Cenotaph

General Information

Type of Resource: Artifact
Common Name:
Address: 6911 No 3 Road
Neighbourhood (Planning Area Name): City Centre
Construction Date: 1922
Current Owner: Municipal Government
Designated: No

Statement of Significance

Description of Site

This statement of significance addresses Richmond’s was memorial Cenotaph and the concrete base on which it sits. The Cenotaph is a three metre tall carved granite Celtic Cross monument located near the intersection of No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue, directly in front of Richmond’s City Hall.

Statement of Values

The heritage value of the Cenotaph lies in the superior craftsmanship and the use of fine materials in its carved granite crown and die, and its expression as a non-denominational monument built by community consensus and effort to represent popular feeling after World War I. The Celtic Cross is a representative design, similar to many crosses erected across the country, giving the Cenotaph a connection to other places in Canada. It serves as a connection between members of the community and all war veterans. It is the physical heart and soul of the yearly ceremonial which commemorates Remembrance Day, November 11. The Cenotaph has always been located near Richmond’s City Hall, providing the opportunity for all citizens to come together at a prominent civic site for ceremonies of remembrance.

Character Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include: · The Cenotaph, including the carved granite column and die, the four boulders, and the concrete foundation has remained virtually unchanged since its construction · The four boulders carved with the names of battles - Vimy, Somme, Ypres, Amiens - are a unique design element of the Cenotaph and combined with the names of the people carved on the die of the cenotaph, provoke a powerful imagery · The sense of roughness created by the contrast of the formal cross with the granite boulders at each corner · The elegant, beautiful and serene Celtic cross design, with its elaborate carving · Its location in the front of City hall and the maintenance of this historic relationship to the civic centre of Richmond.

History

With their proud military history at home and abroad, Canadians have erected thousands of memorials spread across the country to mark the services of family, friends and comrades and to ensure these important events form part of our communal memory. As well, there is a desire to connect veterans, who will never forget, with youth, who should always remember the sacrifices that have been made to ensure that Canada is and remains a magnificent country. Richmond Municipality was no exception. In February 1921 it was decided to erect a memorial to ‘our fallen comrades of Richmond’. A Memorial Committee was struck, consisting of a number of community groups including the Imperial Order of Daughters of the Empire, Richmond Ratepayers Association, the Red Cross and Richmond Municipal Council. The Committee applied for and was granted a site for the memorial in front of the Town Hall. The Cenotaph was sited on a direct north-south axis with the entry to Richmond’s first Town Hall, and has maintained this orientation through the construction of two subsequent Town and City Halls. It has been re-dedicated for both World War II and the Korean War. Its design is a Celtic cross which has been associated with many symbolic meanings. The circle represents eternity, and the cross is a Christian symbol. While many symbolic crosses emphasize suffering, the Celtic cross, with its elaborate carving, is instead elegant, beautiful and serene. The Cenotaph was designed by the firm Sharp and Thompson, comprised of George L. Thornton Sharp and Charles J. Thompson, both English trained architects. Their partnership began in 1908, and through subsequent incarnations, became one of the most important architectural firms in Vancouver. Sharp and Thompson designed the campus and several important buildings at the University of BC in the 1920’s, and Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt were at the forefront of the development of the West Coast style of modern architecture in the 1950’s.

Architectural Significance

Architectural Style

Celtic Cross Cenotaph

Building Type

Monument or Statue

Name of Architect or Builder

Designed by Sharp and Thompson Architects, Vancouver BC, constructed by the Independent Monument Company.

Design Features

The Cenotaph has a granite crown carved in the form of a Celtic cross. The die, or column, is a tapered square, also of granite. The names of the war dead are carved on three sides: on the north side, World War I, on the east side, World War II, and on the West side, the Korean War. The south side of the memorial is blank. The base of the monument is granite and it sits upon a concrete platform, two steps above grade, which has four engraved stones at the corners, one for each of the major battles in World War I.

Construction Method

Cast concrete, hand carved granite.

Landscape Significance

No information available.

Integrity

Alterations:With the exception of the addition of two missed names, and the removal of one repeated name in c.1998, there have been no significant alterations to the Cenotaph during the course of its history.
Original Location: Yes. Although moved during the construction of the most recent municipal building, the Cenotaph has always maintained a location fronting City Hall at the intersection of No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue.
Lost: No

Condition

Excellent

Documentation

Evaluated By: Denise Cook, BLA, PBD (Public History)
Evaluation Date: Saturday, December 15, 2001

Documents Borg, Alan. War Memorials: From Antiquity to the Present, London, L. Cooper, 1991, Vancouver Public Library. Cenotaph Reference Files, Richmond Archives. Kalman, Harold. A History of Canadian Architecture Volume 2, Oxford University Press, Don Mills Ontario, 1994. Keen, Mary. We Will Remember Them, City of Richmond Archives, Richmond BC, 1998. “Remembering Our Past for the Future” in Canadian Military Journal, Spring 2000. Brighouse Area and Minoru Park research notes, no date, Richmond Museum. Shipley, Robert. To Mark Our Place: A History of Canadian War Memorials, Toronto, NC Press, 1987, UBC Special Collections. Historical Photographs Photograph No. 1977 21 8 dated c.1945, Centennial Collection, Richmond Archives. Photograph No. 1977 2 45 dated 1955, Centennial Collection, Richmond Archives. Photograph No. 1977 4 6 dated c.1950, Centennial Collection, Richmond Archives. Photograph No. 1977 2 63 dated 1965, Centennial Collection, Richmond Archives. Photograph No. 1977 3 11 dated 1965, Centennial Collection, Richmond Archives. Location and Type of Plans Found Waterworks Atlas Map of Brighouse Park, north west from the intersection of Granville and No. 3 Road, 1936. Municipal Records, Item #1991 40 41, Richmond Archives.