If you stand at the corner of Marine Drive and 22nd Street - where Dundarave and Ambleside meet in a gentle architectural handshake - you’ll find an unmistakably modernist structure holding its ground.  While potential development and demolition plans have resulted in much of the building being clad in protective plywood, its folded plate roof still angles confidently toward the sky; a fraction of its clerestory windows still catch the light; its caramel‑coloured dry‑stone veneer still glows warm in the afternoon sun. This is the former Pacific 66 Service Station, built in 1965/66, and one of the last surviving Mid‑Century Modern gas stations in Canada. For nearly sixty years, it has anchored this prominent intersection, quietly embodying West Vancouver’s post-war optimism, its embrace of car culture, and its flirtation with the bold, consumer‑oriented design language of the 1960s. Today, as conversations about heritage, re-use, and community identity deepen, this significant building offers a rare opportunity to reflect on how even the most everyday structures can shape a neighbourhood’s character.

Boxing Day, the second day of Christmas, has nothing to do with sparring in a ring. It stems from a tradition in Victorian England. But even before that, December 26th was the day of the Feast of St. Stephen. Join our writer, Anne-Marie Lawrence, as she ties this day to North Shore built and photographic heritage.