I was driving along Lynn Valley Road for probably the hundredth time this year, stopped at the traffic lights at Fromme. The Lynn Valley Care Centre is on the corner there, sitting behind a stone fence and a very big monkey tree.
For more stories like this one, check out Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History, there’s a section on North Vancouver.
The stone fence looks really old, much older than the care home. I wanted to know what was originally behind it.
After hitting some local history books and the city directories, I found out that it was the North Vancouver District Municipal Hall.
District:
When the District of North Vancouver was incorporated in 1891 it was huge. It went all the way from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay.
And, when the City and District split 16 years later, they needed new headquarters.
“The District had to cede quite a lot to its little offspring: the Municipal hall, other municipal buildings and lots, several parks, street ends and water frontage, a ferry, wharves and slips, the whole water system, office furniture, fire-fighting and road-making equipment, street lamps and posts, even the cemetery,” writes Chuck Davis in Reflections -100 Years. “In return the city paid several outstanding liabilities of the District.”
Moodyville:
More change was to come for the District when West Vancouver was incorporated in 1912 and Moodyville became part of the City in 1915.
According to a story in the Vancouver Daily World, the new North Vancouver District Municipal Hall was opened on October 25, 1911 by the Hon. F. Carter-Cotton in fancy new Lynn Valley digs with more than 200 people in attendance.
The City moved into a school on Chesterfield and Fourth Avenue that was built in 1902. The building became a “temporary city hall” for the next 62 years. You’ll know it now as Presentation House.
The stately old Lynn Valley building became a private hospital and District Hall moved to its current location on Queens Road.
Judging by the classified ads, it looks like the old District Hall building was replaced with a “modern 50-bed hospital” in the early 1970s.
With special thanks to North Vancouver Museum and Archives and archival rock star Daien Ide.
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17 comments on “Behind the Stone Wall on Lynn Valley Road”
Love the history of North Vancouver. My mom owned a house one block away from the District of North Vancouver for 52 years. A lot of work has gone into the space over the years, still one huge tree and one picnic table are on the outside for a meeting. Proud to have grown up here.
very interesting and thanks. now what about these monkey trees. Our first home at 1264 now 68 Tecumseh was , now gone, the first home listed in the city directory. 1909. I wonder the connection to these unique trees as we have no monkeys. the big ones all seem to have been planted in the 1900s and beyond with many huge examples in Shaughnessy which was clear cut so most the foliage one sees today is now 121 years old. The huge Rhodo in Circle Park is quite something in full bloom.
Thanks James! Here’s a bit more information on monkey trees from an old blog post https://evelazarus.com/vancouvers-monkey-tree-obsession/
Monkey Puzzle Trees, also known as Chilean Pines, became all the rage in the 1900s. Most of Metro’s Monkey Trees come from that time.
The amazing Monkey tree is a species of pine , coming from Peru .
What’s up with the Monkey trees? Does anyone know the significance of these weird looking trees? My Mom would always pinch me for good luck when we passed one. Thanks Eve for your always interesting posts!
Thanks Rob! Here’s some more information on the monkey trees from an older blog post https://evelazarus.com/vancouvers-monkey-tree-obsession/
Loved it !! Interesting to learn about the city that I was born and raised in. Wonder if there were any ghost stories?
Growing up in North Van, I remember those monkey puzzle trees, although I did not realize that was their name until many years later – I always called them “snake trees,” for their appearance. I knew the stone wall pre-dated the Lynn Valley Lodge (as it was first known) from reading about it in one of my many books of BC history but can’t recall where! As for the Lodge yes it was still very new in 1973 or so when I attended there with my Brownie pack (the 47th North Van pack, based at Boundary School, with Mavis Toovey as Brown Owl) a few times to sing songs and visit with the residents. Thanks for these great pix Eve!
Thanks for nailing down the date Michelle!
I have just been researching this area along with St Christopher’s school that was opposite the hall. I would love to know if you know more about the school.
No, I haven’t looked at anything else around there. Which corner was the school on?
It was on St. Christopher’s Road/Lynn Valley Road. The current Waldorf School is part of the original building.
The land of the hall/hospital and the school was all purchased from the Nye family at various points.
I so appreciate your research and information on Lynn Valley, where I grew up, close by on Chaucer Road. I recently visited my old neighbourhood and it was heartwarming to find that the woods across the street remain and that families walk through them with respect, no garbage in sight.
Thanks so much Zoe! There has been a lot of development, but it’s still a fantastic place to live.
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