Queen Elizabeth Park, British Columbia
| Queen Elizabeth Park | |
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A view of the park
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| Type | Public Park |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Created | 1939 |
| Operated by | City of Vancouver |
Queen Elizabeth Park is a 130-acre[1] municipal park located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Little Mountain (elevation approximately 152 metres[2] or 500 feet above sea level). Its surface was scarred at the turn of the twentieth century when it was quarried for its rock, which served to build Vancouver's first roadways.
History
In 1930, the park's floral future was somewhat revealed when the BC Tulip Association suggested the notion of transforming the quarries into sunken gardens. By the end of that decade, the site had been turned over to the Vancouver Park Board for park and recreation purposes, and was dedicated as such by King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II) on their much lauded visit to Vancouver in 1939, as King and Queen of Canada. From that time, Park staff incrementally transformed the overgrown hillsides into Canada's first civic arboretum, with a generous donation from the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association. The popular quarry gardens were designed by Park Board Deputy Superintendent Bill Livingstone and were unveiled in the early 1960s.
Prentice Bloedel's gift of $1.25 million funded the open reservoirs and built the country's first geodesic conservatory, which is surrounded by covered walkways, lighted fountains and a sculpture, Henry Moore's Knife Edge Two Piece 1962–65. The Bloedel Floral Conservatory opened on December 6, 1969 amidst much jubilation. Its enclosed tropical garden houses 500 exotic plants and flowers and more than a hundred free-flying tropical birds.[3]
Attractions
There are several other attractions in the park including:
- Arboretum
- Celebration Pavilion
- Bloedel Floral Conservatory
- Fountains/Plaza
- Quarry Gardens
- Painters' Corner
- Sculpture
Several episodes of the long running TV show Stargate SG-1 were filmed there.
Activities
- Activities at Queen Elizabeth Park include:
- Pitch and putt golf course
- Disc golf course
- Tennis courts
- Lawn bowling club
- Tai Chi
Notes
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Queen Elizabeth Park. |
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