According to the original intentions of city officials the space now occupied by Barclay Heritage Square was intended to become a playing field leaving no trace of the structures that were there at the time thereby creating what in hindsight would have been an injustice to the role those buildings played in the architectural, historical and cultural development of Vancouver. In spite of this benefit of hindsight it still has not impacted on present day officialdom that preserving and respecting the past is to create a stronger foundation for the future.
The story of how Barclay Heritage Square came about is a marvellous one. The dedication, time and effort of a small number of individuals (relatively speaking) was pitted as usual against what seemed like insurmountable bureaucratic odds and shortsighted policies on many levels of government. In the end their effort helped to produce one of Vancouver's and the West End's cultural showcases. (must reading on this subject is "More Than a House" The Story of Roedde House and Barclay Heritage Square by Janet Bingham with foreword by Pierre Berton.)
These images provide an opportunity to view Barclay Heritage Square and to appreciate its present day and future contributions to the city's awareness of itself. Several components make up this block bounded by Barclay, Broughton, Haro and Nicola. There are 3 community use buildings and 6 residential buildings in addition to 3 very differing park and garden settings.
