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Online Heritage Inventory

Cenotaph

General Information
Thumbnail photograph of Cenotaph
Click to see full image
Type of Resource: Artifact
Common Name: Cenotaph
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
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.

 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.

 Condition
Excellent

 Lost
No

 Documentation
Evaluated By
Denise Cook, BLA, PBD (Public History)

 Date
Saturday, December 15, 2001

 Documentation
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.

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