Guide to Mission City BC

Downtown Mission
Heritage Walking Tour
Building Locations (not to scale)
Address notes: “~” denotes current-day approximation of the location
“*” denotes that the original building is still standing
Produced by Mission Museum
Photo credits: Karl Klenk Postcard Collection (KPC), the Mission Community Archives
(MCA), Jean English Photos (JE), the Mission Museum (MM), and the Canadian Imperial
Bank of Commerce Archives (CIBCA). The date of the photo is included if known. The cover
title artwork is from a promotional brochure published by the Dominion Real Estate & Loan
Agency circa 1890 when this area was promoted as a ‘City.’
Proceeds from the sale of this brochure support the Mission Museum.
Funding is gratefully acknowledged from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce,
HRDC’s Summer Career Placement Program, and District of Mission Economic
Development Select Committee.
Brochure Design by Tams Yeow
October 2005, Mission, BC
$1
1
Mission Museum
Built: November 1907
47
33201 Second Avenue*
This is a pre-fabricated building
made by the BC Mills Timber
and Trading Company in
New Westminster. It was sent
to Mission by train and
assembled as the Canadian
KPC
Bank of Commerce, on Main
Street in 1907. In 1947, the building was sold to the city for a
dollar, and it was moved up to the intersection of Second and
Welton to become the public library. In 1972, the library relocated,
leaving this building to become home to the Mission Museum and
Archives. The building was restored to its 1907 appearance and
colours in time for Mission’s centennial in 1992. The building has
been dedicated Mission Museum since the Archives moved to their
own premises in 1994. The Museum is the only designated Heritage
building on this tour.
2
Police Station
Built: c.1940
~33214 Second Avenue
This building was erected by the provincial government in the
1940s, and held living quarters, police offices, a courtroom, and a
holding cell. It was originally used by the provincial police, later
becoming headquarters for the RCMP and then the municipal
police. The Motor
Vehicle Branch also
operated here until
1963. The building
became property of the
local government in
1964. The building was
demolished and in the
1970s, Welton Towers
KPC
apartments were built.
United Church
Built: 1892
~7368 James Street
This building stood on the
northeast corner of James
Street and Second Avenue.
It began as the Methodist
Church and in 1928 it
became the United Church. KPC
In 1959, the United Church
moved to new premises on Grand Street and this one was torn
down. This site on James Street was later home to the Centennial
Library which burnt down in 1991. The lot is still vacant today.
48
Taulbut House
Built: 1893
~33165 Second
Avenue
This house was built by
Mr. A. C. York, then
bought by Mr. Anthony
MM
Taulbut in 1920. The
Taulbuts, Tony, his wife
Rosina and their two children, had moved to Mission from England
in 1909. They made some alterations to the house, which allowed
them to run a small museum and open Taulbut’s private collection
to the public. Mr. Taulbut’s artefacts were a varied group from
around the world, collected during his career in the Royal Navy.
They eventually formed the foundation of the Mission Museum
collection. His home on Second Avenue was later owned by Jim
Scantland, and then demolished in 1972 to make way for the
Centennial Library (see 47). Today the lot forms part of the Mission
Manor apartment block.
45
Butler House
Built: 1908
3
33228 Second Avenue*, 33232 Second Avenue*
33078 Second
Avenue*
Arthur Butler was a
C.P.R. conductor in
charge of the train at the
time of the re-construction
of the Mission-Matsqui
MM:2005
train bridge. He built this
house and lived in it for 3 years with his wife Lila. Charles
Mandale, a local butcher, later owned the house. The style of this
house is typical of a pre-WWI basic settler’s home. This home is
still standing today.
46
All Saints Anglican Church
Built: 1947
33077 Second Avenue*
In 1901, the first
Anglican church
was located on Main
Street. In 1946, the
church ran into
financial troubles
and sold the site
to the Vancouver
KPC
Mortgage Company.
The building was then moved to a lot behind First Avenue before
the church purchased the present site on the corner of Second
Avenue and James Street, which was formerly the Abbott/McRae
berry field. The Olund brothers were contracted to build this
church the following year, in 1947. The church was expanded to its
present size in 1961, and in the 1990s the bell tower and worship
area were renovated.
