Gastown is the original settlement that became the core of the city of
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada, and a national historic site and a neighbourhood in the northwest section of the
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homeles ...
, adjacent to
Downtown Vancouver
Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north sh ...
.
Its historical boundaries – the waterfront (now Water Street and the
CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore sponta ...
tracks), Carrall Street, Hastings Street, and Cambie Street – followed the borders of the 1870
townsite A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan (Ca ...
survey, the proper name and postal address of which was
Granville, B.I. ("Burrard Inlet"). The official boundary does not include most of Hastings Street except for the
Woodward's
Woodward's Stores Ltd. was a department store chain that operated in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, for 101 years, before its sale to the Hudson's Bay Company.
History
Charles Woodward established the first Woodward store at the corner o ...
and
Dominion Building
The Dominion Building (originally Dominion Trust Building) is a commercial building in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located on the edge of Gastown (207 West Hastings St), it was Vancouver's first steel-framed high-rise. At 53 m (175 ...
s, and stretches east past Columbia Street, to the laneway running parallel to the west side of Main Street.
History
![Maple Tree Corner Vancouver 1886](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Maple_Tree_Corner_Vancouver_1886.jpg)
Gastown was Vancouver's first neighbourhood and was named for
"Gassy" Jack Deighton, a
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
seaman, steamboat captain and barkeep who arrived in 1867 to open the area's first
saloon. He was famous for his habit of talking at length (or "gassing") and the area around his saloon came to be known as "Gassy's town," a nickname that evolved to "Gastown." The town soon prospered as the site of
Hastings Mill
Hastings Mill was a sawmill on the south shore of Burrard Inlet and was the first commercial operation around which the settlement that would become Vancouver developed in British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1865 by Edward Stamp, the sawmill oper ...
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
,
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
, and quickly became a general centre of trade and commerce on
Burrard Inlet
french: Baie Burrard
, image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, alt =
, caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet
, image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg
, alt_bathymetry ...
as well as a rough-and-rowdy resort for off-work loggers and fishermen as well as the crews and captains of the many sailing ships which came to Gastown or
Moodyville
Moodyville is an unincorporated community in Pickett County, Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and t ...
, on the north side of the inlet (which was a dry town) to load logs and timber.
In the 1960s, citizens became concerned with preserving Gastown's distinctive and historic architecture, which like the nearby
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
and
Strathcona was scheduled to be demolished to build a major freeway into the city's downtown. A campaign led by businesspeople and property owners, as well as the
counterculture
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
and associated political protestors gained traction to save Gastown. Henk F. Vanderhorst, a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
immigrant to Canadian citizen, opened the 'Exposition Gallery', an art gallery on Water Street which started, flourished and encouraged a flow of other fledgling business startups to boom in the Gastown core. His influence with the revitalization of Gastown was acknowledged in 1976 by being awarded 'The First Pioneer Citizen of Gastown' award by Mayor
Art Phillips
Arthur Phillips (September 12, 1930 – March 29, 2013) served as the 32nd mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 1973 to 1977. Prior to being elected to this post, he founded the Vancouver investment firm of Phillips, Hager & North. ...
. "A key to the city". Vanderhorst's efforts, in part, pressured the civic, provincial and federal governments to declare Gastown a historical site, protecting its heritage buildings to this day.
Gastown was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...
in 2009.
21st century
![Gastown Water Street 201807](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Gastown_Water_Street_201807.jpg)
Gastown is a mix of "hip" contemporary fashion and interior furnishing boutiques, tourist-oriented businesses (generally restricted to Water Street), restaurants, nightclubs, poverty and newly upscale housing. In addition, there are law firms, architects and other professional offices, as well as computer and internet businesses, art galleries, music and art studios, tattoo parlours, and acting and film schools.
In February 2013,
The Gastown Gazette
''The Gastown Gazette'' is a national arts and culture magazine published in Vancouver, British Columbia by Northwest Community Enterprises Ltd. History
Gazette was founded by Andrew Patton November 16, 2012. The first electronic edition was p ...
began publishing local news and stories about the ongoing protests against gentrification in the
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homeles ...
and Gastown area of Vancouver. The
community paper
Community paper is a term used by publishers, advertisers and readers to describe a range of publications that share a common service to their local community and commerce. Their predominant medium being newsprint, often free and published at regul ...
has since gathered provincial and national attention for reports on the neighbourhood.
