Archives on the Move

Archives at City Hall

The City of Coquitlam Archives was founded in 2013 with a mandate to preserve and make accessible the records of enduring value of the City of Coquitlam as well as businesses, organizations, and private individuals that are of significance to the municipality and deemed worthy of long-term preservation.

Since 2013, the Archives has been located in a small office space on the ground floor of City Hall. Over the past six years, the program has expanded and the success of the acquisitions program meant that the Archives rapidly outgrew its space at City Hall sooner than expected. By the beginning of 2018, it was time to find a new home.

City Hall Archives Room - January 2015 (JPG) Opens in new window

Pinetree Way - Before

The space on Pinetree Way has been envisioned as many things over the years and for a time it housed City staff working on the Evergreen Line. In early 2018, the City Clerk’s Office received approval to begin planning for the Archives move.

Pinetree Way Office Before the Move (JPG) Opens in new window

Design

The goal of designing the space was to account for:

  • One enclosed office
  • Several additional workstations
  • Public reading room space
  • Processing space
  • Display space
  • A large storage vault

Several designs were explored before the final design was settled upon.

Original Layout - February 2018 (JPG) Opens in new window

Final Layout (JPG)

Construction

Construction began in October, 2018 and was completed by the end of November. The existing office walls were removed and the large storage vault was built. High density mobile shelving was installed in the vault.

Office Construction 1 (JPG) Opens in new window

Office Construction 2 (JPG) Opens in new window

Office Construction 3 (JPG) Opens in new window

The Move

Archival materials were carefully inventoried and packed to ensure they would not be damaged in transit. Fragile oversize items were wrapped to protect them from any movement or impact.

Carts Packed Ready for the Move (JPG) Opens in new window

Furniture Arrives at the New Office (JPG)

A New Home

The City of Coquitlam Archives now has a new home and we are excited to welcome researchers to the new space. This key location and photos in the windows add visual interest for those who walk or travel along Pinetree Way.

Three People Unpacking Archives in the New Office (JPG) Opens in new window

Person Working in the New Archives Office (JPG) Opens in new window

Full Shelves in the New Archives Office (JPG)

Exterior of the New Archives Office (JPG) Opens in new window

Contact the Archives

Members of the public can schedule an appointment to view archival materials by emailing the Archives or by calling 604-927-3900. Digitized records and descriptions of our holdings can be accessed through our online search portal, Quest.