Richmond Heritage Awards


Colour photo of the official opening of the Oak Street Bridge in 1957
Opening of the Oak Street Bridge, July 3, 1957
[City of Richmond Archives Item No. 2008 36 2 16]  

About Richmond Heritage Awards

The Richmond Heritage Awards annually recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and organizations for the conservation of historic places and for promoting an awareness of Richmond’s diverse heritage.  Historic buildings, cultural and natural heritage landscapes, artifacts, and oral and written histories – all are rich resources that contribute to our shared community identity. Some of the ways an individual or organization may earn special recognition are:

  • Preservation, restoration, rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of a historic place, such as a building or structure, or conservation of a cultural heritage landscape.
  • Promotion or awareness of local heritage through education, outreach or advocacy.
  • Contribution to local knowledge of heritage in public history or interpretation projects.

2023 Heritage Awards - Call for Nominations

The City of Richmond Heritage Commission invites the public to submit nominations for the 2023 Richmond Heritage Awards.  The nominations may be for an individual or an organization.  Anyone may submit a nomination.

A one-page nomination form is available at the following link and must be sent to Minhee Park by email at communityplanning@richmond.ca or by mail to:

2023 Richmond Heritage Award Nomination Form

Richmond Heritage Commission
c/o Policy Planning Department
Richmond City Hall
6911 No. 3 Road
Richmond, BC  V6Y 2C1

The submission deadline is 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

All nominations will be reviewed by an Awards Jury which includes members of the Richmond Heritage Commission.  All decisions of the jury are final.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact:

Policy Planning

Planning and Development Department
Phone: 604-276-4207
Fax: 604-276-4052
Email: CommunityPlanning@richmond.ca


Past Award Winners

2022 Heritage Awards Recipients

Ken Chow, Interface Architecture

For his work on the mixed use building at 3755 Chatham Street, which highlights the traditional narrow lots typical to Steveston Village.  The exterior draws inspiration from four of the local historic buildings to create four facades in a single building.

A photo of Ken Chow in Steveston with his Heritage Award
Ken Chow, Interface Architecture

Christine McGilvrary, President, Friends of the Richmond Archives

For her contribution as a host of the "Journey Through Time" online and telephone history sessions designed particularly for seniors who are not able to leave their homes or take part in outdoor programming during the pandemic.

 

A photo of Christine McGilvray with her Heritage Award
Christine McGilvray, President, Friends of the Richmond Archives

Tonari Gumi, (Japanese Community Volunteer Association) and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre

For the publication of "From the Sea and Shore", a record for honouring the foodways of an immigrant community and the resilient people who sustained them.   Collected from the senior members of the Steveston Japanese Canadian Community, the recipes reflect their frugality and ingenuity in preserving Japanese tastes and culture using ingredients local to the west coast.

A photo of the project team and their Heritage Award.
Members of the "From the Sea and Shore" Project Team

Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA)

For the CCA's school Heritage Fair Program.  The CCA teachers and their librarians spend countless hours training their students on how to use archival material and conduct on-site research, and CCA has developed a positive culture of learning which will hopefully lead to a lifelong interest and awareness of history and heritage.

A photo of the teachers at Cornerstone Christian Academy with their Heritage Award
Cornerstone Christian Academy Teachers

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society and the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese-Canadian Studies

For its Fish Tales project, a community based story-telling project.   In 2021, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society partnered with the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese-Canadian Studies at UBC. The Fish Tales project documents and shares personal Chinese-Canadian in an effort to create community ties and a sense of belonging, through the topic of "seafood".

 

2021 Heritage Awards

Canceled due to COVID-19

2020 Heritage Awards Recipients

Richmond Museum Society

For their contribution to public history and heritage education through their recently launched Self-Guided Historical Walking Tours at Terra Nova and Brighouse, undertaken as a part of a new COVID-19 outreach initiative.

Richmond Hospital Healthcare Auxiliary

For their contribution to the conservation of historic places through their volunteer-led efforts to begin restoration of the protected heritage building known as the "Steveston Methodist Church" which is now home to the Auxiliary's Thrift Shop at 3711 and 3731 Chatham Street.

2020 Heritage Award Winners - duo photo

Richmond Museum Society Greg Walker (right) with Golmehr Kazari (left) of the Richmond Museum Services Department

Richmond Hospital/Healthcare Auxiliary Thrift Shop Ursula Van Duin

2019 Heritage Awards Recipients

Sea Island Heritage Society

For raising public awareness on the history of the Sea IsIand.

The Sea Island Heritage Society is a small registered charity dedicated to collecting, cataloguing, recording and disseminating the history of Sea Island in Richmond. The Society was organized in 2001 and meets monthly at the Sea Island Community Centre. It also hosts a few open houses and other events throughout the year.

Richmond Garden Club

For stewarding the Paulik Neighbourhood Park.

The Paulik Neighbourhood Park is a six-acre park in the City Centre area which features a 1.5-acre garden. It was a family garden owned by the Paulik family beginning of the 1930s. A skilled group of volunteer gardeners from the Richmond Garden Club has been stewarding the Paulik Neighbourhood Park for 11 years and continues to maintain Mrs. Paulik’s 28 perennial garden beds.

2019 Heritage Award Winners - duo photo

The Sea Island Heritage Society members received a 2019 Heritage Awards at the Richmond Regional Heritage Fair Closing Ceremony

Richmond Garden Club received a 2019 Heritage Awards for their stewardship of Paulik Neighbourhood Park

2018 Heritage Awards Recipients

Mr. Reiner Siperko and Mr. Bob Hodder

For the retention and reuse of the original concrete mural on the new-mixed development called the “Kimura Building”.

2018 Heritage Award Winners - duo photo

The Murals on the Kimura Building

Steveston Historical Society with Hugh McRoberts Secondary School Students

For its walking tour vignettes program, a five-part theatrical production about living and working in Steveston in the year 1917.

Mr. John Campbell, a Volunteer with the Friends of the Richmond Archives

For his on-going efforts and dedication to develop two social media programs, “Friends of the Richmond Archives” Facebook page and “Outside the Box” blog. 2018 Heritage Award Winners - duo photo

Steveston Historical Society’s Walking Tour Vignettes Program Participants

Mr. John Campbell (middle), a Volunteer with the Friends of the Richmond Archives, with members of the Richmond Heritage Commission