NVMA F106-S6-35

By Georgia Twiss, Reference Historian

Beginning in the late 1940s, hundreds of local families took part in a variety of fundraising efforts to raise the money to build a new community hall for Seylynn. After years of dances, garden parties, auctions and work bees, the hall was officially opened in 1953. The building was constructed using volunteer labour and materials donated by local construction companies.

In its earliest years the hall was used as a community centre for children’s sports and recreation, dances and concerts. Around 1961, the Sey-Lynn Free Library moved in, and in 1964 the hall became the home of the North Shore Light Opera Society. By 1970 both the library and the opera had moved out, with the hall reverting back to a community space, hosting events like flea markets, dog shows, dance classes and estate sales throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996 the site became home to North Vancouver’s burgeoning punk scene, serving as an all-ages, “diy punk venue” for west-coast bands. Run by the youth, for the youth, and supported by North Shore Neighborhood House and the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, the space became known as a “safe haven for teens” and often raised money for charities and aid work. After more than 300 concerts, the last ever show was held on June 13, 2009.