Gastown has become a hub for technology and new media. It has attracted companies such as Zaui Software, Idea Rebel, MetroQuest, BootUp Labs Entrepreneurial Society, SEOinVancouver and MarketR.
Popular annual events that take place on the
cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings.
Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
streets of Gastown include the
Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is an annual summer event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The festival grew out of a local jazz scene that centred on Vancouver Co-op Radio ( CFRO-FM), a community radio station, in the early 1980 ...
and the
Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix
The Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix is a criterium cycling race held in Gastown, the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The race is part of BC Superweek, a series of nine races held over 10 days in July in the greater Va ...
international bicycle race.
![8212 2012-07-16 Gastown Lamplighter HDR 2012-07-16 Gastown HDR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/8212_2012-07-16_Gastown_Lamplighter_HDR_2012-07-16_Gastown_HDR.jpg)
In June 2004,
Storyeum
Storyeum was a short-lived tourist attraction, located at 142 Water Street, Vancouver. Storyeum was located in the largely touristy area of the Gastown neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Storyeum offered up a live, interactive, ...
opened in Gastown. It was a lively theatrical 65-minute show that re-enacted the history of BC using eight sets that were all located below street level. Unfortunately, due to mounting debt, the attraction closed its doors in October 2006.
The
Gassy Jack statue was toppled on February 14, 2022, by protesters during the 31st annual Memorial March for
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is an epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in Canada, the United States, and Latin America; notably those in the FNIM (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) and Native American communities. Acros ...
.
Gastown steam clock
![8262 2012-07-16 Gastown Steam Clock HDR 2012-07-16 Gastown HDR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/8262_2012-07-16_Gastown_Steam_Clock_HDR_2012-07-16_Gastown_HDR.jpg)
Gastown's most famous (though nowhere near oldest) landmark is the
steam-powered clock on the corner of Cambie and Water Street. It was built in 1977 to cover a steam grate, part of Vancouver's distributed
steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
heating system, as a way to harness the steam and to prevent street people from sleeping on the spot in cold weather. Its original design was faulty and it had to be powered by electricity after a breakdown. The steam mechanism was completely restored with the financial support of local businesses as it had become a major tourist attraction, and is promoted as a heritage feature although it is of modern invention.
The steam used is low pressure downtown-wide steam
heating network (from a plant adjacent to the
Georgia Viaduct
The Georgia Viaduct is a twinned bridge that acts as a flyover-like overpass in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It passes between Rogers Arena and BC Place Stadium and connects Downtown Vancouver with Main Street and Strathcona.
History ...
) that powers a miniature
steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...
in its base, in turn driving a
chain lift
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...
. The chain lift moves steel balls upward, where they are unloaded and roll to a descending chain. The weight of the balls on the descending chain drives a conventional
pendulum clock
A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a harmonic oscillator: It swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on it ...
escapement
An escapement is a mechanical linkage in mechanical watches and clocks that gives impulses to the timekeeping element and periodically releases the gear train to move forward, advancing the clock's hands. The impulse action transfers energy to ...
, geared to the hands on the four faces. The steam also powers the clock's sound production, with
whistle
A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...
s being used instead of
bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
s to produce the
Westminster "chime" and to
signal the time.
In October 2014, the clock was temporarily removed for major repairs by its original builder, and was reinstalled January 2015.
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]
References
External links
Official Gastown Community Website
Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix''The Gastown Gazette'' community newspaper
comparisons of old photos with modern locations
Archival photos
View of Gastown from offshore, 1884, prior to announcement of CPR terminusView of Gastown from offshore, 1886View of Alexander Street, Gastown c.1911View of Water Street from jct. Cordova Street, c.1890View of Water Street from Maple Tree Square, 1887(Sunnyside Hotel at right)
View of Cordova Street from above intersection of Carrall; July 1, 1890 Dominion Day celebrationsView of Cordova Street from above intersection of Cambie; c.1900 when this was still the city's principal shopping district
{{British Columbia parks
National Historic Sites in British Columbia
Neighbourhoods in Vancouver
Historic districts in Canada
Tourist attractions in Vancouver
History of Vancouver