WELCOME TO KITSILANO (Cedar)

Kitsilano, Vancouver 1997-98 (with design by Kostyniuk, Planning + Design)

"Be like the CEDAR,
Connect with your Roots"
         ~  Rob Sieniuc
                   
The landmark sign and sculpture at the corner of Cornwall and Burrard is comprised of a 16-foot long horizontal cedar log, a 7-foot high carved cedar log sculpture depicting scenes of the community past and present, and 16 granite and sandstone boulders, weighing up to 7 tons. The initial concept for the  sign came from viewing large driftwood logs tossed up on rocks along the beach near the Vancouver Maritime Museum. The large horizontal cedar log was cut from a tree blown down by strong winds in Stanley Park, salvaged and donated by the City of Vancouver. The log has been set onto boulders excavated from the old Carling O'Keefe Brewery site at 12th Avenue and Arbutus, and donated by Intergulf Development Group.

The vertical log sculpture is composed of 3 layers of upright logs stepping up and back from the viewer.  The first carving on the front set of logs portrays a Coast Salish village with cedar plank houses and beached canoes, a scene which may have been typical around this area prior to European settlement. The carving on the second layer of logs portrays past and present roots of Kitsilano, including a traditional corner store, craftsman-style houses, and Engine 374, which pulled the first transcontinental train into Vancouver in 1887, was retired to Kitsilano Park for many years—and is now proudly on diplay in the Roundhouse Community Centre.  Also portrayed on this layer is the Vancouver Museum and Pacific Centre, an enduring landmark of  Kits Point. The third layer of carved logs portrays a view north across English Bay to Stanley Park, Vancouver's West End, and the North Shore mountains—a scene which is typical from almost any viewpoint in the Kitsilano area.

The project was an initiative of the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce
Project Coordinators
• Eric de Ridder, Broadway Architects
• Bill Stott, Stott Insurance
Design
• Jim Kostyniuk, Planning + Design
Carving
•  Pete Ryan, Artist