The National Maritime Centre
On January 11, 2006, the City of North Vancouver announced that it is taking the next steps towards creating The National Maritime Centre for the Pacific and the Arctic on the Pier development site in Lower Lonsdale. At that time, the Vancouver Maritime Museum announced its support of the proposed National Maritime Centre on North Vancouver’s waterfront.
In 2003, the Vancouver Maritime Museum announced a vision for a new, expanded and relocated maritime museum on Vancouver’s waterfront that was to be more than a museum -- a centre for maritime activity, sustainable and easily accessible. That vision will be achieved with what is being proposed for North Vancouver.
Two separate studies, funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia honed the vision into a blueprint for what the new entity could be – an exciting, viable National Maritime Centre that celebrates Canada’s Pacific gateway and its unique and diverse maritime culture, heritage and industry. The studies also looked at potential sites for the new centre.
The existing Vancouver Maritime Museum site suffers from lack of access, is in a residential and park setting, and is outdated and overcrowded. A City of Vancouver funded study in 1997 noted that the Museum needed a new site and a major rebuild to meet public needs and to remain financially viable. The City asked the Museum to look at its options, and the vision and the studies funded by the senior levels of government have formed the Museum’s response.
There was no available site in Vancouver for relocation or expansion and it was at the end of the first study, and during the site selection process, the City of North Vancouver made an unsolicited offer of the former site of the Versatile Shipyard. The second study, completed in December 2005, found that the North Vancouver site offered a viable and exciting location that would be financially sustainable and that offered a wide array of public benefits. The report also supports the North Shore site as the best regional location. The Maritime Museum will not move to North Vancouver.
The collections of the existing maritime museum belong to the City of Vancouver, and the Museum is proposing a careful examination of the many internationally, nationally and regionally significant artifacts and holdings that could be loaned to the new centre, a decision that is up to the City of Vancouver. The Museum will provide a detailed sense of why these things are important, and the stories of the people behind them that bring history to life.
The Vancouver Maritime Museum Society will continue to work closely with the City of Vancouver to interpret the City’s maritime history and culture, not only in this transitional period but also in the years that follow. By engaging in partnerships with other museums and public facilities in Vancouver, the Museum can display even more treasures and stories.
The initiative for the future of the National Maritime Centre is now with the City of North Vancouver and a soon to be formed National Maritime Centre Society. The Vancouver Maritime Museum Society will cooperate with the new society, the City of North Vancouver and is excited that the vision proposed in 2003 will at last come to pass.
Please click here to view PDF of City of North Vancouver news release
Museum News Release
