Did you know that the Heights was supposed to be Burnaby's toniest neighbourhood?
Charles J. Peter, who managed the G.F. and J. Galt Company, had Overlynn Manor built in 1909 to attract other successful people to the neighbourhood.
"He was hoping to make it the next Shaughnessy," said Mary Briggs, a volunteer with the Burnaby Heights Neighbourhood Association. "Of course, the Depression hit, and that didn't pan out as he'd hoped."
However, other homes built in the area between then and the '30s demonstrate what Peter was trying to achieve, with grand houses on large lots, she added.
Burnaby residents can learn more about the history of the Heights at an event being co-sponsored by the association and the Burnaby Public Library.
History in the Heights is being held in the community room of the McGill branch of the library, on March 14 from 7 to 8 p.m.
There will be a presentation on the heritage of the neighbourhood by a staff member from the Burnaby Village Museum, according to Briggs, and a tutorial by City of Burnaby Archives' staff on researching historical information.
Briggs, who has lived in the neighbourhood for seven years, joined the association this year, she said.
Walking through the neighbourhood, one can see the changes in housing development over the years, according to Briggs.
"There was a big gap of time between the wars," she said. "Not a lot of homes were built in the '30s, during the Depression."
But there was another big building boom in the 1940s and '50s, after the Second World War ended, Briggs added.
The community is one that holds onto its own, she said.
"One of the things we found, after moving into the area about seven years ago, is that a lot of people don't leave," she said, adding they may change homes, but they stay in the area.
The event is free, but space is limited. Register by calling 604-299-8955, on the library's website, or in person at the library.
For more information, go to www.bpl.bc.ca/events/ history-in-the-heights.
