Municipal Modern: West Coast Modern Week Walking Tour

Tickets: Available here 

Discover the civic heart of Ambleside through the lens of mid‑century modernism. This year’s West Coast Modern Week walking tour—Municipal Modern—explores the 1960s through1970s when West Vancouver embraced a bold new architectural identity shaped by expressive concrete, clean lines, and a belief in modern civic life.

Led by experienced guides from North Shore Heritage and the West Vancouver Art Museum, the tour highlights both the iconic municipal buildings and the surrounding apartment blocks that defined a new era of urban living. You’ll learn how architects adapted international modernist ideas to a compact upper Ambleside community, how to recognize defining mid‑century features, and how to distinguish original elements from later alterations. This tour also includes interior access to the West Vancouver Municipal Hall and Firehall #1.

Dates and Sessions:

• Tuesday, July 7 (10:00 a.m.)
• Tuesday, July 7 (10:45 a.m.) 
• Thursday, July 9 (10:00 a.m.) 
• Thursday, July 9 (10:45 a.m.) 
• Sunday, July 12 (11:00 a.m.) 
• Sunday, July 12 (11:45 a.m.) 

During the tour, we’ll walk for just over 2 km for roughly 2.5 hours at a reasonable pace.

Location and time:
•    Check-in at the covered walkway by the main north/west-side doors of the West Vancouver Municipal Hall, 750 17th Street, West Vancouver. 
•    Please arrive 30 minutes in advance of your tour time for check-in. 

Notes:
•    Parking is available at the West Vancouver Municipal Hall or on the street. 
•    Please bring a hat, sunglasses, good walking shoes, water, and an umbrella if appropriate. 
 

A West Vancouver Art Museum and North Shore Heritage co-presentation.