Revitalization

Colour photograph looking down a commercial steet with a variety of heritage buildings on either side, some with colourfully painted wooden siding, some grey stucco and others red brick.

First Avenue, Ladysmith “Downtown” commercial area looking south showing the heritage character of the buildings, 2023.

Like many towns that rely on resource extraction for their economy, Ladysmith has had its ups and downs.

Born out of a coal-based boom at the beginning of the 20th century, things turned to bust in the early 1930s when the mines closed and many jobs were lost.

The town again flourished, but at a more moderate pace, with the advent of industrial logging in the mid-1930s. Hard times came again as operations slowed in the 1970s to eventually wind down in the mid-1980s when the old-growth timber was all gone.

By then, while most of Ladysmith’s handsome early buildings were intact, many were looking run down. The abandoned coal and smelter facilities at the harbour were eyesores. The town looked like what it was – a depressed industrial centre.

Something needed to be done to make Ladysmith attractive.

Black and white head and shoulders photographic portrait of a smiling middle aged woman with curly hair and glasses wearing a woolen jacket over dark buttoned shirt and neck scarf.

Kathleen Grouhel, Mayor of Ladysmith, 1960s.

Kay Grouhel, Ladysmith’s first and so far only lady mayor, started the town’s revitalization in the mid-1970s with downtown improvements including concrete sidewalks, curbs and tree planting. She spearheaded the purchase of industrial land by the harbour and, using heavy equipment operator trainees from Malaspina College (now Vancouver Island University) to clean up the site for a fraction of the normal cost – as well as galvanizing town volunteers – transformed the old coal complex into the lovely Transfer Beach waterfront park it is today. Enjoyed by locals and visitors, its playground, lawns and beach now echo with children’s shrieks and laughter on summer days.

Revitalization of Ladysmith’s Downtown Business District started in 1986 under Mayor Alex Stuart. Planters and ornamental lights were installed, and inviting ‘meeting places’ were created. With the backing of the Downtown Merchants Association, a Heritage Revitalization Advisory Commission was established to oversee the restoration of the ‘charm of the past’ through the adoption of building guidelines. Residents and work crews rallied together in a spirit of renewal. Heritage buildings were restored with grants from BC Heritage Trust.

Two colour photographs, before and after restoration, showing an oblique view of the frontage of the same flat roofed commercial building. The ‘Before’ photograph shows the walls coated in shabby white stucco, windows obscured by signage, and a continuous cedar shake roofed awning over the doors and windows. The ‘After’ photograph shown the walls cleared down to the original bare brick, the second story arched windows free of covering, and separate awnings over the ground floor commercial windows.

Example of the restoration of the heritage character of a downtown building, Ladysmith: Before and after photographs.

A night time colour photograph showing a town street adorned with colourful Christmas lights packed with people watching an overhead fireworks display.

Ladysmith Christmas Light Up celebration fireworks display, 2018.

By 1987, it was agreed that new and more festive street decorations were needed to complement Ladysmith’s successful heritage revitalization project. The ‘Festival of Lights’ was born. Since its inception, this festival has grown and now attracts thousands of visitors to what is considered one of the most attractive Christmas ‘Light Ups’ on Vancouver Island.

VIDEO Christmas Lady Lynn McNeil (captions available in FR and EN). Enjoy this video with a transcript (EN)

Colour photograph of a blonde haired smiling woman in a dark green sequined dress wearing a red and white Santa Claus hat seated before a round table strewn with compact disc covers holding in front of her a Compact Disc cover bearing her photograph and the title “The Christmas Lady”.

Ladysmith singer Lynne McNeil, known as “The Christmas Lady”, 1997.

It was against this backdrop of renewal that musicians such as Ladysmith’s Lynne McNeil performed. Lynne, known locally as “Christmas Lady” for her Christmas music and love of the holiday, appeared on national TV and performed with the Dal Richards Orchestra.

Trippy Times Fun at the Beach