Vancouver Archives: Legacies, Lessons, and the Future

The Vancouver Archives will be hosting a panel discussion at the UBC Robson Square Lecture Theatre April 26th called “Legacies, Lessons, and the Future: Harland Bartholomew’s Master Plan and Papers on the City of Vancouver, 1926-1948”.

1928 – Vancouver Town Planning Commission, Harland Bartholomew and Associates. Archives Item# PD 3113

In 1926, Harland Bartholomew and Associates were commissioned by the Vancouver Town Planning Commission to develop the first master plan for the burgeoning City of Vancouver. While A Plan for the City of Vancouver British Columbia including Point Grey and South Vancouver and a General Plan of the Region was never officially adopted, it was the first major document to unite the City which was, until then, divided between Point Grey, South Vancouver, and Vancouver. Beginning with this Master plan in 1926 until the end of his commission in 1948, Bartholomew wrote over 20 separate reports and documents and provided the first comprehensive urban visions and plans for today’s Vancouver.

Presented by Bing Thom Architects and UBC School of Community and Regional Planning, it will take a look at old plans for Vancouver and how our city has shaped up (and continues to be formed) through planning, building, and roadways. The panel is free to attend however registration online in advance is required. Track the conversation online using the Twitter tag #bartplan before and after the panel.

You can visit the Vancouver Archives’ extensive collection of digitized artifacts anytime online or visit them in near Vanier Park from 9:00-5:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also check out their cool new blog, AuthentiCity, to get a behind the scenes look at their volunteers, processes, and collections.