Two Old Houses
Built: 1930
These two houses were built by Albert Watkins for James
Plumridge, who intended to rent them out to seniors at an
affordable rate of $12 per month. The original cost estimate for the
houses increased considerably and Mr. Plumridge was quite upset
when he had to increase the rent to $14. Remember that the 1930s
were the time of the Great Depression and income was scarce.
The houses were
later bought
by Police Chief
Jack Renner, who
used one house for
his own residence.
These houses are
still standing in
2005. Note the
MM:2005
unusual bottom
edges on the shake siding.
4
Swimming Hole
Built: 1949
~33247 Second
Avenue
MM
Water Commissioner Sam Smith applied to Mission Council to
build a swimming hole at the corner of Second and Horne, where
Lane’s Creek fed into a mud pit. In 1949, two wading pools were
put in place, and a full sized swimming pool was completed by
1952. The public library moved to this site in the 1994, and their
parking lot now covers what was the old swimming hole.
5
The Armoury
Built: c.1910
43
~33329 Second Avenue
Mission’s armoury
was wood frame,
on a full
concrete basement.
Updated in the late
1940s and used by
Mission’s
MM c.1912
Westminster
Regiment and the Army Cadets, the armoury held living quarters, a
parade room, offices, an arms shop, mess halls, and a rifle range. In
addition to being a training place, the armoury was sometimes made
available for public and community events. During the flood of
1948, soldiers and sailors who came for relief efforts were billeted
here. In 1965, the city bought the armoury for $3500 and reopened
it in March 1966 as a recreational center complete with a roller
skating rink. (The armoury is the long building in the centre of the
photo above.) Today, the Sandcastle Preschool is on the site.
6
Elks Hall
Built: 1957
33053 Second Avenue*
This building is an Italianate-style home, built for Doctor Eacrett,
who moved here from Lloydminster with his family in 1928. The
house was later used as a residence by Ted Bonds, and then sold to
Katalin Alfoldy in
the 1970s. At that
time it was
converted to a
nursing home,
and though a fire
exit has been added
and interior changes
have been made,
the exterior of the
building remains
relatively
MM
unchanged.
44
33336
Second
Avenue*
MM
Eacrett House
Built: 1928
Bowie
House
Built: 1934
33050 Second
Avenue*
MM
Elks Lodge No.30 (Mission) began in 1926 and has had a strong
community presence since then, having originally had a hall on
Main Street. The construction of the Elks Hall on Second Avenue
began in March 1957, and it officially opened on August 24, 1957,
with the Grand Exalted Ruler William J. Alton of Powell River
officiating at the opening ceremonies. In 1981, this hall was gutted
by fire with an estimated $100,000 in damages, but it was repaired
and the building continues to serve the Elks today.
This was the home of Ian Bowie, who owned and operated Bowie’s
Bakery (on Main Street, #30) after his father’s death in 1931. Art
Plumridge later occupied the home, a quaint cottage with rounded
corners, a small-statured porch and small windows. It later became
a wedding supply store called The Bride’s Room, and today is a
metaphysical shop called The House of Avalon.
41
F.C. Lightbody House
Built: 1927
7
33027 Second Avenue*
F.C. Lightbody, a well-known Mission pharmacist and owner of
Lightbody’s Drugstore, once owned this house. He bought the
property from George Abbott, and hired A.B. Catherwood to build
the house.
Ed and Peggy
Staber bought the
home and kept
the building well
preserved. It has
recently been
bought by the
current owner
of the Katalin
Care Home.
MM
42
Hargitt House
Built: 1921
33038 Second Avenue*
This early twentieth century craftsman-style house was home to Joe
Hargitt, a prominent Mission businessman and garage owner. The
house was
renovated and
restored by Dr.
Joe Germaine,
and currently
houses the
Heritage
Dental Centre.
MM
Routledge House
and Garage
7340 Horne Avenue
(house)*
~33291 First Avenue
(garage)
House. In 1926, Mr. Percy
Routledge and his family
returned to Mission from
Abbotsford and rented the
KPC c.1946
Wardrop cottage on Horne
Avenue. He soon built his own house on the same site right beside
the garage where he worked. The Routledge House remains intact
today and is home to the Mission Association for Community
Living, seen to the north of Tim Horton’s parking lot.
