 to owners currently resident in Arizona. The building was designed with a “dip” near the stage, so that the fi rst rows are actually higher than the 3rd and 4th rows. This was so that persons sitting in those front seats would be able to see more comfortably. Design of the building has been attributed to Arthur Erickson, but Erickson’s staff recently confi rmed that the Twilight Theatre / Gibsons Cinema was not one of his projects. For many years, Jean Milward’s Gibsons School of Theatre Dance held classes in ballet, classical and tap dance on the stage and in the upstairs facilities. The second fl oor facilities were also rented out as offi ce space. The theatre has hosted religious services on Sundays for various smaller congregations. In the late 1960s the Canadian pop group, The Poppy Family (Susan and Terry Jacks, Craig McCaw and Satwan Singh), played the Twilight Theatre before their rise to fame. Because they could not afford accommodation, the group slept on the stage behind the curtain and used the Boothroyd’s kitchen and bath facilities at their nearby trailer.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 33 34 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 958 Gibsons Way (Lot 1, Plan LMP33000) Constructed: 1942-43; wings added 1959; moved to present site, 1963 Type of construction: Timber frame; copper clad roof on steeple photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION The fourth Catholic Church to be constructed on the Sunshine Coast (the fi rst, on the Sechelt band lands, burned down and was rebuilt; the third was Holy Family in Sechelt village.) The Church and hall have been a hub for the Catholic congregation of the community since it was fi rst built. Until 1942, Catholic services were held in Sechelt with the priest visiting parishioners by wagon or car throughout the Sunshine Coast. In October, 1942, services were fi rst held in the area at a private home, then moved to the Legion 109 Hall (then located on a lot next to the school, top of School Road.). In March, 1943 the Church purchased Bl 7, DL 688 (at what is now the corner of Crucil Road and Gibsons Way), retaining 5 acres and selling the rest of the parcel to Mr. Crucil. Construction of the Church, originally called the Immaculate Heart of Mary, began in January 1945 under the direction and with the enthusiastic hands-on participation of Fr. Emmett Baxter OMI. As the Second World War was drawing to a close, building materials were hard to come by and City contractors were unreliable. A shipment of roofi ng shingles, 3 months late in delivery, was fi nally cancelled and a local contractor dropped off the full order the next day. The fi rst services were held in the church on August 12 of that year. It was formally opened as the Most Pure Heart of Mary on the feast day of St. Mary, August 22 (although seats were not built and installed until October). The stained glass windows, contracted from Regal Glass in Vancouver at a cost of $25, was installed December 27, 1945.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 35 36 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register Work continued on the building and Fr. James Andrew Quigley was the fi rst to occupy the priest’s quarters in 1946.

The growing congregation spurred a renovation in 1959, with wings added to accommodate a crying room, space for the choir and organist, and more seating. Plain windows were replaced with stained glass.

In 1962, the Church’s name was changed to “St. Mary’s.”

In 1963, Fr. Francis Nash purchased present 1.6-acre church site, with a small house set on back of property (which he used as Priest’s Quarters) and another smaller dwelling. When the Crucil site was sold in 1963, the church was moved in sections to its present location at Park Road and Gibsons Way.

As Father Nash’s successor preferred to live at the Sechelt rectory (which had been the usual practice for priests assigned to the Sunshine Coast parishes), the small house was converted into a parish hall.

In 1971, Fr. Lehner blacktopped the driveway, leveled the site, planted evergreens and lawn. Eventually the congregation’s volunteer gardeners would take the Most Improved Garden award for this site, two years running.

In 1986, an architect was hired to design a new parish hall and oversee interior renovations to the church. By 1988 the new parish hall was completed. The church’s nave had been enlarged through the removal of interior walls and relocation of confessionals to the sacristy. New fl oor supports and concrete leveling added to the building’s structural integrity.

Most recently, the present site was subdivided and half of the property was sold with the funds used to pay for a property at the corner of Shaw and Charman Roads above Gower Point. Plans for a new church to be constructed sometime before 2010 are currently being considered.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 37 38 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register CELESTIAL INTRUDER 331 Headlands Road Constructed: 1984-85 Type of construction: Carved, painted and assembled red cedar sculpture Original owner: Dudley Carter photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, UNIQUE CULTURAL COMPONENT One of the only examples of Dudley Carter’s carvings in Gibsons. Carter had a studio in Gibson’s Landing (at the present location of Justa Cuppa) with his granddaughter, Anna Vaughan. His work was recognized, and avidly collected, by buyers throughout North America. At the time of his death in 1991 at age 100, Carter was still working on commissions and “was a going concern with twenty years’ worth of work and wood piled up when he died” according to his family.

“Celestial Intruder” was originally envisioned as an open-air carving studio, acting as an umbrella over Dudley Carter’s workspace. At the time of its creation, in 1984-85, Carter was in his early 90’s and sharing a work studio on Marine Drive in Gibsons with his granddaughter, Anna Vaughan Hanson.

The piece was too large for the studio, and Carter’s son-in-law offered the use of the vacant lot adjacent to their small house on Gower Point Road (currently the site of a day spa) for its construction.

It became a family project, as the Hansons and son Earl Carter assisted with the rough carving as well as the placing of the many “feathers.”

At one point, Carter had hopes of the Celestial Intruder’s installation at Expo 86, acting as a giant wind vane at Canada Place. However, this idea did not come to fruition and the sculpture remained at the Gower Point Road site until it was bought by Landscape Architect Ruby Buick and installed at its present location, in the grounds at 331 Headland Road.

