After celebrating the opening of the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA) last weekend, the City is renaming a small lane in Lower Lonsdale to Museum Muse, which will also become an active public space.
With the opening of the MONOVA and the redevelopment of Rogers Court, there was an opportunity to consider a new, more current name for the laneway as it has become primarily a pedestrian mews or service access to businesses fronting Lonsdale Avenue.
The lane connects Carrie Cates Court and Esplanade, and parallels the east facade of the MONOVA, located within the new Polygon Promenade at the Quay building. Since the construction of the residential and retail building in that location is now complete, the City will be activating the space in the future.
“Showcasing our rich culture and history in today’s modern, vibrant, and dynamic community is important for all people,” said Mayor Linda Buchanan “Renaming this revitalized space to better reflect our community’s values and the fantastic new museum in Lower Lonsdale is just one more way of supporting our growing arts and culture precinct. The Shipyards District is place to connect, learn, and have fun. I’m so pleased we’ve reflected this in the new name.”
In 2018, in anticipation of the opening of MONOVA, the North Vancouver Museum and Archives Commission proposed changing the original name Rogers Lane to “Museum Lane (or Mews)”. After deliberating the renaming this year, the Civic Naming Committee agreed on the name “Museum Muse”, which evokes a feeling of playfulness, amusement and inspiration while also acknowledging the museum.
The new name is also more in line with the vision for The Shipyards area as a place to play, gather and build community and distinguishes it from two other nearby roadways bearing the name Rogers in Lower Lonsdale.