Garage. After operating the old Beckett Garage from 1920-1925,
Percy Routledge sold this establishment to Haney Garage and
decided to open one of his own. On the site where Tim Horton’s
stands today, he built a garage in 1927 (pictured) and named it
Routledge Motors Ltd. Routledge’s operation expanded to ten
employees in 1928, and Mr. Routledge kept himself busy designing
cars, helping with Mission’s fire brigade, and later becoming a
Home Oil agent.
8
Tretheweys’ General Store
Built: 1891
~33320 First Avenue
Mrs. Mary Ann Trethewey owned
and operated this store, located on
the east side of Horne Street. She
sold to the Desbrisays in 1893,
who ran it until they opened their
own department store on Main
Street. This building was then
used to hold the Desbrisays’
MCA
9
Desbrisay’s
Built: 1909
39
~7285 Horne
Street
Built by Aja Lane
and operated by
Merrill Desbrisay,
this was known as
Desbrisay’s
MCA
Department Store.
On May 4, 1940, the Desbrisays sold their building to Valley
Departmental Store Ltd, who continued operations here until the
building was demolished in 1964. Since then the site has been used
by gas stations: Pacific 66, and in the 1980s, Petro-Canada. After a
few years’ closure in the late 1990s, Petro-Canada bought the
adjacent lot and reopened in 1999 with brand-new facilities.
10
Catherwood and Watson
Built: 1908
~33227 First Avenue
Griffin and Abbott
Plumbers and
Tinsmiths
Built: 1911
~33009 Second
Avenue
A.G. Griffin, a plumber, and
Cephas Abbott, a tinsmith,
built this building. It was
MCA
located on the northeast
corner of Second and Grand, designed to be a business block with
a residential suite on the upper floor, Mr. Griffin himself stayed in
the suite. Over the years, the business block held the Windebank
plumbing business, Alanson’s Hardware, and the Fred Thomas
Photography Studio - the “Show Art Studio”, 1932 - 35. The
building burnt down in 2002, and there is now a residential duplex
on the lot.
40
Aja Lane’s House
Built: 1911
33026 Second Avenue*
This was originally a one story building located on Main Street
between Welton and Horne, where it served as the office for the
Catherwood and Watson real estate firm. One year later, it also
became Mission’s first telephone
exchange. In 1912, the building
was raised and another story
built underneath. Catherwood
and Watson also sold insurance.
In 1941, John Catherwood
passed away and his daughter
Edith Catherwood took over
the business until she retired in
1962. The building was later torn
down and a new one erected. A
craft store and restaurants
KPC
have since operated there.
Aja Lane, co-proprietor of Lane’s Ltd store, owned this home. The
style is typical of a settler’s home, though it was stuccoed in 1935.
The Swansons lived
here from 1987,
to 1995, when it was
rezoned to a
commercial property.
Since that time it has
hosted a variety of
businesses. Most
recently Uncommon
Thredz (2000-05) and
MM:2003
The Schuh Boutique.
37
11
Windebank Block
Built: 1908
32995 First Avenue*
Hori Windebank built this building, made of hand cast blocks made
onsite, using casting moulds that were ordered through Sears
catalogues. The building originally housed a meat market and hotel,
and Hori also operated Mission’s Water Power & Light Company
in the basement. The first electric generator system in the Central
Fraser Valley was
here. Many
changes have been
made to the outward
appearance and
interior layout due to
suffering two fires
and changes in use.
Over the years it
KPC
has housed a
restaurant, the Central Hotel in the 1930’s, and later the Thomas
Motor Inn. Most recently the block is being used as a multi-unit
apartment building.
38
St. Joseph’s
Catholic
Church
Built: 1938
Lane’s Ltd.
