The Villa Maris, a pink beacon in the skies of West Vancouver, is one of the most iconic modernist apartment buildings in the Lower Mainland and is a rare Canadian example of New Sensualism, a Miami Beach offshoot of Modernism. From the outside, it screams Miami Modern with its curved wall of parabolic arches and hot pink colour! But what most people don’t know is that the inside is even more “wow”, with many of its original features including a lobby, staircase and pool that was influenced by the Hollywood Regency and Miami Modernism Styles. It’s easy to envision Elizabeth Taylor or Cary Grant sashaying through the lobby, posing by the pool or theatrically descending the staircase! Join us for a virtual walk through the interior!

Creating and sharing music as a species, especially in a group, goes back to the days of early humans. As a means of expression, social and community building and communication, music has been an integral and important part of the development of humankind. On a smaller scale, music is an important part of any community’s heritage, and musical learning and participation is, arguably, a crucial part of any child’s education that has lasting positive effects all the way through adulthood. Read on to see some vintage photographs of musical groups on the North Shore and learn about some of the different ways in which music is so important to the human experience from birth to old age.