Edgemont Village, North Vancouver. Then and Now: 1949-2023
I came across this photo from the North Vancouver Museum and Archives a while back. It shows a fairly ordinary looking building on Edgemont Boulevard taken in 1949. I headed off to Edgemont Village last week to see what we’d replaced it. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the building is still there, surrounded by other buildings.
Then I poured a glass of wine and opened up city directories.
In January 1949, Dr. Reid Townley occupied 3028 (left), next door to the Edgemont Beauty Salon. That year, the only other building between West Queens and Highland was the Queen’s Market grocery on the corner (which 74 years later is still a grocery) and Bob’s meats next door.
According to BC Assessment, it was built in 1949 the same year the photo was taken.
Today, Dr. Townley’s office is occupied by Kim’s Hair Studio and the former beauty salon is now a Subway.
I was curious about Dr. Townley, the first occupant of the building. According to a 2007 obituary in the BC Medical Journal, he was an interesting guy. He was born in Ontario, went to Queen’s University in 1938, survived the war, and interned at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. He met Esther on a ferry from Victoria, married in 1945 and they stayed married until his death 62 years later.
The couple lived on the North Shore, and when he wasn’t doctoring, Townley fell in love with sailing.
By 1953, city directories show Townsley had closed his Edgemont Boulevard practice, most likely because he was studying anesthesiology. In 1958, Townsley worked at Lions Gate Hospital. He and Esther had three kids, and retired to Salt Spring Island in 1980.
Dr. Guy Winch, his friend and colleague wrote in his obituary: “He was a quiet-spoken man, always thoughtful, with a delightfully subtle sense of humor. In addition to medicine, he had a great love of good literature, music, and art. He was an excellent sailor and skipper and taught me most of what I know about sailing, for which I shall always be indebted. He was a charming companion, an excellent doctor, and altogether a lovely man.”
I can’t think of a better way to end a story or a man’s life.
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29 comments on “Edgemont Village: Then and Now”
Eve, love this story coming from a very close neighborhood. This gentleman was a true pioneer. Shades of a Jimmy Pattison with a heavy emphasis on the medical field, as opposed to business. Edgemont is still the place to meet and greet people locally. ‘You have arrived’, but without the feel of a West Van. There was a night of vandalism/mayhem in the late 60s at the village, you may want to research that night.
Great story , keep
Up the great work
Interesting Eve , as always.
Thank you
Very interesting
What a Great Story . North Van was my Home for many years. Both my children were born at Lions Gate Hospital . I know this area well.
Thanks so much.
Sweet! My parents lived in the walk-up above the jewellery shop across the street form here … and my dad Murray was the pharmacist in Isaac’s Drug Store (“Uncle Frank” Isaacs, who sponsored the poor kid who did bike delivery up and down Lonsdale in the 1940s, retired to Bowen Island), also across the street. My first job at 12 was cleaning my dad’s stockroom while my older sister served up ice cream cones in the front!
I remember that your father Murray later became a mayor of North Vancouver. I had forgotten that he had been a pharmacist in the Village.
Hi Donna! I remember often going to Isaac’s Drug Store from an early age. Sometime around Grade 6 myself and friends like Donny Sinclair and Steve Toevs went in there to go to the back and look at the Playboy magazines they had. We all crowded around a copy with our eyes wide open and were so engrossed in the visual we didn’t hear the Pharmacist walk up behind us. He loudly proclaimed for everyone in the store to hear, “Those magazines are not for you boys to look at”. We jumped out of skin, threw the magazine at him and went running out of the store, not to return for a long time.
What a lovely story. How old was Dr.Townsley when he passed?
Wait … I may have mixed up my directions! That’s the north side of the street with the mountains behind it … oops. I’m talking about across from the current coffee place on the south side of Edgemont, but I haven’t been over since before the pandemic. Best, a third-generation North Vancouverite … my great grandfather, John B. Paine, and his wife “Moms” barged over from Robson Street when it was a dirt road to start a hardware store on Lower Lonsdale …
I loved that hardware store. Nothing like it ever again.
Another great story Eve! I was born at the old North Vancouver Hospital in 1960 and lived in North Van most of my life. I never knew the history of this area very well having been raised in Lynn Valley. I never knew of Dr Townsley so thank you for bringing the life story of this lovely man to life and for putting some flesh on the bones of North Van history!
My pleasure, so glad you liked the story!
This makes me laugh…my grandparents brought up my mother and her brothers in North Van until my grandfather died unexpectedly. When my parents got together while at UBC in the mid 1930s, they chose to build their first house in North Van..their closest friends did the same so I grew up with most of my parents closest friends living close by …with all of us kids ( born just as WWII ended)….so know this area very well, particularly the Edgemont Riot…( really only one, none of the kids could do it two years in a row)
Growing up in North Vancouver in the 1960s, Edgemont Village was our goto place for almost everything – Stongs grocery, dry cleaning, bakery, small appliance repair, five & dime, gas, library, bank, barber, Chinese food… even the United church. It was two blocks of ‘everything you need in one place’. Going downtown to Vancouver or Park Royal was only necessary for movies, Christmas shopping, and buying clothes…
Awesome picture and a great story! A little before my time but brings back the memories! Here is a link to a fascinating aerial perspective of the Edgemont Village circa 1950: https://vintageairphotos.com/bo-50-52/
Thanks Geoff, brilliant photo!
Very nice job of historical sleuthing, Eve! And a nice remembrance of the good doctor!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the piece!
Nice work Eve. Thanks. My family owned the building at 3020 ,Edgemont. We had our TV repair shop there from 1967 to 2004. My dad continued to work for the new building owners that put in a liquor store. In Total, my dad, Ray Matheson worked in the village for over 50 years. My only claim to fame was I started the candy cane street lights. Great memories.
Great history!
My first boyfriends parent have a house on Edgemont Blvd. I remember having coffee and hamburger & fries at the diner and he bought me my first ring at the jewelry store .
Wow, thank you for that trip down memory lane. I was born and raised near ‘The Village’ and have fond memories of the Peter Rabbit store and the diner. My dad and mom were dear friends of Reid and Esther Townsley and they were indeed a delightful couple.
Change is inevitable but it is nice to know that the the beginning of that little village is not forgotten.
Thank you for sharing this picture and the story that goes with it. I have never seen it before. It must be one of the oldest buildings remaining in the Village. I get my hair cut at Kim’s, and sometimes wondered how old the building is. Now I know. The Village is still a great place, with so many services as well as interesting, unique shops.
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Hi Eve,
I just discovered this lovely page and hope you or your readers can help me! We lived off Capilano Road from 1978 to 1983 and my daughters took Irish Dancing lessons in Edgemont Village. They loved it! Their teachers name was Maureen, but I can’t remember her last name. Can anyone help?
[…] Edgemont Village Then and Now […]
My first home in BC was on Woodbine ave above the postal depot. now it is a pet store. The year was 1966 and because the mail bags were dropped off at 1:30am the rent was $90.00 a month. My Dentist, Dr Cheng office was across the alley above the stationary store, after a few years he moved his practice to the corner of Highlands and Woodbine.After retiring his daughter and Dr How took over the practice. I still attend that practice.
The United Church flea market has been an annual event since 66. In fact we were there On Saturday 09/02/23. So many more memories of life in charming little village. Although I still live in NV I would love to move back and yes I was there for the Halloween riot.