Remembering Lower Lonsdale and the Shipyards District

What do you remember about Lower Lonsdale from the 1970s to 1990s? Do you have photographs or stories about the Shipyards District or other businesses in the area during this time?

In advance of the opening of their new Museum location at Lower Lonsdale in 2021, the North Vancouver Museum and Archives (NVMA) is collecting photographs and stories for a future exhibit that examines how this neighbourhood became a vibrant public place after decades of urban decline.

In the late twentieth century, industrial development and rapid decline left the North Vancouver waterfront out of reach behind chain-link fences and ‘No Trespassing’ signs.

However, in recent years, the shoreline, vistas, and an expanding region fueled the fire of community planners, developers and visionaries and an extensive reclamation project is now in its final stages.

This compelling new museum exhibition, the first for the soon-to-be-opened Museum of North Vancouver, will provide the opportunity to retrace the steps of the innovators who breathed life into the area and the dreamers who saw its potential.

“Our goal with this exhibit is to introduce the broader community to both the new Museum of North Vancouver and the nearly completed vision for this neighbourhood. In order to tell this story, however, we need to hear from the public,” noted Curator Karen Dearlove. “We’re currently looking for photographs and stories from the community to help inform this exciting new exhibition.”

If you have photographs or stories about Lower Lonsdale in this time period, Karen Dearlove would love to hear from you. You can contact her at dearlovek@dnv.org or 604-990-3700 ext. 8005.