Vancouver actually started in Gastown, the core of the city named for Gassy Jack Deighton. He was a Yorkshire seaman, steamboat captain and barkeep who arrived in 1867 to open the area’s first saloon. The town soon prospered as the site of Hastings Mill sawmill and seaport, and quickly became a general centre of trade and commerce on Burrard Inlet. It was a tough resort for off-work loggers and fishermen, plus the men on the sailing ships that came to Gastown, on the north side of the inlet to load logs and timber.
Gassy Jack Deighton wandered through the wild Coast Salish indigenous lands in 1867 and set up his saloon. Where the whisky barrels went, the loggers and mill-workers followed Gassy Jack, because of his generous drinks. As Vancouver grew out of this rough old neighbourhood, Gastown transformed into the city’s commercial and shipping hub, its brick warehouses and stone structures still standing. Now a thriving, diverse urban community, these historic spaces are home to some of the country’s most creative companies. The neighbourhood offers a recognised mix of hip and heritage, with award-winning restaurants distinctive boutiques, clubs and renowned art galleries.
Outdoor cafes
Today Gastown is an attractive mixture of old and new, casual and pioneering, welcoming visitors and providing an energetic backdrop for enterprising Vancouverites. Today the district retains its historic charm, still based around Gassy Jack Deighton’s original 1867 pub. Victorian architecture retains a flourishing fashion scene, well curated décor boutiques and specialist galleries. It’s a gathering spot for up-market locals and energetic tourists. For outsiders, a bird’s eye view from the Vancouver Lookout gives visitors a 360˚ view. A visit to Gastown should include a stroll along Water St, examining a magical collection of old buildings, cobble stones, steam clock and vintage lamp posts. Continue to the end of Water St to visit a statue of the Gassy man who started it all. Architecture and history fans, of which I am both, can take organised walking tours of the area to explore further.
statue of Gassy Jack Deighton
Gastown is home to many fine restaurants, including European cuisine with farm fresh flair and Asian-inspired treasures. Another possibility is stopping by a wine bar for a cheese and hors-d'œuvre platter. This neighbourhood also has a classy cocktail reputation.
Indigenous art
First Nations art might be a surprise to tourists. See the symbolic designs telling stories, marking events and decorating buildings throughout the city. Note the sculptures, story poles and other artworks eg Bill Reid’s beautiful killer whale sculpture at the entrance of the Vancouver Aquarium. These art works display and explain a unique culture that was part of aboriginal life, including the art created for practical purposes, eg in ceremonies. Find excellent examples of First Nations art at the UBC Museum of Anthropology.
The Canadian Pacific Railway terminated on piles on the shore parallel to Water St in 1886. From this the area became a hive of warehouses. Carrall St was particularly swampy owing to it being low ground between False Creek and Burrard Inlet. Bridges overcame the problem, and the low ground and beach was slowly filled in. In 1886 the town was incorporated in Vancouver City.
The McLennan and McFeely Building is a large 5-storey brick-and-stone commercial building in Gastown which includes the former Canadian Pacific Railway right-of-way! The building is a good example of a warehouse built in Vancouver's commercial centre in the early C20th, its heritage value lying in the historic relationship between Gastown and Vancouver’s early economy. Consider how Gastown became the trans-shipment point between the railway terminus and Pacific shipping routes, predicting Vancouver’s expansion as western Canada’s predominant commercial centre. The building’s construction in 1906 was for McLennan & McFeely, a company specialising in the import and distribution of hardware and building supplies.
The foreshore became an important staging area with the N & W Vancouver Ferries, and Union Steamships docks. Warehouses quickly opened, Fleck Brothers distributors had buildings and department stores opened eg Spencer’s, Hudson’s Bay Company, Army and Navy stores, Woodward’s and Fairbanks Morse. Gastown peaked as the centre of the city’s wholesale produce distribution in the 1930s Great Depression (but not after).
In the 1960s, citizens became concerned with preserving Gastown’s distinctive and historic architecture, which like the nearby Chinatown and Strathcona, was scheduled to be demolished (to build a major freeway into the downtown area). A campaign to save Gastown was led by business people and property owners, as well as the counterculture and associated political protestors, gained traction. Dutch immigrant Henk Vanderhorst opened the Exposition Gallery in Water St which started, flourished and encouraged a flow of other newly established businesses.
Henk’s role in the revitalisation of Gastown was rewarded in 1976 by being awarded The First Pioneer Citizen of Gastown, given by the mayor. Vanderhorst’s efforts pressured the provincial and federal governments to declare Gastown a National Historic Site in 2009.
Gastown displays some of the city’s best Victorian Italianate, Edwardian commercial and Romanesque architecture, running along the north of the downtown Vancouver peninsula. Gastown is a vital part of Vancouver’s position as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Note Gastown, on Burrard Inlet