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Stroll down main street

The theme of this year’s Heritage Week is “Main Street, at the Heart of the Community” and there will be many references to it during the last half of February.

The theme of this year’s Heritage Week is “Main Street, at the Heart of the Community” and there will be many references to it during the last half of February. The “main street” of a place was traditionally the central location of a town, perhaps the major shops, businesses, services, cultural amenities and so on.
In New Westminster, that would be Columbia Street, with its different focal points, distinctive character, and its structural and functional evolution. Over the decades of its existence, many different buildings or sites have held prominence in this city.
In the very early years of the city, the fire hall was prominent in its role and the service it provided the town as a meeting hall for community gatherings, a venue for balls and parties, a “theatre” for concerts and travelling entertainments, and even for school examinations.
Some government-connected buildings such as the assay office, land registry, post office, the mint, customs house and the library most certainly set a tone on this capital city’s main street. The street corner of Sixth (then Mary Street) at Columbia with its broad road being a type of town square also added to this.
As the city grew some features evolved with it. The post office, for instance, grew in size and architectural significance but remained dominant at Columbia and Sixth Street. Today the police department occupies the last post office in that street corner.
Throughout the town’s history a number of commercial buildings have been prominent on the street for both structural appearance and for their economic role. The Queens Hotel and Burr Block are defining on the street, as were the Begbie Block, the Douglas Elliot Block, and the CPR station – the latter three lost to the Great Fire of 1898.
This fire completely determined the downtown and New Westminster’s main street, as it totally destroyed most of the downtown area on Sept. 10 and 11, 1898. Elements of our main street today may be dominant sites and add strongly to the area, but they almost certainly date to a period after the Great Fire.
Now we look at the new buildings that are appearing, and wonder and discuss their roles on this city’s main street. Many point to the new city structure, the Anvil Centre, as a new and powerful focal point.
To find out more about the Heritage Canada’s Main Street program, seek it out online where you will find its story and details.
For more on New Westminster’s main street, come out to the New Westminster Historical Society, Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the New Westminster Public Library.