Viewing Object

The Coronation Block was originally constructed as a commercial duplex at the corner of Glover Road and Francis Avenue in 1911. Mr. Charles Edward Hope, a prominent architect, civil engineer, and estate and financial agent, built the revenue property for Mrs. Lily Dawson Hope. The raised front parapet has an unusual, curved shape, with dentil blocks under the cornice and stunning eave brackets.

Many businesses have operated out of the building, which has been known and loved as Fort Langley’s most distinctive storefronts, “the old drugstore”, and BC’s first pharmacy. Over the years there have been renovations and remodels which saw the building changing to a one single space and the second floor converting from a storage area to living quarters. It has been used as a pharmacy, a butcher shop, a clothing shop, a bank, a veterinary office, a photography studio, a radio shop, a grocery store and recently an art gallery just to name a few.

The name “Coronation Block” was in honor of the crowning of King George V of England, who ascended the throne in 1910.