Current Initiatives

An historical and cultural review has been completed for the area around Powell Street, formerly known as "Japantown". Learn more

Detailed Historical overview

Several phases of growth and development have occurred over the years:

Nihonmachi: The Early Years

Powell Street - Growth, Prosperity and Loss

Powell Grounds - Asahi and the Labour Movement

Church and Cultural Precinct

Map of Character Buildings in the Area

Powell Street: Evaluation of Historical & Cultural Significance presentation (2.78mb)

Oppenheimer/Japantown

Powell Street Grounds – Asahi and the Labour Movement

The Powell Street Grounds at Powell and Dunlevy, now known as Oppenheimer Park, has been a significant public space for all who live in this area. Originally an undeveloped block of land intended for cattle, Mayor Neelands acquired the property on behalf of the city as a playing ground. It was a social gathering place where sports were played and festivals held.

The Asahi Baseball team played many of its games here beginning in 1914. The team competed against other groups in their community and eventually expanded to take on external teams. To make up for their smaller size, the players developed a new brand of game that used speed and intelligence. This led to five-straight Pacific Northwest Baseball Championship wins leading up to War World II. The accomplishments of the team have been recognized with introduction into both the BC and Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

Eventually the common evolved and adopted the new name of Oppenheimer Park in honour of the city’s second mayor, David Oppenheimer. Through the Great Depression, the park served as a meeting ground for protesters and the starting point for labour action and protests. Labour rallies were common during those days due to the concentration of unemployed men in the city seeking jobs. The best known action was the March to Ottawa during the Depression.

In April of 1935, hundreds of men organized an orderly protest against the conditions under which they were housed and the lack of opportunities in the region. This led to the “On to Ottawa” trek in June that year. Thousands of men boarded freight trains bound for Ottawa to take their complaints directly to Prime Minister R.B. Bennett. The federal government ordered the train to stop in Regina. A group of eight continued on to Ottawa to meet with Bennett. The meeting ended negatively, and as a result a riot ensued in Regina on July 1^st. There was one dead, hundreds injured and numerous arrests.

In October 1936, the park was declared the only park where political, religious and other views were permitted to be publicly voiced. In 1957, the Planning Department decided to re-zone the area as industrial, including consideration for redeveloping the park itself for industrial uses.

Currently the park serves the diverse and complex needs of the area residents. In additional to traditional park uses, it is a social gathering place for a variety of community activities. The most notable, drawing people from across BC and beyond, is the annual Powell Street Festival on the August long weekend. A process is currently underway for the redesign and improvements to the park and fieldhouse.