History & Heritage
History
Grandview might have remained a wilderness of stumps (it was logged off
in the 1880s) if not for the Vancouver-New Westminster interurban railway
which opened in September 1891; the same year the area's first house was
built. It had hourly runs from Carrall and Hastings Streets along Park
Drive (Commercial Drive). Construction of 2nd and 3rd Avenues, between
Clark and Woodland, by chain gangs from the Powell Street jail in the
late 1890's opened the area for development. Arrival of the city water
system along Commercial Drive in 1904 allowed for more expansion.
Early settlement years saw business activity centre on Park (Commercial)
Drive while industry claimed the area's northern fringe (largely influenced
by the CPR line and the Port). In the early 1900's, "Park Drive"
was renamed "Commercial Drive", and "9th Avenue" became
"Broadway". After 1912, building in the area slowed due to a
city-wide recession, and a new political and economic focus centered on
westside neighbourhoods such as Kitsilano, Point Grey, and Shaughnessy.
Transportation has always played a central role in the areas history:
in its origins, development and focus for community action. As early as
1907 residents organized to have Park Drive improved so children would
not have to walk along rail lines to school. Ratepayers rejected the First
Avenue viaduct three times before agreeing in 1934.
In the 1950s residents complained of: improper lighting, crumbling streets,
poor drainage, no library and poorly equipped schools. The trolley tracks
on Commercial Drive were replaced with new blacktop and brighter street
lights in 1954. Motor buses took over from the electric trolleys. A library
did not arrive until the 1970s.
The Britannia Community Services Centre was one of North America's largest
facilities when it was built in 1975. Carefully planned not to overwhelm
the neighbourhood, its innovative design integrated recreation, learning
and social facilities to provide services to a very mixed population.
The 1970s also saw residents join the successful lobby to prevent the
construction of a freeway down Venables Street through to Downtown. The
1980s saw the arrival of Skytrain in the area.
The face of the community changed after the First World War when Italian,
Chinese, and East European immigrants arrived in the area. After World
War II, a second wave of Italian immigrants made the area home. They renovated
old houses and noticeably changed the look of Commercial Drive with new
shops and restaurants. Grandview's Chinese residents increased in numbers
in the 1950s and 1960s as some of the earlier Italian and East European
residents moved on to other neighbourhoods. In the late 1960s, Grandview's
first East Indian residents also made the community home
Heritage
Grandview-Woodland is characterized by a mix of buildings. Elaborate
houses on large corner lots sit next to cottages on narrow ones. The largest
houses date from the late 1890's and early 1900's, when Grandview-Woodland
was initially promoted as a prestigious residential area. Several wealthy
Vancouverites, including Professor Edward Odlum, Alderman J.J. Miller,
and realtor Captain W.H. Copp, built in the area.
For detailed information on heritage buildings in this area, and in Vancouver
generally, visit City
of Vancouver Heritage.
Additional information is available through the City
of Vancouver Archives.
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