History & Heritage
History
The proximity to the business district of Vancouver and the availability
of a quality water supply (Brewery Creek) made the area an ideal place
for early industry and settlement. Early expectations were that Mount
Pleasant would develop as Vancouver's fashionable "uptown."
The area high above False Creek was named "Mount Pleasant" in
1888, after the Irish birthplace of the wife of H.V. Edmonds. Edmonds,
clerk of the municipal council in New Westminster, was the original owner
of much of Mount Pleasant.
By 1904, Mount Pleasant was home to a tannery, two slaughter houses,
four breweries, and a train station. Industrial expansion brought residential
development. By 1912, Mount Pleasant had a thriving residential population
and community facilities such as an elementary school (the Kingsgate Mail
site), a firehall, a first run theatre, and Vancouver's first skyscraper
(the Lee Building). Mount Pleasant was also a terminus for the streetcar
network.
During WWI, the tidal flats of False Creek from Main Street to Clark
Drive were filled to provide a site for two large railway terminals and
railyards. As a result, half of Mount Pleasant's waterfront was lost and
the mouth of Brewery Creek was filled in.
By 1930, the character of the community was already established with
block after block of houses on small lots, and a mix of residential and
industrial uses. The 1930s brought changes to Mount Pleasant. Industrial
expansion north of Broadway between Main and Cambie Streets resulted in
the demolition of many homes. These changes transformed Mount Pleasant
and it began to lose its residential prestige.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the remaining houses in the industrial
area disappeared and more industries, low-rise offices and warehouses
moved in. In 1935, the city expropriated park land at 12th Avenue and
Cambie Street to build a new city hall. Mayor McGeer felt that the new
location would link the area to the rest of the city. (Davis 1979) Today
many older homes in south and west parts of Mount Pleasant have been restored.
Heritage
Heritage Hall and the former Evangelistic Tabernacle
Mount Pleasant still has many significant homes dating from the 1890s
through to the 1920s. Mount Pleasant's notable residential buildings range
from a collection of modest houses from the community's first phase of
development, to more substantial and elaborate Queen Anne/Edwardian type
residential buildings constructed during the first two decades of the
20th Century.
There are several important buildings that serve the community including:
Heritage Hall (formerly Postal Station C)
Opened in 1915 at Main Street and 15th Avenue as a post office, this striking
building is considered Vancouver's best example of Beaux-arts Classicism.
The building has a stone base, coupled pilasters, steep roofs, and a tall
clock tower. Now called Heritage Hall, it is used as a meeting hall and
is home to many community organizations.
The former Evangelistic Tabernacle
N.W. corner E. 10th Avenue and Quebec Street
Located in the heart of old Mount Pleasant, this 1909 building originally
housed the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. The architects, Parr and
Fee, used a Tudor Revival half timber-and-stone combination more commonly
found in private homes. It was converted into private condominiums in
the 1990s.
City Hall
Opened at 12th and Cambie during Vancouver's 50th birthday celebrations
in 1936, the hard-edged classicism of the austere white walls and
column-like
shafts appears in government buildings of the 1930s from Munich to Moscow.
Learn more about the history and heritage of City
Hall.
Detailed information on the city's heritage and a complete list of heritage
buildings is available at City
of Vancouver Heritage.
Additional information is available through the City
of Vancouver Archives.
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