History & Heritage
History
Hastings-Sunrise sits on the northern half of a block of land which the
provincial government set aside in 1863 for a town they expected to develop
along the shores of what was considered one of the finest harbours on
the West Coast. Although it was Gastown farther west that eventually developed
into the great port city, a small resort, New Brighton, did develop on
the shoreline roughly where New Brighton Park is today.
New Brighton was a popular weekend retreat for residents of the province's
capital city, New Westminster. By 1868, vacationers, loggers and mill
workers made the 16 kilometre journey from New Westminster to the Brighton
Hotel via stage coach. From there a ferry, the Sea Foam, commenced a triangular
route, first across Burrard Inlet to the logging operation at Moodyville,
then back to Stamp's Mill (at the foot of Dunlevy Street), then along
the northern shore of the inlet back to New Brighton.
The settlement's name was changed to Hastings (officially the Hastings
Townsite) in 1869 to commemorate a visit to the area by Admiral George
Fowler Hastings. As Hastings grew, it laid claim to virtually every first
for Vancouver: first road, first hotel, first post office, first telephone,first
real estate transaction, first subdivision, and even the first ferry between
Burrard Inlet and Victoria.
Hastings' role as a resort continued until the turn-of-the-century, with
leisure-seekers drawn to the area for the New Brighton Hotel (destroyed
by fire in 1905) and the half-mile race track at Hastings Park. Local
residents began lobbying for more wholesome activities such as tradeshows
for dairy farmers, loggers, and horticulturists. This pressure resulted
in the first exhibition, staged by the Vancouver Exhibition Association,
in 1910. By 1946, the event's success caused the site to be renamed "Exhibition
Park." Today's Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is the modern day
descendent of the Vancouver Exhibition. The PNE's lease with the City
was held by the provincial government until 1994. A new agreement was
signed by the City and the province, establishing the City as the owner
of the site. The city has begun the redevelopment of Hastings Park by
removing buildings and developing natural areas, gardens and water features.
Growth in the area was slow, significant development didn't begin until
1911; the year the Hastings Townsite voted to join the City of Vancouver.
Hastings laid claim to many of the city's firsts, including first road,
first wharf, first post office, first museum and first subdivision. Other
firsts included first hotel, first telephone, first real estate transaction,
and first ferry between Burrard Inlet and Victoria.
Most of the northern half of Hastings-Sunrise, the Hastings portion,
was developed for residential use in the 1920s, while the southern portion,
Sunrise (the area south of First Avenue), was not developed until the
1940s.
Heritage
A number of notable 1920s Craftsman homes remain in the area around north
Hastings Street. One prominent landmark is the 1912 Girl's Industrial
School on Cassiar Street. The building is one of the few remaining examples
of the Mission Revival style in the city, and features symmetrical massing
with a formal entrance that leads into an arched colonnade.
A number of older elementary schools, including Franklin, Begbie and
Hastings, were built in the area during the post-WW I population explosion
and remain to this day.
The Pacific National Exhibition grounds have a good collection of Moderne
style buildings. This includes the Forum Complex and the Garden Auditorium
(which was originally built as the Education Building and is one of the
best examples of the Moderne style in the province).
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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