Built: 1910
~33221 First Avenue (photo below, on right)
Clarence Lane and his brother Aja ran this store (photo below right)
that Aja built in 1910. The store originally opened in April 1910 as
The Palace Shop and carried men’s clothing. Catering to train
passengers who came in from the east to switch to the southbound
U.S. train, the shop had unusual business hours, opening from 6:00
am until 11:00 pm. The store later carried women's clothing and
became famous for their hats. The name changed to Lane’s Ltd in
1922. The storefront had two separate entrances, one on the ladies’
side and another on the men’s side. After Aja Lane passed away in
1943, his son Merrill carried on the partnership with his uncle
Clarence. After Clarence died in 1960, Merrill carried on the
business for many years. The store was eventually torn down and a
new one built on the site,
The Gold Bin does
business there today.
12
Masonic
Hall
Built: 1924
33219 First Ave*
(photo,left)
32995 Second
Avenue*
MM:2003
The site for the new
church was purchased from Mr. Tom Middleton. The church was
opened on October 23, 1938 and was solemnly blessed and
dedicated to St. Joseph by his Excellency Archbishop William M.
Duke. In the mid-seventies, the congregation decided that it needed
more room, and in 1986 the building was closed. The congregation
moved to a new church on Seventh Avenue. Zion Christian
Fellowship uses this building as their church today.
This wood and stucco
structure was built by
MCA
A.B Catherwood to
replace the 1892
Masonic Temple (destroyed by fire), at a cost of about $10,000.00.
Masonic lodges traditionally faced east and west, with the master’s
place in the east. The north-south orientation of the Mission Lodge
(Pacific Lodge #76) went against tradition and caused the loss of a
few members. But, for the most part, the lodge has been a place of
peace and goodwill. The building has been well maintained,
although time and weather have worn off most of the decorative
woodwork on its front.
13
35
Livery Stable
Built: 1921
MCA c.1946
~32998 First
Avenue
33212 First Avenue*
Thomas Edward “Tommy”
Cutler opened a livery stable
on the north side of Main
Street, with its main entrance
in the back alley. He was
there for ten years before
moving across the street to the corner of Main and Welton. His
spacious new building spanned the width of the block and had its
main entrance on Main Street, with his Clydesdale horses kept at
the Railway Avenue entrance. The hay and coal were kept on a
large raised platform (half a storey high) at the main entrance,
making it easier to load wagons. Because the front had two
entrances, a wagon could drive in, load up at the platform, and then
drive out the other door. The raised platform survived along with
the building, which went on to become the Royal Bank, Sears, a
furniture store, a billiards hall, and today, a clothing store.
The first hotel on this
site was the Ontario
House, built by J.
Trethewey. In 1892,
KPC
Hori Windebank took
over and changed the name to the Bellevue. George A. Parrington
took over in 1910 and added more rooms, a dining hall, and a
butcher’s shop. On December 11, 1922, the hotel burnt down and
was rebuilt in 1923 by M. Hitchen, who renamed it the Bellevue
Lodge. New owners in the 1940s decided to rebuild; the building
was torn down in January 1949 and on July 27 the opening
ceremonies for a new Bellevue Hotel were held. In 1954 a cocktail
lounge opened, followed by a banquet hall, a dining room, a coffee
shop, a store, and then a beer and wine store in 1989. The Bellevue
Hotel is still open for business today.
36
14
Alanson’s Hardware
Built: 1921
33192 First Avenue*
Bellevue
Built: c.1889
MCA
This building is located on the
southwest corner of First and
Welton. It was founded by Hope
Alanson who passed away
in 1952. His son then ran
the business until 1958 when it
was sold to Mr. Jack Truscott,
who ran the store as Alanson’s
Hardware 1958 Ltd. Though it
has changed hands many times,
the building has always been a hardware store. Having been called
Mission Hardware then Link Hardware, it is currently Mission
Home Hardware, run by Q Kim and his wife Jie.
Royal Canadian Legion
Built: 1936
32965 Lougheed Highway*
This building is a rough
cement structure built
in two parts, a two- story
structure on the east end
and a four-story structure
with an art deco influence
KPC
on the west end (left).
The first lot for this site was purchased sometime before 1934 at a
price of $400, after which the proposed highway route had to
change to avoid intersecting the new building. Home to the Legion
Branch #57, it was expanded with a western addition in 1948. A
fire caused $10,000 damage in 1986. At the end of 1988, the Legion
sold this building and moved to smaller premises. The building was
then re-opened as an antique mall, remaining as such until 2003,
when Inform Fitness Center opened and continues to operate today.
