Viewing Object

Object Description

Object ID

2019.011.004

Title

Fort Langley Community Hall.

Date

[199-?].

Description

Colour photograph of the Fort Langley Community Hall, possibly taken in the 1990s. The Hall is a yellow building with four Roman-esque circular columns in the middle of the structure. There are eleven windows on the front of the building, all trimmed in white; the three in the centre above the red doors (of which there are also three) are narrower than the others. There is a blue decorative detail in the centre of the front roof peak. There are two flags out front: on the left, a Canadian flag and on the right, a B.C. flag. The windows on the second storey of the building have white curtains on the inside; the ones on the left are fully open and the ones on the right are closed on the left side. There are several trees in the background behind the Hall. There is a lawn area in front of the hall with decorative bushes.

People/Subject

Fort Langley Community Hall

This location was the site of the first town hall, although it was closer to the north-east corner of the lot, near the Fort Grocery. In 1924 the Fort Langley Women's Institute, led by the second Mrs. Hector Morrison, started the Fort Langley Community Improvement Society with the idea of building a new town hall. In 1925 the old town hall grounds are purchased from the municipality for $137.13, the amount of the tax bill still owing.
Although the Fort Langley Community Improvement Association had been primarily founded in 1924 by the second Mrs. Hector Morrison (nee Hadden), George Young became a very active influential member as well. Archibald Campbell Hope, architect brother of local Charles Edward Hope, was commissioned to plan the new hall. Construction on the building did not begin until 1930. On March 6, 1931, the formal opening and Inaugural Dance was held, and that same year maple trees were planted by members of the board, those along the north by the women and along the south by the men, and the cherry trees were later donated by another supporter. Originally the hall was painted dark brown.
The Community Hall became a designated Heritage site September 10, 1979.

Argus v4.4.0.36 - Langley Centennial Museum