Photo of Burnaby Village Museum courtesy Tjflex2's |
From neon signs to gates,
protecting Burnaby’s history seems to be all the rage at city hall these days.
Councillor Colleen
Jordan said, in addition on the community heritage commission, she has a
personal reason for caring about the past.
“Having just become an official senior
citizen I am more than ever occupied with making sure we preserve the legacy of
previous generations,” said Jordan.
The neon sign
Council voted Monday
to use gaming money to buy the iconic arrow-shaped Lost in the 50’s Drive-In
sign from its original owner, Neon Sign Crafters, for $2000. Council also
agreed to spend another $9000 to restore the neon sign, which sits on city owned
land on Edmonds Street.
According to a
planning and building report, the sign is the only neon sign left in south
Burnaby and “has been a much-loved community landmark on Edmonds Street for
over 50 years.”
The sign will need
maintenance every month at a cost of $1,800 a year. This amount will come from the property’s
lease expense. The leaseholder of the land would also have to pay for the hydropower
required to operate the sign.
Brian Tahrriha
bought the drive-in last summer. He is happy the city is going to restore the
sign, which points at his restaurant. He said he was inspired to purchase the
iconic drive-in because it represents “a concept being lost due to the
misdirection of other establishments.” He says he offers “50s style and 50s
taste.”
Signs from the
era of bobby socks and Elvis are one thing, but for anyone who has visited
Europe, saying Burnaby and heritage in the same sentence may seem ridiculous.
Burnaby city archivist, Arilea Sill, says people would be surprised how far
back this city’s past goes.
“One of the first
deeds of land granted to a European settler … went to William Holmes, for lot
one, block 1—close to North Road and Brunette River in Burnaby. The title is
dated March 5, 1860. Holmes is considered
Burnaby's first resident,” said Sill.
The gate
Council dealt with
far more ancient Burnaby history Monday when it voted to send to public hearing
the proposal of having the city owned W.J. Mathers estate gate and wall protected
by a heritage site bylaw.
The report to
council says William and Mary Mathers began construction of their estate, which
was designed by Frank Macey, at Deer Lake in 1912. The estate was known as
Altnadene and was a unique example of the Romanesque Revival style.
The estate was
surrounded by a granite capstone wall and had an elaborate wrought iron gate,
which was designed by New Westminster’s James Blair, a Scottish blacksmith. The
extremely rare gate and wall were saved from their original location when road improvements
threatened to destroy them. They now sit on what would have been the driveway
to the original estate on Deer Lake Avenue.
Archivist Sill said
the casino revenue spent for the sign and the gate are well worth it because cultural assets are beneficial to the
community as a whole.
“ If we don't
capture these assets when we have the chance, they will be destroyed and we
will lose a piece of our past,” she said.
2012 YouTube video featuring the drive-in.