What was it?

[poultryperson]

I'm really curious if anyone can tell me what used to be on the site in the 500 block of Fourth (opposite Lambert and Watfield Street. There is old blacktop, probably an old parking lot, and signs that say 'property of Nanaimo School Board' so I'm guessing it was once a school but which one? I didn't grow up in Nanaimo but I'm a real nut for local history and it's driving me crazy.

[Flugel Horn]

In the 1980's it was a private Christian school that operated on the site.

The boys wore light blue shirts and navy blue pants, and girls wore a skirt/overalls style also in blue. (there's got to be a better way to describe it than "overalls with a skirt....).

[poultryperson]

Thank you for telling me -- but 1980"s? It's gone without a trace, I'd have thought maybe 1880's from the look of the site.

[Flugel Horn]

It was an old-school school in architectural style, back in the 1980's. Similar to the tall-box that Harewood School was too (and still is).

[BigMac]

In the 70's is was used as a Bingo hall

[AllieG]

I always new it as 'Harewood Hall' and was used as a polling station during elections. Last time I was in there was about 1971!

[Spence]

It was the Harewood community hall from the 1880's until the late 1980's or early nineties. The school board purchased the property at that time and tore down the old hall. The purpose was to build a new elementary school to replace Harewood. Declining enrolment and the desire of people not to tear down the old Harewood school, led to and expansion of Georgia Avenue school, to meet immediate needs, wound up with those plans being scrapped, and the property sitting empty. Harewood, as well as Chase River, Wellington, Departure Bay and Northfield, were seperate areas until amalgamation with the city in the 70's. The community hall was the gathering place, and often the place that housed the admin offices for the community. Harewood municipal offices when I was growing up were in the firehall futher down 4th, however that building wasn't erected until the mid fifties, so they likely were in the community hall before that. I spent countless hours playing in the fields around the hall as a kid, my grandparents lived next door at 604 4th.

[poultryperson]

Thanks so much to everyone who answered my question, especially Spence with his/her very personal memories. This is something I've never heard about even after reading all the local history including Harewood, Land of Wakesiah. Does anyone have any photos of the old Hall?

So, what do people know of the area from Harewood Mall, oops, University Village, over as far as 8th, my present neighbourhood? What about the former five acre farms? We live in one of the older houses which I understand was a farm not that long ago. We even have the remains of the old milkhouse.

[Spence]

It is his memories, and in answer to your question about what my father referred to as " south five acres", it was mostly large tracts of land with 1 large house on each, but as the community grew, the 5 acre parcels were butchered up to provide more housing. A lot of the new houses were as a result of a family memeber marrying, and having the parents give them a portion of the acreage to build a home on. Later, as the original owners were leaving the property for smaller land and houses elswere, developers purchased them and built sudivisions. As a kid growing up in Nanaimo in the late fifties and early sixties, it was unusual to see any large tracts of land being turned into subdivisons, mostly new houses being built here and there. Harewood was a mix of residential, and farms mostly dairy. The residential got heavier from First St. progressing southward, as you can see by the new housing around ninth and tenth today. In the sixties side by side housing didn't go much further than seventh st, with pretty much everything south of that being rural. If you have read Harewood " Land of the Wakesiah" you have the map of the original five acres owners, I will in a subsequent post try to put some people and places in various properties and streets. I have a street by street listing with address es and phone numbers for 1947 Nanaimo, if you are interested. PM me and I will send you a copy, electronically. It is in excel format.

[CHUBer]

the University Village was originally Harewood Plaza. There was a radio commercial that went something like.... "Shop at the plaza, the Harewood Plaza, where quality and price are right (?), Fifth and Bruce Street, in beautiful Harewood...a swingin' shopper's delight" Well, I might not have all the words right, but it was one of those chirpy little tunes that used to play on the wonderful CHUB 1570 radio.

So, what do people know of the area from Harewood Mall, oops, University Village, over as far as 8th, my present neighbourhood? What about the former five acre farms? We live in one of the older houses which I understand was a farm not that long ago. We even have the remains of the old milkhouse.[/QUOTE]