Two weeks ago, demolition of the former North Surrey Recreation Centre began.
The centre had been in operation for 54 years. While it had not operated since 2019, its initial opening in 1965 and subsequent expansions were seminal changes in Surrey.
When the original ice rink opened in 1965, Surrey was in the midst of dramatic changes. It had been mostly rural and agricultural until the initial wave of urbanization in Whalley in the 1940s and 1950s.
By 1965, urban development had expanded into other areas beyond the five defined town centres of Whalley, Guildford, Newton, Cloverdale and South Surrey (adjacent to White Rock along 16 Avenue). However, urban services still remained minimal. Several small shopping centres, such as Dell and Riverside, had opened, but the opening of the first major mall, Guildford, was still a year away.
Transportation, other than the private automobile, was minimal. There was no urban bus service. Surrey was served, quite minimally, by Pacific Stage Lines.
There was no connection to the urban bus service operated by BC Hydro, and thus very few people used public transit. It took another seven years for transit service to begin.
While some new schools had been built, there was significant overcrowding at many schools, and construction of new schools and additions required voter approval via a referendum. This often delayed actual construction. The system is much different today, but the problem remains.
The opening of the North Surrey Recreation Centre did not come easily. Recreation had not been considered a high priority by the Surrey council of the day, and the perennial problem was where to locate such centres. The large size of Surrey and the scattered population meant competition by various areas for scarce public investments.
However, North Surrey was a pretty logical choice, with much of the population located in the Whalley, Newton, Fleetwood and Guildford areas. Highway 1 and the Port Mann Bridge had opened in 1964, and planning for Guildford (which also included major housing developments) was well underway.
An energetic community drive was also mounted to locate the centre in the Whalley business district. It all came together when the decision was made to locate it on 102 Avenue, just west of King George Highway.
It was the first ice rink in Surrey. Finally, the few who were able to play hockey (the nearest public rink had been in New Westminster) didn’t have to cross a bridge to do so. This made minor hockey, figure skating and other sports much more possible.
The recreation centre was also home to Surrey’s first indoor pool, which came a few years later.
Over the years, it expanded to two ice rinks, and there were numerous other facilities within the complex. It was a Surrey landmark.
In 1970, Surrey Place (now Central City) opened, just across the street. In 1994, SkyTrain came to Whalley, and the Surrey Central station was built adjacent to the rec centre. Since that time, the entire area has grown dramatically, with many highrises and, notably, the Surrey campus of Simon Fraser University at Central City.
Surrey City Hall has also been relocated nearby, in a deliberate move by the city to highlight the importance of the area to Surrey’s future.
All of these developments have made the rec centre property more valuable than ever. After demolition finishes up this summer, the property will become the Centre Block development — two highrises and other commercial and retail space, totalling two million square feet.
Mayor Brenda Locke and others say this will be a significant step in making Surrey City Centre the second major downtown in the region.
The initial opening of the rec centre 60 years ago was a major catalyst in making all this happen.
Frank Bucholtz writes twice monthly on political issues for Black Press Media publications.
