Description of Historic Place

The Goodmanson Building, which houses the Round Up Cafe, is a one-storey commercial building located at the north end of a commercial strip development on the King George Highway, in the Whalley neighbourhood of Surrey. A prominent neon sign, reading 'Round Up Cafe', overhangs the sidewalk above the main entrance.

Heritage Value

Built in 1949, the Goodmanson Building is valued as a testament to Whalley's origins as an automobile-oriented service center and as a representation of the type of single-storey commercial strip development that defined the area's character for decades. After the Pacific Highway was paved in 1923, Whalley became a favoured location for auto-based businesses. Local growth accelerated with the opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937 and the completion of the King George Highway in 1940. After the tolls were removed from the Pattullo Bridge in 1952, Whalley experienced a major commercial and residential building boom.

The Goodmanson Building is also significant as the location of the Round Up Cafe, which has served the Whalley neighbourhood for over fifty-five years. Len Goodmanson built the original structure on the property in 1949, housing the Round Up Cafe, which Goodmanson owned until 1961. Since 1973, the restaurant has been owned and operated by the Springenatic family, who have maintained the essential roadside diner character, appearance and menu. Typical of the era in which it was established, the large neon sign was a response to the width of the street and the speed of passing cars, enticing customers with its bold shape and colours. Such signs have seldom survived in connection with their original businesses; the Round Up Cafe and its neon sign are therefore a rare combination. The name of the restaurant recalls the postwar popularity of Western stories, both in Hollywood movies and in the emerging medium of television.

Source: City of Surrey Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Goodmanson Building include its:
- location adjacent to King George Highway with no setback from front and side property lines
- commercial form, scale and massing as exemplified by its one-storey height, rectangular plan, central recessed entry and flat roof
- wood frame construction with stone masonry on storefront under later stucco and aluminum
- prominent projecting 'Round Up Cafe' sign with metal sign can and neon tubing overhanging sidewalk above main entrance
- plate glass storefront windows
- interior features, such as original seating configuration and kitchen cupboards
- continuous use as a diner