33
Plumridge’s
General Store
Built: 1912
~33018 First
15
Mr. James Plumridge
first owned a general
store on Railway Avenue
KPC
built in 1891, where he
had a post office and a bakery. In 1912, he built another store above
the first (photo), facing onto Main Street with apartments above. In
1927, the first store burned down, leaving the one on Main Street.
From that time a number of businesses operated from this location,
including a car dealership, Windebank’s Electrical Store, Porter’s
Five to a Dollar Store, Harold’s Sandwich Shop, Lundy’s
Restaurant, and Smith’s Café. In 1964, the site was sold to Mr. John
Luers who tore down everything save for the floors and
foundations. The building has since been home to a number of
restaurants, the most recent being the Mission Dragon Restaurant.
Canadian Pacific
Railway Station
Built: 1909
~Railway Avenue at
the foot of Grand
Street
KPC
33191 First
Avenue*
Avenue
34
Mission Post
Office
Built: 1935
The first mail in
Mission was received
by the St. Mary’s
Mission. Later a KPC
Post Office was added to Plumridge’s General Store. In 1935 a
dedicated post office was built. This Post Office is an art deco style
brick building that cost $13,000 to build. In 1955, the Post Office
was renovated at an estimated cost of $91,641; expansions were
made at the rear and west sides, but the original facing brick proved
unavailable at the time. The builders’ solution was to take bricks
from the rear of the building and use these to construct the new
front, which gave the building a consistent brick facing. In 1982,
the entrance was restructured to allow wheelchair access. This post
office remains a central downtown fixture.
16
C.R. Crist Block
Built: 1930
33175 First Avenue*
KPC
This was the third CPR station built in Mission. The building was a
pre-fabricated structure manufactured by B.C. Mills Timber &
Trading Co., then shipped by train to Mission. The municipality
designated this a Heritage building in 1982, and in 1991it was
protected under the Federal Railway Heritage Protection Act. The
station was closed down in January 1990 due to cuts in government
funding, and while there were many plans to save the station, the
building was destroyed in an arson fire in January of 1999.
This ten-room building
was built by Charles Richard
Crist. The lower floor was
occupied by McCallum’s
Hardware from 1930-1960,
the upstairs consisted of
MCA
offices for doctors and
dentists as well as two
residential suites. Mr. Crist retired in 1932 and passed away on
May 7, 1955. This building is now occupied by the Vic Wallace
Insurance agency.
17
Canadian Bank
of Commerce
Built: 1947
33165 First Avenue*
The first Canadian Bank of
Commerce was located on
Main Street between James
and Welton. In 1947, the
CIBCA
building was moved to
Second Avenue (see #1 - Mission Museum) and a new brick building
was built in its place. This bank operated as the Canadian Bank of
Commerce until 1961 at which time it amalgamated with The
Imperial Bank of Commerce to become the Canadian Imperial
Bank of Commerce (CIBC). CIBC still operates out of the brick
building today.
31
~33017 First Avenue
Alex Stephen had this building
built for his drugstore with
an apartment above, after
starting his business elsewhere
about 1910. Stephen’s Drugstore
was located to the east of
JE
Graham’s Garage (see #32 )
In 1925, J.L. English bought the
business from Stephen and gave the building a makeover, changing
the street level windows and main floor. Mr. English
ran the store as Rexall’s Drug Store, until he retired in June 1966.
32
18
Sam Smith Building
Built: 1930
33162 First Avenue*
Mr. Smith bought Mission
MM
waterworks system in 1929
from the Canadian Bank of
Commerce, who had bought it from Hori Windebank. Sam built
this 25 x 80 foot building to house the waterworks office. He also
branched out into the plumbing business as well as offering a full
line of electrical fixtures. Mission’s first lending library was also
housed here until 1947. It has since housed a succession of
businesses.
