Description of Historic Place

The historic place is Moody Park, a public park on level ground covering 9.62 hectares (23.78 acres). The park is bounded by Eighth Avenue to the north, Eighth Street to the east, Sixth Avenue to the south, and Tenth Street to the west.

The grounds of the park include kept lawns and playing fields. A number of mature specimen trees are found in the park, including Douglas fir, western hemlock, big-leaf maple, western red cedar, Oregon white oak, giant filbert, northern white cedar, horse chestnut, American holly, monkey puzzle and red maple. Many of the trees line the diagonal pathways, which cut across the Park and allow for convenient foot travel across the grounds.

Benches and picnic tables are scattered throughout the Park. Buildings on the property include the parks main office, built in 1938 as the Kiwanis Clubhouse, a lawn bowling club established in 1979, public restrooms, a concession stand, and the Century House seniors’ centre begun in 1958. There are four baseball and softball diamonds, a batting cage, two soccer fields, a basketball court, a lacrosse box, three tennis courts, a spray park, and a new pool is under construction. At the southeast corner of the Park the Rotary Club has recently installed a cast-iron clock. A stone monument erected in 1984 commemorates the establishment of the Park in 1863.

Heritage Value

Moody Park, envisioned in 1863 as Moody Square, is valued for its association with early surveying and urban planning in New Westminster. The park was created in honour of Colonel Richard Clement Moody of the Royal Engineers, who is important in the early development of British Columbia, in part for having selected New Westminster to be the capital of the colony of British Columbia.

The playing fields have particular heritage significance because when Moody Park was created, parks were valued particularly for recreational purposes. This is reflected in the development and clearing of the park, which began in 1889. A game field was established by 1892, used by residents for rugby, football and lacrosse – the latter a sport which is particularly important to New Westminster. The planning process for the park was formalized in 1936, when landscape architect R.H. Savery drafted a long-term development plan for the grounds, which included the diagonal, tree-shaded paths across the park. The park is valued for its recreational opportunities and open space in a densely populated neighbourhood.

The park also has value for its many fine, mature specimen trees that were planted over the years. In many respects it can be considered as an arboretum in the heart of the City.

Moody Park is also important for its role in the physical development of New Westminster. Residential construction along Sixth Avenue began shortly after the park was built in 1889. The neighbourhood, now known as Moody Park, was largely developed and serviced by the streetcar by World War I.

Moody Park underwent numerous alterations over the years, representing the changing needs and demands of New Westminster’s residents. Many recreational and social facilities and planning amenities were added over time, the most recent being the Rotary Club plaza at and entry at the southeast corner (2007).

Source: City of New Westminster Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Moody Park include its:

- role as the cornerstone feature of the historic Moody Park neighbourhood of New Westminster
- position as one of the city’s major parks, which has historically (and currently) provided residents with numerous recreational opportunities
- four diagonal paths which cross the Park’s southwest corner
- mature specimen trees that line the diagonal paths
- recreational facilities, including the baseball diamonds, playing fields, lacrosse box, tennis courts, bowling lawns, and wading and swimming pools
- buildings in the park, including Century House Seniors’ Centre (begun 1958) and the Park Office, built for the Kiwanis Club in the Arts and Crafts style (1938)
- views of the North Shore mountains