LOWER LONSDALE REAL ESTATE

Lower Lonsdale Avenue,, c 1919, Courtesy of Vancouver Museum and Archives

Lower Lonsdale is where much of the North Vancouver’s 20th Century history started. It is the City of North Vancouver’s historic waterfront neighbourhood. Lower Lonsdale history is inseparable from its lumbar and shipbuilding industries in the North Shore. Ferry crossings dating back to the early 20th Century connected the North Shore to the downtown core of Vancouver. European settlement records in Lower Lonsdale show that development started in 1860 when a Catholic Missionary built a church on the waterfront. This church is now known as St Pauls Church. Shortly after the church had been built two men, TW Graham and George Scrimgeour secured the rights to 150 acres on the North Shore. They proceeded to build a lumbar mill, called The Pioneer Mills, which became the first industrial lumber plant in the Burrard Inlet. The arrival of industry subsequently brought with it the first residents of Lower Lonsdale. Today Lower Lonsdale is being gentrified and redeveloped making it one of the most exciting and progressive areas of North Vancouver. Areas that were formerly industrial land are having highrise and lowrise condominiums and other family developments. During the 1990s and 2000s many new restaurants and retailers have been located in Lower Lonsdale around 3rd St. Very few ‘character’ homes still remain in Lower Lonsdale. Much of the lots where the old detached houses were located have been developed and have had highrise apartments built in their place. With the surge in restaurants, coffee shops and stores came the influx of young people. There are no schools in Lower Lonsdale but the closest schools are in Central Lonsdale (Queen Mary Community School, Ridgeway Elementary and Carson Graham Secondary).