Presentation House, the longest serving public building on the North Shore, is also one of the oldest buildings, an unprepossessing structure in Lower Lonsdale that started, “from a small core structure to a rambling complex”. Serving as a school, city hall, a jail, an art gallery, a museum and a theatre, the building tells the story of the development of North Vancouver. Imagine all the people who have played a part in the life of Presentation House since its start in 1902 – school children, politicians, police, photographers, artists, archivists, actors, musicians, audiences and larger-than-life personalities such as, Pierre Elliott Trudeau and, in April 1972, Muhammed Ali who sparred in the hallway with the City Clerk. There was even a royal drive-by in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. 

From the outside, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church looks unlike any other church in West Vancouver. With its dominant, geometric cedar-shake walls - which also serve as a roof - words such as dramatic, angular and bold might be used to describe this church at first glance. But despite its stunning exterior, nothing could prepare you for the visual feast that awaits you on the inside! One is greeted by a light-filled interior, with a dramatic and soaring geometric ceiling, exquisitely eye-catching chandeliers, and the piece-de-resistance … the most stunning stained-glass windows, made of faceted, gem-cut coloured glass, which create a jaw-dropping curtain of colour. Join us as we explore the history and features of this iconic architectural “gem” which is amongst the most significant mid-century modern churches in the world. It still stands today but is very much under threat in this world of declining religious affiliations, governmental pressures for affordable housing and developers’ drive for profits.