Unbuilt Vancouver, Part 2: Spanish Banks Airports

There have been many proposed or suggested developments for the waterfront areas of Vancouver. Spanish Banks is no exception. Some proposals were more suggestions, while other have been more seriously considered.

In the former category is one perhaps not that much different than what has developed in the area, save the inking in of beach clubs, cabanas and a casino. Originally, I encountered this design, pictured below, in the Planning Department maps, plans and drawings series under the title ‘Spanish Banks development’. This suggestion, however, originated as Plate 5 in A preliminary report upon parks and recreation and schools for the Vancouver Town Planning Commission by Harland Bartholomew and Associates from 1946.

Plate 5 – Suggested development of Marine Drive Spanish Banks, from A Preliminary report upon parks and recreation and schools, October 1946. Reference code: COV-S697--] — *Plate 5 – Suggested development of Marine Drive Spanish Banks, from A Preliminary report upon parks and recreation and schools, October 1946. Reference code: COV-S697–*

Other plans, however, have been more seriously considered. An airport at Spanish Banks is one such example, and was proposed as a possibility on at least three different occasions. The first proposal, developed in 1927-1928, included an airport for both land and seaplanes, a bathing beach, swimming pool, winter garden, stadium, and children’s bathing channel. The rationale behind this proposal came from the increase in air travel in the 1920s and the need to develop a city airport. The original plan was prepared by Major D.R. MacLaren and first submitted to the Town Planning Commission, followed by submission to City Council. The opposition to the plan emanated primarily from the residents of the Municipality of Point Grey (side note: Point Grey was its own separate municipality until January 1, 1929, when it amalgamated with the City of Vancouver) noting that the erecting an airport at Spanish Banks would spoil the views of English Bay, decrease property values, and compromise the recreation potential of the area for the current and the future residents of the greater Vancouver area. A letter written by Dr. W.N. Kemp criticized the plan as “a nefarious scheme of beach spoilation”.^[1]

*Vancouver Airport : design for Spanish Banks, Feb. 8, 1928. Reference code: AM1594-: MAP 377-: 1972-568.2*

In contrast, both the Vancouver Sun and the Province ran articles in support of the project. The Province, on November 20, 1927, went as far as providing a full page article complete with an artists’ vision of the airport with an article titled “When Vancouver has wings – our airport of the future” that imagined the conversations of pilots twenty years on (i.e., in 1947) marveling at the wonder and genius of the airport location, reinforcing the idea that the fear of the bathing beaches being compromised had resulted in nothing, and discrediting the idea of the alternate proposed airport site of Lulu Island.

Marking out the area of the proposed Vancouver Airport on a 1927 photograph included in the file ‘Airport’ found in the City Clerk’s Office subject files. Reference code: COV-S20-- — *Marking out the area of the proposed Vancouver Airport on a 1927 photograph included in the file ‘Airport’ found in the City Clerk’s Office subject files. Reference code: COV-S20–*

In the summer of 1928, a total of nine potential airport sites were presented to Squadron Leader A.T. Cowley, the Director of Civil Aviation. The sites included Spanish Banks, the North Shore east of Second Narrows Bridge, Capilano Indian Reserve, Musqueam Indian Reserve, Burnaby Lake, the area known as the Chinese gardens (south end of Main Street by Fraser River), Lulu Island, Sea Island and the area opposite Woodward’s Landing on the south arm of the Fraser River. According to The Province, just before the decision was made, Spanish Banks was still the favoured location, offering the benefits of its close proximity to the city (i.e., Vancouver), and ability to host both land and sea planes. Sea Island, as evidenced by the location of the airport today, was ruled as the chosen airport site by Squadron Leader A.T. Cowley who inspected each proposed site and associated plans.

Plan and sections drawing of the proposed Spanish Banks airport, 1955, by W.A. Bickell. Reference code: COV-S523-- — *Proposed Spanish Banks Airport drawing, 1954, by Swan, Rhodes & Wooster. Reference code: COV-S523–*

The second time a Spanish Banks airport was proposed was in the 1950s. This time, the suggestion of the site was not as a primary airport site, but as the much-needed secondary airport site to alleviate the congestion at Sea Island, and to divert all light land and seaplanes from an airport that where the primary traffic was increasingly large commercial flights. In a report from the Special Committee of the Vancouver Airport Board, 17 August 1955, Spanish Banks, along with several other sites that were under investigation as potential secondary airport site, were eliminated, with the Rice Mills site on Lulu Island becoming the recommended chosen location. In September of that year, however, the Rice Mills site was rejected by the Minister of Transport, and the Spanish Banks site once again became a possibility. The April 12, 1956 minutes of the Special Committee, however, noted that that the proposal “does not appear economically feasible.”^[2] This combined with strong opposition from residents of Vancouver (not just those of West Point Grey) likely pushed the Department of Transport to remove the Spanish Banks option from the table by August of that year.

Item No. III from the Special Committee minutes discussing Spanish Banks. Reference code: COV-S47-- — *Item No. III from the Special Committee minutes discussing Spanish Banks. Reference code: COV-S47–*

The dream of some to institute an airport by the beach was resurrected six years later in 1962, when a proposal from the Spanish Banks Airpark Committee of the B.C. Aviation Council, headed by Frank Bernard (a hotelier), was made. It was smaller in scope than the previous proposals and dubbed an ‘Airpark’. The promotional brochure was trying to sell the idea of the airport on the basis that it would bring Vancouver increased business and tourism opportunities, and lauded that an additional beach area would be created providing a safer swimming area, while encouraging the interest in all things aviation for young people.

Proposed Spanish Banks Airpark drawing by Swan, Wooster Engineering, and promotional pamphlet by the Spanish Banks Airpark Committee. Reference code: VPK-S81-- — *Proposed Spanish Banks Airpark drawing by Swan, Wooster Engineering, and promotional pamphlet by the Spanish Banks Airpark Committee. Reference code: VPK-S81–*

The Park Board declined to endorse the airport proposal, citing its opinion that “the recreational use and enjoyment by the public of the Spanish Banks Beach area would not be enhanced by construction of the proposed airport.”^[3]

So this summer, if you find yourself spending time enjoying the beaches of Spanish Banks, perhaps spare a thought as to how different it could have looked had these proposals gone ahead.