north shore news Wednesday, February 3, 1999 — North Shore News — 21 esiern Corporation dreve NV development NOT many businesses today cuuld boast the same accomplishments as this turn of the cen- tury corporation. Established in October 1902 by A.B. Diplock, a group of half a dozen busi- nessmen formed the Western Corporation to include such enterprises as: real estate, beuse building, general con- traccing, sawmilling, road- making, land clearing and other enterprises. Starting with two employees in 1902, by 1907 ir had over 80. The Western Corporation's head office was located on Pender Street in Vancouver. The first board of diree- tors included: A.B. Diplock as president and managing director, W.W. Montelius ( president of Montelius Piano Co. Ltd.), CW. Sarel (president of B.C. Book Co. Ltd.), A.D. Taylor (senior member of Taylor, Bradburn & Innes, Barristers & Solicitors, Victoria and Vancouver), J.C. Keith (pres- ident of Port Nelson Canning Co. Ltd.), and A.E. Kealy (secretary). As the company pras- pered, other managers included real estate, architecture and building, plumbing, land clearing, a cook for the corporation’s boarding house, and a baok keeper, H.C. Wright was manager/supervisor of the North Shore office, located east of the ferry dock, at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue. The Western Corporation planned and built the first business block (Syndicate Block) in North Vancouver hk 1903, at the intersection of Lonsdale and Esplanade, to encourage business and trade in the municipality. Some oi the first busi- nesses included McMillan Grocers, the North Vancouver Post Office, and the Express, North Vancouver’s first newspaper. Many of the carly busi- nesses along lower Lonsdale Avenue were nurtured by the corporation. With only about 75 resi- dents, the community didn’t have extra money for build- ing roads. In March, 1905, the cor- poration purchased” a large donkey engine to pull up stumps and roots of the Next week in your North Shore News www.nsnews.cam tae ' tee ea a ae huge trees and began cicar- ing land to make roads, Their efficient methods so impressed sharcholders in Vancouver that they invested more money to keep the enterprises going. In short time, the wilder- Ness Was transformed into fertile, productive gardens, creating opportunities for supplying fresh produce for the growing Vancouver mar- ket. Also, settlers could enjoy spending leisure time in their gardens. To meet the need for accessible lumber and sup- plies for new buildings, the corporation went into the business of lumber mer- Photo North Vancouver Museum and Archives THE Syndicate Block, circa 1903, located at the inter- section of Lonsdale and Esplanade, was the first business biock in North Vancouver. chants, builders and contrac- tors when they established a sawmill to supply rough lumber, but it soon became a modern manutacturing establishment as the Seymour Lumber Company. It was soon ranked as one of the foremost industrial concerns of the North Shore. Tram lines running through the corporation's receiving whart near the Lonsdale Quay carried sup plies directly to the sawmill at) 7th Street east of Sutherland Avenue. The tram lines helped the B.C. Electric Railway to land their supplies for the tramway and electric higint system along Lonsdale. hey alse imported and delivered coat and other commodities into North Vancouver, In 1902, there were 20 miles of roads, three quarters ofa mile of sidewatk, 400 feet of bridges and 75 set- ters. By 1907, with a popu- lation of 1,500, the Western Corporation had increased these statistics to 39.5 miles of roads, four miles of side- walk, I B00 feet of bridges, five miles of tramways, 51 phones, and a complete waterworks and electrical system. The most impressive achievement of the Western Corporation, in cooperation with the North Vancouver Land & Investment Company, was construction of Grand Boulevard, the Champs Elvsees of the North Shore. Originally designed to be a tire break between Lynn Valley and North Vancouver, the development soon became the showpiece of the North Shore. As well, the Western Corporation was far ahead of its time as a full service company: More than 80 employees received bonuses, the personal care by management of their interests. — Down Memory Lane is a series of columns by Norih Vancouver writer Janell Hilton which reveals the sto- ries behind the street names around the North Shore. Information supplied by Roy Pallant, The Western Corporation, 1902-1907, and the Vancouver Archives, and North Vancouver Museum & Archives (987- 5618). The Digitally Programmable Comfort Circuit Beltone’s Comfort Circuit is designed to adapt automatically as you move from one listening environment to anotner. it constantly adjusts both high and low frequencies to help keep loud a BUY PROGRAMMABLE INVISA NOW AND WE WILL INCLUDE A 3 YEAR SUPPLY OF BATTERIES FORYOUR 1! NEW HEARING AIDS! E This offer applies to digitally programmable # Beltone hearing instruments only. 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On Friday, This Week reviews the Vancouver Playhouse production of Skylight and the Arts Club production of Hamlet. In our Sanday Focus read how the GVRD is plowing abead with it’s costly upgrade of Capilano Dam, but one man thinks the planners and engineers are all wet. His visionary plan calls for turning the picturesque Capilano River valley into a protected park which would rival Lake Louise and become a lasting legacy for Vancouverites,