Hedges and trees have since grown to screen the sculpture from public view.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 39 F.J. WYNGAERT GENERAL STORE c. 1933

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

40 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register VILLAGE STORE (formerly Wyngaert’s General Store) 416 Marine Drive (Lot 14, Plan 4303) Constructed: 1922 Type of construction: frame construction Original owner: Dolly Heino Original contractor: Mrs. P.F. Bragg photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Ice cream has been sold on this site since 1930. Although many long-time residents recall attending dances on the General Store’s main (street level) fl oor it is possible these were actually held at the building next door, which offered “dine and dance.”

The small building on the equally small lot (20 feet in width) was originally constructed as a dressmaking shop for Mrs. Bragg’s daughter, Dollie Heino. Mrs. Heino’s business closed in 1923 and apparently the building sat vacant until Frank Wyngaert opened F.J. Wyngaert’s General Store there in 1930 – purchasing the property for $1,000 in 1931. The building was extended in length and a basement added, with living quarters on a lower level built in 1933 (or, possibly, 1935 – Wyngaert’s own account in his book is not clear on this point.) The area below the shop and above the living quarters was renovated in 1935 and the “rather crude unfi nished ice cream parlour” was revamped as “Wyngaert’s Ice Cream Parlour and Tea Room.”

The premises were sold in 1945 to Ben Lang. Wyngaert moved the grocery operation up the hill to the farmsite on the family property (Wyngaert Road and Gibsons Way) The Wyngaert Agricultural Display (including a mural by Vivian Chamberlin) at the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives is part of the family legacy to the community.

The building is currently occupied by a General Store again.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 41 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

BALLENTINE APARTMENTS c. 1937 view from Government Wharf

42 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register BALLENTINE APARTMENTS 426 Marine Drive (DL 686, Pl. 3971, Lot 2, Blk D, H, J PID: 011-984-597) Constructed: 1943 Type of construction: wood frame; 5 apartments on 2 levels Original owner/contractor: Cecil Palmer “Bal” Ballentine Builders: Jack Allen, Roy Malveg and Fred Holland photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Character water-view apartments have housed many Gibsons residents and businesses. “Bal” Ballentine purchased the property from H.H. Winn in 1943. Originally intended to be six suites on 2 levels, only 5 units were constructed. The street-level suites have been adapted to serve as businesses and offi ces. Over the years they have housed a beauty par- lour, taxi company, School District nurse and secretary, bakery, massage therapist and an art gallery. The bakery’s oven chimney was piped through a window and after the busi- ness closed, the window was simply boarded up, and the unit reverted again to residential use. In 2003, Sharon Danroth restored the unit to expose the original clear fi r fl oorboards and removed the chimney.

According to Francis J. Van Den Wyngaert in his book The West Howe Sound Story: 1886-1976, the building’s wartime construction may have utilized substandard lumber and materials as this was all that was available at the time. Ballentine also built “Bal’s Block” of shops across the street, which now houses Fong’s Market, Mathews and More, and other businesses.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 43 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

ORKESTRA INN c. 1937

44 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register MARINA HOUSE (formerly Orkestra Inn) 564 Marine Drive (Lot 11, Blocks D,H,J, DL686, PL 3971, PID# 011-984-902) Constructed: 1914-1924 Type of construction: frame Original owner: Dr. Frederick Inglis

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, ARCHITECTURAL INTEREST

Marina House is an excellent and remark- ably well-preserved example of early home construction in Gibsons and is also important to the community for its connection with Dr. Fred Inglis, the town’s fi rst doctor. It is also notable for its picturesque massing, attrac- tive 3-storey porch design, and unusual roof construction.

photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

Dr. Inglis intended to have an offi ce on the top fl oor, his residence on the second fl oor and a boat- building shop on the lowest level. However, on completion it was rented as 3 separate apartments.

A 1937 photo by Helen McCall (opposite page) shows an adjacent dock and a beach that is thought to be imported sand. Subsequent installation of a storm sewer created the present water- front walking path.

After the original plumbing system failed, the lower apartments were abandoned and the site became a party house for teenagers.

Film producer Zale Dallen purchased the house in the 1980s and converted it to a single-family residence, gutting the ground fl oor to make an open living area, installing a tin ceiling and interior stairways to connect all levels. After Sue Bailey purchased the building (1996) one fl oor was par- titioned off as a separate apartment.

Distinguishing architectural features include: asymmetrical placement of two-storey wing on north side (part of original structure; superimposed porches incorporate trellis design to provide romantic counterpoint, modulate sunlight and frame views from living rooms; very generous 4’ overhangs combined with 16” wide fascia boards are impressive in scale for a building this size; unusual roof structure made of 2x4 decking, applied on edge; original siding (originally var- nished, currently painted yellow with white trim) and sliding fi r windows well-preserved; interior fi nishes remarkably intact (maple fl oors, panelled fi r doors, fi r/bird’s-eye maple trim); unusual wide board-and-batten design wainscotting on 2nd fl oor in bird’s-eye maple apparently milled from trees on Gambier Island. Fireplaces on each fl oor are no longer functional and the original wood-burning furnace has been removed, leaving a massive brick construction on the lowest fl oor.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 45 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives FIRST MUNICIPAL HALL c. 1947

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

FIRST MUNICIPAL HALL c. 1950

46 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register PIGS RUGBY CLUB HOUSE (formerly Gibson’s Landing Municipal Hall) 574 Marine Drive (Plan 3971, Lot J, Bl. D,H.J, DL686 PID#011-984-970) Constructed: 1947-48 Type of construction: frame

photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE COMMUNITY The fi rst municipal hall for the Village of Gibson’s Landing is located adjacent to Armour’s Beach, and now serves as a meeting place for the Gibsons Rugby and Athletic Club (known familiarly as “The Pigs”) and other community groups.