Stephen’s Drugstore
Built: c1912
Andy Graham’s
Garage
Built: c.1935
~vacant lot directly west
of 33017 First Avenue (#31)
Mr. Graham moved to Mission
from Scotland in 1932. He was
the Chairman of Mission’s Board
of Commissioners from 1936 to
1939. He owned a garage on the
NE corner of Grand & Main St
west of J.L. English’s Rexall Drug
Store. In 1950 the garage gave
way to the Astor Theatre that
was built on part of this site
KPC
(later to be Mission City Cinema
and currently a book store). The rest of the site is vacant, save for a
cement retaining wall.
29
The Hargitt Block
Built: 1932
~vacant lot directly east
of 33018 First Avenue (#33)
The Hargitt Block was built on this
site in 1932, and housed such
establishments as the Mission
Druggist, the Bank of Montreal, and
a liquor store. The Hargitt Block
was extensively rebuilt in 1948,
when the foundations were lifted to
build a new basement. The new
block had accommodation for two
KPC
businesses as well as residential
rooms on the second floor. The Hargitt Block was demolished
between 1977 and 1986; since that time, the site and the two
adjacent lots have been empty.
30
19
Old Town
Hall
Built: 1929
~33157 First
Avenue
In April 1929, the
District of Mission
and the Village of
KPC
Mission City
jointly built the first municipal hall. This building was located on
the north side of First Avenue between the current Rex Cox Men’s
Wear and CIBC. In 1954, it was extensively renovated. In 1974, it
was sold to private owners, and a new municipal hall (that is still in
service today) was built on Stave Lake Road. The Old Town Hall
Restaurant was opened at this site, followed by Dino’s Restaurant;
it is currently Stasia’s Family Restaurant.
Bowie’s Bakery
Built: 1925
33031 First Avenue*
This all-brick building was built by
A.B. Catherwood as a replacement
for Bowie’s earlier wooden building
next door. The bakery storefront
was on the ground level and offices
were on the second floor. The
baking area was upstairs at the rear
MCA
of the building, where a small
elevator transported goods down to the store. After Mr. Bowie’s
death in 1931, his son Ian took over the business and operated it
until 1947 when he sold it to Mr. and Mrs. Theo Kell, who operated
the Bakerette. It is believed that when the bakery was moved
downstairs, the original oven was enclosed by a brick wall, where it
remains to this day. The area upstairs that used to be the bakery and
office space is now a residential suite. There have been others
owners after the Kells.
20
Windebank Electric
Built: 1936
33138 First Avenue*
Built by A.B. Catherwood, this
building was owned and run by
William J. Windebank as a
MM
plumbing and electrical supplies
shop. He first opened up shop across the street in 1927, next to
Billy the Shoe, then moved to this new building in 1936. Active in
city life, Windebank was once mayor of the Village of Mission City
and today has an elementary school named after him. He ran this
plumbing shop until 1977, after which it was rebuilt by John Janzen
to become a dance studio.
21
Hougen Block
Built: 1934
27
33122 First Avenue*
Dr. Otto Hougen, Mission’s
first dentist, and Ron Fisher,
his business partner, built the
Hougen Block. The Pacific
Stage Bus Depot was located
MCA c.1980
on the bottom floor at the back
of the building. In the front eastern section, a restaurant that Betty
Sewell ran serviced the bus station. Upstairs in the front of the
building Dr. Hougen’s practice was on the east end, and Dr. W.H.
McIntyre’s doctor’s office on the west end. Upstairs at the back of
the building were three apartments: the eastern one was Dr.
Hougen’s, the western was Mr. Fisher’s, and the middle one was
rented out to teachers. The Hougen Block currently houses shops on
Main Street and residential apartments above.
22
Spencer’s
Built: 1947
33123 First Avenue*
Spencer’s Department Store
was run by David Spencer’s
son, Victor. The Spencer
family(of Vancouver) owned
KPC
the Spencer’s Department store
chain, until December 1948, when the stores were sold to the
T. Eaton Company. Eaton’s closed the Mission store on August 23,
1976 and moved to the Seven Oaks Mall in Abbotsford. In the same
year, the upper area became Mission Place Mall, which included
Dino’s Place restaurant. Pharmasave leased the Main Street store
and was there until the early 2000s, then Shoppers Drug Mart took
over until August 2003 when it moved to the Mission Hills
Shopping Centre. The main storefront of the old Spencer’s building
is being prepared for new tenants in late 2005, a realty office
occupies the east end of the building. Mission Place Mall still
houses businesses.
