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By Georgia Twiss, Reference Historian

Nostalgia and History

Nostalgia, for many, is the way that they feel history. Defined as, “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past”, the word was first coined as a medical condition in the late 17th century by a Swiss doctor to describe “the pain resulting from the desire to return home.” For most historians nostalgia is looked at with skepticism. To them nostalgia romanticizes the past, putting it through a rose-tinted prism, thus skewing reality and creating a false conception of what once was. Despite this academic criticism, nostalgia is undeniably the way that large numbers of people connect to history – especially within the realm of public history and memory sites like local museums. To us at MONOVA, then, nostalgia (when presented in a balanced way) can be a powerful lens through which we share the history of North Vancouver.

Why the 1990s?

In recent years the 1990s have become the dominant era of nostalgia. Fashion trends like bucket hats and slim sunglasses, films and TV shows set in the 90s (Derry Girls, True Detective, Snack Shack), reboots of 90s films and TV shows (Girl Meets World, Fuller House, a live-action Lion King), and the return of Oasis, all speak to a cultural obsession with bringing back the 1990s. But why? For many, the 1990s represents the last era without the internet as a monolithic force in our lives, a time free of social media and smartphones and doomscrolling. For millenials, who make up the largest generation block in Canada, the 90s was a formative time and thus their nostalgia is tied specifically to the experience coming of age and childhood. The existence of streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify, as well as social media, allow for a greater ability and accessibility to experience and share in this nostalgia. The Instagram account “90s.talgic”, for example, has 1.3 million followers. For all these reasons then, nineties nostalgia reigns supreme – at least for now.

North Van in the 90s

The 1990s was a time of local transformation in North Vancouver. The early 1990s saw the closure of Versatile Pacific Shipyards in Lower Lonsdale which ended a major chapter in the industrial history of the City. While in the District, 1991 marked the District of North Vancouver Centennial, which kicked off a period of community development. This period included the building and opening of Parkgate Library and Parkgate Recreation Centre, the development of the Northlands area, the re-development of Deep Cove, and the restructuring of the Upper Levels highway to remove the last traffic lights. The decade also reflects a concrete move towards environmentalism with the establishment of the Waterfront Task Force and the designation of the Maplewood Mudflats as a conservation area. On the cultural and recreation front, a small punk scene blossomed with concerts taking place at Seylynn Hall (and South Wall in the City), and organizations like the North Shore Mountain Biking Association and local skateboarding groups formed. The 1990s, then, represents a time of change and development, that by the start of the new millennium situated North Vancouver as a community once again on the rise.

The District of North Vancouver Photograph Collection

The local transformation of the District of North Vancouver that took place in the 1990s is captured in the District of North Vancouver Photograph collection. Recently, the MONOVA Archives received special funding from the District of North Vancouver records department to support the processing of records from the District of North Vancouver, including the digitization of over 7,000 photographs. These photographs, spanning almost a century, document the transformation of the District and are largely the product of the District Planning and Engineering Departments. Over 1500 of these photographs come from the 1990s, showcasing the many changes that took place and documenting what life was like in North Vancouver at that time. You can view some of these photographs in the gallery below and see more via our online archives database. Let us know what you remember from North Van in the 90s!

MONOVA is grateful for the generous funding provided by the District of North Vancouver Legislative Services for the funding of this project.