Following incorporation as a Village in 1929, Gibson’s Landing Council meetings were held in a rented hall. In 1945, when that building was sold, Council began searching for a new site and on August 7, 1946 put out a call for tenders for construction of a Municipal Hall. As no tenders were received, Council instructed the Municipal Building Inspector, H. Hoad, to prepare plans and cost estimates for a building.

On September 18, 1946 Council passed a motion to build a 16’ x 24’ building on Town property at Armour’s Beach to house the Village offi ces. Using local labour, the project was completed under budget and was in use by mid-1948.

The building served as the Municipal Hall until the present Municipal Offi ces on South Fletcher replaced it in 1965.

The Gibsons Athletic Association used the Armour’s Beach building until the 1970s, when it sat vacant until the Town leased the premises to the Gibsons Rugby and Athletic Club in 1984. The Club is responsible for the building’s maintenance and operation; they built the waterside addition (seen to left in photo above) and outside deck to provide more meeting space and make the build- ing more attractive for private functions.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 47 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

LOWDEN HOME c. 1938

48 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register LOWDEN HOME (demolished since original inclusion in Register) 596 Marine Drive, rear photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION One of the remaining summer rental cabins that once lined the shores, was constructed by Sam Armour and sat on the waterfront facing onto the park named for Mr. Armour and was occupied for decades by his daughter and her husband, Jack Lowden.

The building was demolished in 2004.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 49 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S CHURCH c. 1939

50 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S ANGLICAN CHURCH BETHLEHEM CHAPEL 659 North Road (Lot D, DL 688, PL LMP16164, PID: 018-715-508) Constructed: 1892; restored, 1990s Type of construction: Wood frame, shingle siding photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE TO COMMUNITY, HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

The oldest building in Gibsons, the building that now comprises the Bethlehem Chapel within the walls of the expanded and updated Anglican Church has played a signifi cant role in the community for over 100 years. The building was constructed at the instigation of a Mr. Hyde in memory of his son, Arthur, who died in a smallpox epidemic. Hyde purchased and donated an acre of land to the Anglican Diocese. Father Henry Glynne Fiennes Clinton directed volunteers in clearing the site and erecting the small wooden church. Fr. Clinton was a heroic fi gure who famously sounded the alarm during Vancouver’s Great Fire of 1886, and spearheaded the opening of Vancouver’s fi rst Public Library in 1887. This 1889 building later served as the nave of an enlarged building and was incorporated as a chapel in the new church de- signed by architect Richard Williams and built around the original structure in 1995. The new church also incorporated the 1989 Parish Hall. During the construction, the newly- named Bethlehem Chapel was carefully restored, using photographs and records from the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. The chapel retains a modest bell tower over the original entrance, with a 1901 vintage bell acquired when St. Aiden’s Church in Roberts Creek was incorporated with St. Bart’s. This bell is a relic of the S.S. Deerhound which plied the St. Lawrence before being brought to the West Coast to serve as Union Steamships’ Lady Evelyn. A 70-pound, 16” brass bell made to order in 1963 is a companion to this historic bell.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 51 52 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register From its inception, the building served as a meeting place as well as a place of worship. For example, C.F. Woodsworth, founder of the CCF (forerunner of the NDP) held early public discussions of socialist theory at St. Bart’s.

During the 1920’s, the church fell into disuse for almost a decade following a dispute between an itinerant minister who had the temerity to take exception to the classroom methods of formidable Sunday Schoolteacher Emma Fletcher. Fuming at his criticism, Mrs. Fletcher sat through the regular Sunday service which followed, and when Mass was concluded, stood and said “Friends and neighbours, next week Sunday School will be held in the schoolhouse across the road.” Subsequently the church stood vacant and worship at the church was not resumed until the 1928 appointment of C.O. Darby as vicar to the Sunshine Coast. He was succeeded in the post by the Coast’s fi rst full-time Anglican vicar, Edwin A. Thain. Rev. Thain built a rectory adjacent to the church and also constructed St. Aidan’s Church on Robert’s Creek Road (now deconsecrated; its congregation was amalgamated with St. Bartholomew’s.)

St. Bart’s is a community hub, offering facilities used for community meetings, concerts, and classes.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 53 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection HOWE SOUND WOMEN’S INSTITUTE HALL c. 1937

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives HOWE SOUND WOMEN’S INSTITUTE HALL viewed from St. Bartholomew’s Parsonage c. 1937

54 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GIBSONS HERITAGE PLAYHOUSE (formerly Women’s Institute Hall) 662 North Road (Parcel F, DL688, Gp 1, NWD PL1345) Constructed: 1929 Type of construction: frame on concrete slab Original owner: Howe Sound Women’s Institute DESIGNATED HERITAGE SITE (HCA Bylaw 582-1, March 21, 1989) Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL / CULTURAL ASSOCIATION The Women’s Institute Hall initially served as a cultural centre on the Sunshine Coast; was sold to the School District and reacquired by the Town. It is currently leased to the Gibson’s Landing Heritage Society who achieved its historic designation, and undertook a massive restoration. The GLHS currently operates the building as the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse.

photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

The Howe Sound Women’s Institute (founded in 1926) purchased the former site of the Method- ist Church Manse from the Gibson’s Landing United Church in June, 1929. With funds borrowed from local resident William Edwards, they hired carpenter Fred Fisher of Gower Point (at $6 a day) to oversee the construction, all performed by volunteers. By autumn 1929, building had progressed to the point where a dance could be held on the newly- laid fl oor. During the Depression years, with the HSWI anxious to repay their debt, the hall was booked for dances every Wednesday and Saturday night during the summer, and in the winter months hosted performances by the newly-formed drama club, as well as basketball games, town meetings, bazaars, bake sales and fairs. On July 11, 1941 the HSWI handed the building (free of all debts) over to the School Board, which they felt had the fi nancial means and mandate to continue operating the Hall as a commu- nity resource. Now known as “The School Hall,” the building fulfi lled its traditional role as a community centre (as well as gymnasium and overfl ow classroom) throughout the 1950s. In the 1960s, with new school construction making use of the School Hall as gymnasium redundant, the building was recommissioned as a maintenance shed for the School District and continued in this role until the late 1980s, when the maintenance Department moved to larger premises. The building sat empty until it was acquired by the Town and leased to the GLHS in the 1990s. Renovations uncovered historic signage (on display in the lobby). Notable features of the restored building include Art Deco seating from Vancouver’s Starlight cinema and hand-carved doors by artist Bradley Hunt.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 55 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives

GIBSON’S LANDING WHARF c. 1912

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection GIBSON’S LANDING WHARF c. 1947

56 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GIBSONS GOVERNMENT WHARF foot of school road Constructed: 1947; wharfi nger building, annex, pedestrian walkway added 1999; ramp to waterfront seawalk added 2006 Original wharf construction details: The original 1947 wharf is 179’ long with 150’ front- age, connected by a 370’ ramp to Marine Drive. The 6’ sidewalk and 20’ traffi c lane were designed to diminish traffi c hazards. The wharf stands on 450 pilings (made from 450 trees of 44’ length) on 40 concrete footings, and a 6’ base on the concrete abutments. Builder: W. Greenlees Construction Co. under contract from the Federal Department of Transport

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION One of the few remaining Government wharves able to accommodate a sea-going ship, “the dock” is an integral part of Gibsons’ working harbour and an important link to its historic dependence on water transportation. “The dock” was once the social hub of the community, where people would gather on “boat day.” photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Tugboats provided the fi rst regular service between Gibson’s Landing and the Lower Mainland, transporting loggers to nearby camps and delivering supplies in the scows towed behind them. Later, the Union Steamships, later known as the Black Ball Line, provided this service.

The area’s fi rst wharf was constructed a few years following their initial 1886 pre-emption by George Gibson and his sons, using a home-made pile-driver, and was located about 200’ south of the present structure.

The fi rst Government Wharf was built in 1900-01, and rebuilt in 1947 with the ardent support of then-Transport Minister James Sinclair, a strong advocate for adequate wharf facilities along the BC coastline. He was proudly in attendance at the opening ceremonies.

In 1947, a large storage shed served as a waiting room and ticket offi ce. During the 1999 Millen- nium Revitalization Project, this was replaced by the distinctive Wharfi nger Building and annex. A pedestrian walkway and gazebo along the breakwater were added at this time. The log-construction Wharfi nger Building, with support posts carved by sculptor Steve Stevens, and timber-framed and shingled annex were built by West Coast Log homes. The Gazebo at the end of the walkway was built by the Gibsons Rotary Club, and is a favourite spot for wedding photos and impromptu con- certs by buskers in the summertime.

Adjacent fl oats are home to the Coast Guard rescue vessels, water taxis, small cruise operators, a population of unique fl oathouses and live-aboard vessels, sail and power pleasurecraft, retired tug- boats, and fi shboats in active and retired service.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 57 58 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register SMITTY’S MARINA HOUSE & CHANDLERY 643 School Road (Lot 8, Plan 7731) Constructed: House, 1948-49; Chandlery, 1950s Type of construction: frame Original owner: Harry “Smitty” Smith

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION The house sits on the original Gibsons property, adjacent to the site of the second Gibsons home (the fi rst was burned after a smallpox epidemic). The property was purchased by Charles P. Smith in 1926 for $5500. The marina is the fi rst private one to be operated in the area and the chandlery building is familiar to fans of the CBC’s Beachcomber TV series, fi lmed in the area.

photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005 The fi rst house built by C.P. Smith (who also constructed the general store building that now houses Molly’s Reach) was situated next to the present Shell Oil property, built with the assistance of John Kullander and Chuck Winegarden. After the house was completed the Smith had the Gibson house demolished. In 1937 Cy Johnston (harbourmaster, 1937 – 1952) purchased the C.P. Smith home. Smith built another home, closer to the waterfront. In 1947, C.P. Smith’s son Harry (Smitty) Smith arrived with his wife and two children – John and Patricia – and moved in with the C.P. Smiths. Smitty bought the waterfront portion of the lot below the general store in 1948, and built “the blue house.” The family moved in just before Christmas, 1949. Having worked extensively with the Easthope engines favoured by the fi shing fl eet, Smitty’s skills were in high demand. The house’s living room served as his workroom until the house could be raised and a lower level built to house the shop. Smitty’s wife can still recognize the distinctive sound of an Easthope engine. Floats that were originally built for customers bringing boats in for service were expanded to provide recreational moorage, when Smitty assumed management of Deluxe Fishing and Guide Service. The Deluxe operation’s 180’x22’ fl oat and freight shed, fi ve rental boats and one speedboat were relocated from the east side of the wharf to the more protected Marina site. After a year of management, Smith had settled the Deluxe operation’s outstanding debts, realized a profi t and then purchased the business outright. The fl oat was given to the YMCA camp and the operation was renamed Smitty’s Boat Rentals and Marina. Additional fl oats and the Chandlery were added in the 1950s. In recent years, the Chandlery was closed and operation of the Marina passed to son John Smith, who envisons converting the chandlery to a food service operation.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 59 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives Helen McCall collection

SMITH’S HARDWARE c. 1937

60 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register MOLLY’S REACH (originally Smith’s Hardware Store) 647 School Road (DL686, PL15815, Lot 1, Blk C, PID# 007-621-621) Constructed: 1926 Type of construction: frame with false front Original owner: C.P. Smith photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION An internationally-recognized landmark, due to its prominence as a set for the CBC’s long-running Beachcombers TV series still being shown in syndication worldwide, the building originally housed a grocery store (until 1933), then a hardware store, second-hand store, real estate and insurance offi ce, and housed the Government Liquor Store from 1958 until 1969.

In 1969 CBC-TV leased the structure for use as the “Molly’s Reach” set and as such it drew tourists who were inevitably disappointed that it was not in fact a working cafe. Following the series’ cancellation in 1991, the building sat vacant until Gwen Edmonds (whose mother’s name, coincidentally, was Molly) leased the premises and opened Molly’s Reach as a functioning restaurant. The business was sold in 2006 and the restaurant is still “welcoming back” tourists and residents.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 61 62 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register OLAFSEN RESIDENCE (formerly The Manse or Parsonage) 607 Seaview Road (Lot 23, BL2, BL K&L, DL688, Gp 1 PL4028) Constructed: 1914-15 Type of construction: frame with 12’ studs, 9’ ceilings, gable roof Original owner: Methodist Church of Canada photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, ARCHITECTURAL INTEREST

The Methodist Church was an important part of the community from 1895 until 1925 (when it was incorporated into the United Church of Canada).

The fi rst Manse was built in 1900 at the corner of North Road and Sechelt Highway (now known as Gibsons Way) on the site of the present Heritage Playhouse. At that time, Methodist services were held in the schoolhouse across the street - the congregation having outgrown their original meeting place in George and Charlotte Gibson’s living room.

The Methodist Church was built in 1910 following Charlotte Gibson’s death, on land donated by George Gibson (on the site of the present Visitor Info Centre adjacent to Pioneer Park). In 1913 Mr. Grantham donated the land on Seaview Road on which the Manse was constructed, and under the stewardship of Rev. Robert C. Scott volunteers cleared the site that winter. In 1914 construc- tion began, with the building shell completed early in 1915. (Title for the property did not actually change hands until 1932.)

The building’s was occupied 1915-1917 by Rev. J.S. Woodsworth and his family, until the pacifi st Woodsworth resigned his position in protest against the Methodist Church’s pro-war stance. J.S. Woodsworth went on to found the Canadian Cooperative Federation (CCF) party, the forerunner to the present New Democratic Party, and is widely regarded as the father of the democratic socialist movement in Canada.

Currently the building is occupied by singer/songwriter Lawry Olafsen and family. It has recently been renovated and a small shed on the property has been converted to a recording studio.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 63 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives

JAMES FLETCHER on the property at 499 South Fletcher Road

64 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register FLETCHER HOUSE 499 South Fletcher Rd. (Lot 30, Plan 10899) Constructed: 1912 Type of construction: frame Original owners: James and Emma Fletcher photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, ARCHITECTURAL INTEREST

James and Emma Fletcher and their large family moved from their original pre-emption on Pratt Road in1912, when the Fletcher House was built on what became South Fletcher Road. At that time the road ended in a winding trail to Gospel Rock, and the property included a stable that accommodated cows and horses. The basic structure retains many of the original wood-framed windows as well as its shingle-clad exterior. A photo of James Fletcher shows him standing on the farmed slope that is now covered in lawn. Fruit trees planted by the Fletchers on the property are still producing.

Emma Fletcher became postmistress in 1912, taking over this position from George Gibson; it was she who had the area designation changed from “West Howe Sound” to “Gibson’s Landing.” She sold the store and transferred the post offi ce operation to William Winn in 1915.

In the 1920’s, Mrs. Fletcher built a number of rental properties along Fletcher Road (North and South), some of which are still standing. She also collected rent money for tenants of the buildings on the former LePage glue factory site (which sat at the Southeast corner of the present Winegarden Waterfront Park.)

Both James and Emma Fletcher served as school trustees and were active community volunteers.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 65 photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives

ED HICKS AND CHARLIE MALCOLM DIGGING CHANNEL FOR MARINE WAYS AT BOAT WORKS SITE (original structure in background)

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives ARBUTUS 1 ON THE MARINE WAYS AT CHARLIE MALCOLM’S BOAT WORKS

66 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register WINN ROAD BOATHOUSE (formerly Malcolm & Hicks Boat Works) foot of Winn Road Constructed: 1947 Type of construction: open-air frame shed with marine railways Original owners: Charles Malcolm and Ed Hicks photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Part of the post-WW2 industry boom, the Malcolm & Hicks Boat Works built and repaired boats for fi shing, beachcombing and pleasure. Under various owners the site has been in active use as a marine repair shop into the fi rst years of the 21st Century.

