Major Matthews
Former residence, 1100 Block, Arbutus St.
"A great metropolis, Greater Vancouver, arose: forty miles long by twenty miles deep, of monumental buildings and green lawns; the happy home of an enlightened and benevolent people."
From his Address to the Pioneers speech at the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of Dedication of Stanley Park
Major J.S. Matthews, who was Vancouver’s foremost documentarian and collector, lived at this address for nearly 50 years, flying the Union Jack on Sundays and holidays. Fiercely protective of his work, Matthews remained an avid and headstrong local collector and public figure for decades. His personal collection formed the City Archives of the time, and his often contentious battles with City Hall and the public library provided much diversion for Vancouverites for decades. At the same time, his passion for his work was instrumental in the creation of Vancouver’s City Archives building. Only his final illness at age 91 prevented him from continuing his work. He died the following year, at age 92. James Skitt Matthews had been the City of Vancouver’s City Archivist for almost 40 years.
