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Gertrude Lawson House - What Is Its Future? /" I I he G e r t r u d e L a w s o n H o u s e w a s d e s i g n e d a n d b u i l t as a residence for G e r t r u d e L a w s o n i n 1939. T h i s h o u s e w a s p u r c h a s e d b y the D i s t r i c t o f W e s t V a n c o u v e r a n d restored i n cooperation w i t h the W e s t Vancouver Historical Society w i t h the generous support o f these major donors: M i s s Lawson's F a m i l y Rotary Club of West Vancouver N o r t h Shore R o t a r y C l u b B . C . Heritage Trust - G o v e r n m e n t o f British Columbia Kay Meek Foundation Donald W . Richardson T h e above is t a k e n f r o m t h e p l a q u e m o u n t e d o n the front o f the G e r t r u d e Lawson House. T h e West Vancouver M u s e u m and H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y ( n o w k n o w n as t h e West Vancouver H i s t o r i c a l Society) became involved w i t h the project o n J u l y II, 1989 w h e n i t s e n t a l e t t e r containing a proposal to develop G L H as M u s e u m a n d A r c h i v e s t o M a y o r a n d Council. T h e Society formally Gertrude Lawson House - 1938 - south side. Left to Right: Betty Kirk, Christina l-awson, John Ijwson, Unidentified couple, Margaret Harte.Gertrude Lawson. 010.WVA.LAW A c c o r d i n g t o news reports, the M u n i c i p a l i t y is p r o p o s i n g a h i g h rise for t h e G e r t r u d e L a w s o n H o u s e Site. T h e p l a c e m e n t o f a n artifact museum, t h e A r c h i v e s o r t h e H i s t o r i c a l Society have n o t b e e n m e n t i o n e d . N o contact has b e e n m a d e w i t h t h e H i s t o r i c a l Society. presented this proposal to C o u n c i l o n J u l y 17. 1989. O n M a y i , 1991 t h e Society donated $30,000 to the project. O n J u l y i , 1994, G e r t r u d e L a w s o n H o u s e w a s o f f i c i a l l y o p e n e d as the M u n i c i p a l M u s e u m a n d A r c h i v e s and home to the W e s t Vancouver H i s t o r i c a l Society. Background of Gertrude Lawson House This beautiful stone house, located at 680 17th Street, was built by Gertrude Lawson, daughter of pioneer John Lawson. The stone was originally ship's ballast that her father had saved in the hopes of building his own dream home. Ms. Lawson purchased two lots in 1929, having begun the home's design two years earlier. She was one of the first women in British Columbia to hold her own mortgage. The actual construction began in 1939 and the house is an eclectic mix of styles meant to loosely resemble a Scottish castle. During the war years, Ms. Lawson began renting out small suites to single, low-income women in need, and continued to do so after the war to supplement her teacher's pension. For many years, the home was used as the meeting place for the Ladies Scottish Dance Society. It was granted Heritage Designation in 1990, and after significant renovations in 1991, officially re-opened as the West Vancouver Museum and Archives in 1994 page 6 The Gertrude Lawson House is one of three properties in West Vancouver designated as a Heritage Property. The other two are the Ferry Building (now an art gallery) and the Binning residence on Mathers Crescent. GLH in 194? 194.WVA.LAW