Originally known as the Malcolm & Hicks Boat Works, within a year or two the property was soon known as “Charlie Malcolm Boat Works.” Charlie “Chick” Malcolm was a trained cabinetmaker and, following the dissolution of his partnership with Ed Hicks, mostly worked alone building custom boats for fi shing and beachcombing.

One of their fi rst contracts was to build Ray Fletcher’s beachcombing vessel, “Sea Mist,” designed to be powerful enough to remove logs from beaches at low tide.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 67 68 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register SUNSHINE COAST MUSEUM & ARCHIVES (formerly Elphinstone Pioneer Museum) 716 Winn Road (Lot 4, Plan 14197) Constructed: 1974 Type of construction: frame on cement slab, tar & gravel roof Original owner: Town of Gibsons photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2005

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL & CULTURAL IMPORTANCE TO THE COMMUNITY The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives (originally called the Elphinstone Pioneer Musuem) houses the collections originally amassed by members of the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum Society and the Sunshine Coast Maritime Museum Society. It houses an impressive collection of photographs, archival documents, artifacts, rare and out of print books, memorabilia from the Sunshine Coast’s earliest days as well as sundry personal collections of interest (e.g. the Bland Butterfl y Collection.)

The fi rst museum opened by the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum Society (registered for this purpose on June 22, 1965) was designed to house the collection amassed by local historian Lester Peterson. It occupied the basement of the Municipal Hall on South Fletcher St. (rent-free) and was offi cially opened by then-premier W.A.C. Bennett on May 25, 1965. As the Town offi ces required additional space, the museum was moved to the basement of the old library building next door (still rent-free). When an opportunity arose to rent the premises to the Provincial Government, the Mayor and Council agreed to erect a new and larger building for museum use on Winn Road (at its present location.) Accordingly, the Town applied for grant funding and built a single-story structure. The Elphinstone Pioneer Museum was offi cially opened by Premier David Barrett. The premises were again provided rent-free by the Town of Gibsons, subsidized in part from revenue from the portion of the building occupied by the ICBC offi ce.

Lola Westell recalls the building’s fl at roof was an ideal space for bands to perform open-air concerts in summertime.

As the collection continued to expand the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum Society applied for funding to add a second storey to the structure (with wheelchair access) and volunteers assisted with its construction.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 69 70 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register Until 2000, the Museum was managed and staffed entirely by community volunteers.

The Elphinstone Pioneer Museum merged with the Sunshine Coast Maritime Museum in 2003 – housing both collections at the Winn Road site. At this time, a part-time Curator was housed to manage the collection (but volunteers were essential to the facility’s operation.)

Funding by the Town of Gibsons relinquished its support role to the Sunshine Coast Regional District for the fi rst time in 2004. In 2005 the ICBC premises moved to the renovated Municipal Hall and the museum expanded into the vacated space – establishing a gift shop, meeting room, and relocating the archives and other collections.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 71 72 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register TOWN OF GIBSONS

HERITAGE REGISTER:

PARKS, HERITAGE TREES AND ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT SITES

AS AT AUGUST 15, 2006

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 73 74 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register OAK TREE 414 Gower Point Road (rear) photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION A forgotten gem, the oak tree at Gower Point Road which shades the Post Offi ce parking lot was recently rediscovered by the property’s developer. To their credit, they recognized the oak as a potential heritage tree and acted to preserve it - designing the project around it.

The oak stands on property once owned by Capt. Palmer, a former skipper on the United Steam- ships’ Black Ball ferries. Palmer was a noted gardener; sadly, the property became overgrown and the oak tree was largely unnoticed until the land was re-cleared.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 75 76 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register CEDAR TREE Winegarden Waterfront Park Gower Point Road photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

Reason for inclusion: ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

Historically, this tree was a habitat for birds; a sign so designating the tree was placed at an unknown date. This tree may have been planted by the Corlett family. An ancient clothesline pulley hangs from the tree, indicating it was at its present height and useful to the residents of the Corlett Apartments which stood on the site until the mid-1960s.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 77 78 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register GOSPEL ROCK (formerly Shepard’s Rock)

photo courtesy Lee Ann Johnson Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, CULTURAL ASSOCIATION, ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE, Marlayne Lister photo from fi lm “Desolation Sound” courtesy Liz Cunningham IMPORTANCE TO THE COMMUNITY A landmark for mariners in the early 1900s, Gospel Rock and the surrounding area is home to native arbutus and other indigenous plant life which is becoming increasingly rare. It is popular with bird-watchers, who have recorded an astonishing number of species in the area. In the early 1900s, a series of Biblically-inspired messages, including “The Wages of Sin is Death,” “He Shall Be Born Again,” and “Christ Died For The Ungodly” appeared on the rock, and were kept brightly-painted for years. A member of the Plymouth Brethren who occupied a cabin nearby Shepard’s Rock was presumed to be the author. Robert Watson, a Hudson’s Bay Company offi cial and well-known Canadian writer spent many summer holidays in the area, and his novel Gordon of the Lost Lagoon was set in Gibson’s Landing. The rocky promontory described in the book is presumed to be Gospel Rock. Roby Kidd, founder of the “Continuing Education” concept evolved what he called his “social gospel” while living in Gibson’s Landing. When interviewers asked about his home, he would reply that wherever he might abide, Gibson’s Landing was his spiritual home, and its focus was Gospel Rock. Whenever he was under stress, Kidd said, he would make his way there either physically or spiritually and, looking over the Strait, would take his mental bearings from his own Rock of Ages. Others have found the spot conducive to meditation, and Gospel Rock has been a popular site for Easter Sunday services for many years.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 79 80 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register PIONEER PARK CEMETERY (formerly Gibsons Methodist / United Church Cemetery) Gower Point Road Constructed: 1910

photo courtesy Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives c. 1912

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, IMPORTANCE TO COMMUNITY photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

