 |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
About the KBAKerrisdale Village has been a thriving business community since its inception in the early 20th Century. Today it offers a cornucopia of shops, eateries and services that would rival those of any bustling metropolis. But where Kerrisdale has kept up with its tony downtown neighbours, it has not lost its quaint village charm and welcoming spirit that’s as warm as a Norman Rockwell postcard. The Kerrisdale Business Association (KBA) was one of the first Business Associations in Vancouver. In 1990 the District was created and now is comprised of the area along 41st Avenue bounded by Maple Street to the east and Larch Street to the west. The area also runs north/south along West Boulevard between West 39th and West 42nd Avenues with an additional short block just north of West 41st Avenue at Yew Street. In 1999 the KBA was expanded to include the new London Drugs development with accompanying retail and housing components. This section of the District extends from West 42nd Avenue and East Boulevard to the complex's eastern boundary. In all, about 250 businesses/services and property owners are members of the Kerrisdale Business Association. Meet the Board Committees of the BoardThe KBA is fortunate in that its dedicated Board members are fully engaged and involved in the various committees which comprise it. Specific committees evolve from current issues and topics concerning the business district and are as follows:
Security Attend a Meeting Contact Us Kerrisdale Business Association HistoryKerrisdale had its beginnings in 1862 when the McCleery brothers, Samuel and Fitzgerald, decided to farm the area now occupied by the Marine Drive Golf Club. In the mid-1870s, the Magee family began farming just below where Marine Drive today meets Balaclava. The Mole family set their stakes at the present site of the Point Grey Golf Club. In 1902, the Johnson family built where Crofton House now stands, and in 1903, a young Scottish couple, Mr. And Mrs. William MacKinnon, built a family home at 2941 West 42nd Avenue. A man named Frank Bowser bought 10 acres at 44th and Macdonald for $50 an acre and C.F. Foreman paid $77 an acre for 10 acres at 49th and Macdonald. Throughout the years, logging was well underway in the area. Kerrisdale was logged no less than four times during this early period. Kerrisdale was also beginning to become a desirable place to live. Transportation improved with the building of the CPR tracks in 1902. The B.C. Electric Company took over the Vancouver-Lulu Island Railway in 1905. In 1905, Mrs. MacKinnon was asked by B.C. Electric General Manager R.H. Sperling to name the tram station at Wilson Road (now 41st Avenue).Mrs. MacKinnon named it Kerrisdale after her old family home, Kerrydale, in Gairloch, Scotland. In the century since Mrs. MacKinnon put a name to one of the best known districts in Canada, much has happened. Better transportation came to Kerrisdale in 1912. Street car tracks were laid along the graveled Wilson Road (41st Avenue) from the Boulevard to Dunbar Street. The fare was five cents. In 1920, tracks were extended along 41st Avenue eastward to Granville where connections could be made for through service to downtown Vancouver. In 1904, Sydney Bell, who rode the rails to Lulu Island on what was called the Sockeye Special each day, recognized the corner of what is now 41st and West Boulevard as a great business location. As a result, he founded Bell’s General Store and Post Office in 1904. From 1904-1912, the business district of Kerrisdale was composed of one general store and post office, one meat market, real estate office and hardware store. In 1912, partners Frank Bowser and Frank Burd built the Bowser Block at 41st and West Boulevard. The building which still stands today, houses the Bank of Montreal, along with other businesses. Until January 1st , 1929, Vancouver was made up of three areas: the city of Vancouver, the Municipality of South Vancouver and the Municipality of Point Grey. On March 26th, 1908 a square block was bought in Kerrisdale on which the Point Grey Municipality office would be built. Today, that block is occupied by the Kerrisdale Community Centre. In 1929, the Municipality of Point Grey amalgamated with the City of Vancouver. Kerrisdale Today....Kerrisdale is one of 23 neighbourhoods in Vancouver.The boundaries of the area are defined by the City of Vancouver for Planning purposes, as stretching from Blenheim Street to Granville Street and Angus Drive, and from West 41st Avenue to the north arm of the Fraser River. The Kerrisdale shopping area is known to many as the “village”. Within this area are many diverse shops and services. The business district is concentrated on West 41st Avenue between Maple and Larch streets, stretching in a north-south direction along West and East Boulevards. Surrounding this area are older, gracious homes, newer additions to the neighbourhood, and both high and low-rise apartment buildings. Architecturally, the neighbourhood boasts many styles and as of June 1992, there were 50 structures in the Kerrisdale area listed in the Vancouver Heritage inventory. There are many parks in the Kerrisdale area, the closest being Kerrisdale Centennial Park, site of the Kerrisdale Community and Seniors Centre at 42nd Avenue and West Boulevard. Elm Park at West 41st and Larch Street (and home to Kerrisdale Little League); and Maple Grove Park at Marine Drive, Yew Street and West 51st Avenue. Recreational facilities in the neighbourhood include the Kerrisdale Skating Arena, Kerrisdale Community Centre and indoor pool and the Kerrisdale Lawn Bowling Club located at Elm Park. Other community facilities include the Kerrisdale Branch of the Vancouver Public Library at West 42nd Avenue and West Boulevard and the West-Main Health Unit at West 43rd Avenue and West Boulevard. The Shopping DistrictAnyone who has been to the village of Kerrisdale is immediately transported to another time. The shops and businesses are “with it” and trendy but the ambience of the area is one of refined elegance sporting one on the city’s best beautification programs. Kerrisdale’s vast array of sushi restaurants is but one of the eclectic taste treats awaiting shoppers. Tasteful terra cotta coloured pots burst forth with seasonal displays while lamp standards in our classic blue colours exhibit creatively designed banners, lights and swags depending on the season. Newspaper box surrounds, benches and bus shelters all are part of a design standard approved by the Kerrisdale Business Association and their volunteer Board of Directors. |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