J. Bell Barbershop
Built: c.1911
33063 First Avenue*
Little is on file about J. Bell
and the owners before
Sydney Wilson bought this
two-storey building with a
barbershop on the ground
level and a pool hall
upstairs. An extension
(see #28 below) was built
in 1926, this is the
second oldest building
on Main Street. The bay
windows are indicative
of San Francisco styling.
28
MM:2005
Barbershop
Built: 1926
33057 First Avenue*
Sydney Wilson purchased this
lot from J.W. Horne in 1921,
and built this building in 1926.
MM:2003
This adjoined Wilson’s other
building to the east, which was a barbershop with a pool hall on the
second floor. Wilson and his business partner, Bud Peterson,
operated the barbershop until Peterson took over in 1946, renaming
Bud’s Barbershop. It was bought by Don Vadje in 1948 and
operated as Don’s Barbershop until 1971. Sold again in 1974, it has
been called Style Rite Barbers since then. The original tile floors
and decorative outer tile are still in place, as is the “boomtown”
false front that makes the building look bigger than it actually is.
Though it has had numerous owners, it was always a barber shop
until it was sold again in 2005 to become the Urban Mouse store.
25
Abbott Block
Built: c.1925
23
33082 First Avenue*
The Abbott Block, originally
belonged to G.A. Abbott who had
a hardware store directly to the
east. The Abbott Block is noted for
being the first cement and steel
building to be erected in Mission.
There were storefronts on the Main
Street and rooms upstairs that were
rented by travelling salesmen. The
JE
salesmen liked to stay in the Abbott
Block because there was a café in the stores below and thus it was a
convenient location to stop over. Mr. Lightbody opened
Lightbody’s Drugstore here in 1926, and remained at this location
until his retirement in 1967. The Abbott Block still houses stores
and apartments.
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Goodchild Block
Built: c.1943
33078 First Avenue
The Goodchild Block was a
sizable building on three lots.
The first building on the site
burnt down and a new twostorey building was built in
its place. Mildred McRae,
whose grandfather owned
the Abbott Block next door,
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remembers that Grandpa
Abbott ruined his trench coat on the night of the fire as he went out
onto the Goodchild roof to close his own fire shutters. The
Goodchild block was rebuilt in 1948 with eleven bright new office
rooms on the upper floor. Today, the newer Goodchild block
houses businesses below and residential apartments above.
Victory Theatre
Built: 1927
~33118 First Avenue
Built by J. Jones, this
building was the second
theatre opened by Fred
Bannister. The viewing
screen was at the front of
the building to accommodate
the steep slope of the land,
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and there was also a stage and
an orchestra pit for theatrical productions. It cost $25,000 to build
in 1927, and the first show held here sold out its 500 seats and had
to turn away over 300 people. The building was sold to Odeon in
1945, and later demolished. A large brick building was built on the
site and has been host to a variety of tenants, including the Toronto
Dominion Bank, a sporting
goods shop, and a college.
24
G.A. Abbott
Built: 1908
33091 First Avenue
G.A. Abbott’s store supplied
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hardware, farm implements,
and feeds until it burned down in 1917. In 1924, a new building
was erected for a hardware and farm implements shop called
McRae’s Feed and Supply. At one time, Mr. Streeter, who also had
the first radio station in the Fraser Valley, ran a Mission radio
station from the back of this store. Since McRae’s, the building has
housed a variety of businesses, including a garage and a number of
sporting goods shops. The interior has been totally remodelled with
the coming and going of new owners, and the façade of the building
has also seen some change, including a large mural in the 1970s.
Today, as Belle’s New and Used, it sports a clean white face.
KPC 1946
KPC c.1908
These postcards show views around downtown:
Top Left) Main Street looking west from Horne Street
Left) Looking south from downtown to the Mission Flats
Above) Main Street and James looking south to the flats
Below) The flats looking northwest towards downtown
Mission
KPC c.1908
KPC 1912