The tiny Gibson family cemetery that has been preserved as part of Pioneer Park, at the junction of Gower Point Road, Gibsons Way, School Road and Marine Drive is the fi nal resting place of the community founder and some members of his immediate family. Upon the death of his wife, Charlotte, in 1910 George Gibson donated land from his original pre-emption for construction of the Gibsons Methodist Church - with the stipulation that a cemetery be created for the interment of the Gibson family. The church building was renamed Gibsons United Church in 1920. In the 1960s the building was sold to the Baptist congregation and moved to Park Road. (It was later replaced by the Baptist Church’s current structure.) The United Church congregation built a new, larger church and hall on Glassford Road. The stone steps and fence surrounding the cemetery were built in 1971 as a project commemorating the centennial of BC’s entry into confederation. The family placed a new memorial stone as part of a family reunion project; the original headstones are very eroded but still readable. It is believed the rose plantings in the cemetery grounds grew from slips taken from Charlotte Gibson’s favourite bushes.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 81 82 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register WALNUT TREE rear, 647 School Road photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Planted by George Gibson Jr., this walnut tree stands behind Molly’s Reach. The early settlers used the oil from the walnut husks to stain their wooden gun stocks.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 83 84 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register BROTHERS MEMORIAL PARK Park Road Constructed: 1950 (ongoing) photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003 Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, IMPORTANCE TO COMMUNITY, CHARACTER ASSOCIATION Brothers Park is one of the oldest recreation sites in Gibsons and a hub of activity. Construction of the playing fi elds and particularly the former Field of Dreams, nor re-named Dempster Field (for Gibsons Little League alum and Major League star Ryan Dempster) was a community effort, largely achieved by volunteers using donated equipment and materials. The park development started in 1950 when logging contractors Al and George Jackson (of Jackson Brothers Logging) donated 5 acres for use as a park, intended primarily for sports and other recreational fi elds. (This land had once been part of the Arthur Hyde pre-emption and homestead.) An additional 8 acres was purchased in BC’s centennial year, 1958, with a provincial government grant plus funds raised in the community. The Kiwanis Club in particular made this project a priority and work was ongoing through to the Canadian centennial year, 1967. At the time of the park’s initial construction, it lay outside the boundaries of the Village and was therefore under the auspices of the Provincial Government and administered by a Parks Board of Trustees, who administered the province’s small annual maintenance grants. In 1973, with the Park now lying within its borders, title was transferred from the Provincial Government to the Town. The Trustees were reassured by the then Minister of Recreation that, should the Trustees resign to permit the Crown to grant the land to the Village by Order-in- Council, the grant would be restricted so that the name “Brothers Memorial Park” would be permanent, and that “the land be for park purposes only.” These stipulations were included in the fi nal agreement signed by all parties, as well as stating: • That the Park property remain intact in perpetuity for the use and recreation of the people of Gibsons and community; • That no part of the Park shall be sold, leased, or traded away, or otherwise disposed of, for any purpose whatsoever; • That no public road or thoroughfare be constructed or permitted across any section of the Park,

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 85 86 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register Documents archived at the Sunshine Coast Museum as part of the Kiwanis Club’s legacy indicate that even though much of the area was undeveloped at the time of transfer, the Trustees were aware of the need for dedicated parkland as a reserve against future development - and looked to Vancouver’s Stanley Park as a model in this regard. The documents cite the foresightedness of Trustees R. Burns, G. Grey, Messrs. MacAfee, MacNicol, Wilson and Ballentine and the Parks Development Committee, Kiwanis Club, Kinsmen Club, Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Committee and Elphinstone’s high school students as being “as faithful to this trust as the original men could have wished.”

At the time of the Park’s initial dedication in 1967, the Kiwanis Club placed a two-ton boulder to serve as a cairn over a time capsule with mementos of the Canadian Centennial year and erected a fl agpole nearby.

Subsequently, the Town installed sewers and storm drains along Park Road, and the work required the moving of the cairn and fl agpole. The plaque was removed from the cairn and placed in the Town Hall. In the midst of the confusion of construction on site and at the Town Hall, the cairn and fl agpole were lost and the plaque disappeared.

Demonstrating their “faithfulness to their trust” as former members of the Kiwanis Club and/or Centennial Committee, Bill Wright, Cecil Chamberlin and Bernice Chamberlin lobbied for over two decades for a restored cairn and fl agpole and to ensure the park was correctly termed “Brothers Memorial Park.”

In 2004 - the 60th anniversary year of the Kiwanis Club’s establishment in Gibsons - the Town installed a new time capsule and cairn in a specially-created entry plaza, duplicating the original plaque from drawings and photographs provided by Bill Wright. The Park was offi cially rededicated as Brothers Memorial Park, with the Chamberlins and Bill Wright proudly in attendance. The Chamberlins have since donated a second fl agpole to the site. photos by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2003

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 87 88 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register FIR TREE Christensen Village Care Facility Shaw Road

Reason for inclusion: HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Thor Christensen’s original 10-acre property on Shaw Road was sold to the Town (at half its then-market value) with the stipulation that it not be re-sold, that its trees be preserved if possible (particularly the “Three Sisters”) and that it be used for community benefi t or recrea- tion. When the site was developed by the Good Samaritan Society for seniors’ housing and care facilities, contractors designed the facilities to incorporate as many of the trees in the land- scaping as possible. One of the “Three Sisters,” a beautifully-proportioned fi r, stands outside the cottages set aside for Alzheimer patients. photo by Going Coastal Communications Group, 2006 Thor Christensen moved to Gibsons from the Cariboo at the age of 30. Unable to fi nd work as a carpenter on the Coast, he hired on at Brittania Mines building support beams for the tunnel works and visiting his wife (who died young) and two children on the Shaw Road property whenever possible. The Christensens lived modestly, supplying most of their needs from their chickens and gardens on the property, and heating the house with the kitchen wood stove. Thor lived alone on the prop- erty and his hobby was cutting wood for the stove. Three outbuildings were always well-stocked with well-seasoned kindling and fi rewood. A strong man with a grip of iron well into his eighties, Thor Christensen loved the trees on his property and many of them had stories associated with them. One of the trees still bears the rope scars from a boat-building exercise. The boat was constructed on the property, then manoeuvred down the then-unpaved Highway 101 to Gibsons Harbour for launching. Christensen named three of the most graceful trees on the property after his three sisters at home in Norway. He developed a strong friendship with John Kavanagh, a local developer who had hoped to build a “green” housing development on the Christensen property that would have preserved much of the timber. To that end, at his own considerable expense Kavanagh had the trees on the property surveyed, tagging and numbering each. When Christensen decided instead to sell the property to the Town, he hoped that the majority of the tagged trees could be saved. Landscape Architect Judith Reeve indicated that two of Christensen’s “Three Sisters” and many of the old fruit trees were cut down, but the developers tried to work in harmony with Chris- tensen’s heritage wherever possible - even saving the conifers along Shaw Road and a rose bush that has entwined itself among them.

Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register 89 90 Gibsons Heritage Inventory and Register

LIST OF SOURCES

Armitage, Doreen. Around the Sound: A History of Howe Sound – Whistler. Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 1997. Barker, Terry. Sunshine Sketches. Sechelt: Terry Barker, 2001. Drope, Pat. History of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Gibsons. May, 1998. Keller, Betty C. and Rosella M. Leslie. Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits: The Sunshine Coast. Victoria: Horsdal & Schubart, 1996. Mainil, Jules A. “Another Classroom.” Coast News, Nov. 12, 1969. Archived at Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Mullock, Teryl. Interview with Sue Bailey dated March 2002, archived at Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Mullock, Teryl. Interview with Pat Drope dated September 2002, archived at Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Nicol, Mary. St. Mary’s Catholic Church: The First Fifty Years. Gibsons, BC: Elphinstone Pioneer Museum, 2000. Peterson, Lester R. Handwritten notes re: Gospel Rock archived at Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives. Undated. Peterson, Lester R. Handwritten notes re: Gibsons Heritage School archived at Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives. Undated. Peterson, Lester R. The Gibson’s Landing Story. Ottawa: Peter Martin Books Canada Ltd., 1962. “Souvenir of Gibsons Celebrating the Completion of the New Gibson’s Wharf,” dated August 16, 1947 and archived with the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Therien, Kelly, ed. Our Sunshine Coast: Historical Sketches. Sechelt BC: The SunCoast Writers’ Forge, 1990. Town of Gibsons Minute Books, 1946-48. Van Den Wyngaert, Francis J. The West Howe Sound Story: 1886-1976. Vancouver: Pegasus Press Inc., 1980. White, Howard. The Sunshine Coast: From Gibsons to Powell River. Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing. Young, Stuart and Pat Drope. 100 Years on the Coast. The Press, Gibsons, 1992.

Review of other community heritage inventories, registers and policies: City of Vancouver...... www.vancouver.ca/register, www.heritagevancouver.org City of Victoria ...... www.victoria.ca City of Nanaimo...... www.nanaimo.ca Owen Sound, Ontario ...... www.e-owensound.com/planning/collections-heritage Woodstock, ON ...... www.thamesriver.on.ca City of Port Moody ...... www.cityofportmoody.com/heritageregister City of Surrey...... www.surrey.ca Corporation of Delta ...... www.corp.delta.bc.ca Historic Places: The Register.....www.historicplaces.ca

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Interviews and information were generously provided for this project by:

Sue Bailey; Cecil and Bernice Chamberlin; Mary Cook; Liz Staniforth Cunningham; Sharon Danroth; Tavis Dodds; Carol Doyle; Peter Gordon; DJ Hauka; Lee Ann Johnson; John Kavanagh; Agnes LaBonte; Teryl Mullock; Lowrey Olafsen; Andrea and Bruce Pike; Judith Reeve; Steve Sawyer; Mrs. Harry Smith; David Steele; Joanie Thompson; Anna Vaughan Hanson; Mavis Vaughan; Lola Westell; Bill Wright; Bee Jackson and staff at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives; and the Town of Gibsons staff.

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