Calls to remove streetcar-like structure at Broadway and Kingsway corner

Calls to remove streetcar-inspired bus shelter structure at Broadway and Kingsway corner

Condition of Mount Pleasant streetcar shelter, as of June 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

For 35 years, a heritage streetcar-inspired bus shelter at the southeast corner of the intersection of East Broadway and Kingsway has served as a visual landmark for this prominent corner in the Mount Pleasant district.

But its future now appears to be up in the air due to its poor condition and the high upkeep costs.

The City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized the “replica streetcar” bus shelter was fabricated by the municipal government’s welding shop in 1988 as part of the Mount Pleasant Revitalization Project.

City crews created a design that doubled as both a kiosk and a bus shelter for bus services operated by BC Transit, which was Metro Vancouver’s public transit authority at the time, until the creation of TransLink a decade later. The replica streetcar was modelled after the interurban streetcars that used to operate across the region until the 1950s.

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The maintenance of the unique structure was previously shared by the municipal government and the region’s public transit authority. But in 2016, the responsibility for the streetcar on City-owned property shifted solely to the municipal government as it was no longer being used as a bus shelter and kiosk. The City describes its work as “periodic maintenance, repairs, and repainting.”

And as it turns out, the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association (MPBIA) has also been involved in the efforts to continuously maintain and repair the structure from vandalism.

“Long story short, no one was taking care of it, so I stepped up,” Neil Wyles, the executive director for MPBIA, told Daily Hive Urbanized.

mount pleasant streetcar kingsway broadway

Condition of Mount Pleasant streetcar shelter, as of June 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

He estimates the MPBIA has spent over $5,000 on the structure over the last few years, including giving it new layers of paint — even redoing some of its numerical text details — as well as replacing broken windows and lights, and cleaning.

“It was a very dark corner, so I did install lots of lights, but some have been smashed, and I have grown tired of replacing them,” said Wyles. “We clean it up every week, and it is quite often used as a toilet.”

Wyles notes he previously endeavoured to save the structure years ago when a former manager of Kingsgate Mall — located immediately adjacent to the shelter — called for its removal. But he believes it is no longer worth the hassle.

He asserts there is also no functional purpose for the structure.

The shelter does not have any seating, nor is it designed in a way to allow for it to be a bandstand as a venue for live entertainment. And as this intersection of two major arterial roads sees high vehicle traffic, it is not an attractive space for relaxation and activations.

“No one uses it, and it is only now when talk of taking it away does anyone love it,” he said. “I don’t own it, but I did put in a request to the City to have it removed.”

Condition of Mount Pleasant streetcar shelter, as of June 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

When asked to react to Wyles’ request, the City says “no decision regarding the replica streetcar has been made at this time; however, the City is exploring what options are available.” The municipal government adds it will work with area stakeholders including the MPBIA to determine the structure’s future.

“Given that the streetcar is no longer serving its intended purpose as a transit shelter and kiosk, we are working to reimagine how this space could better serve this neighbourhood, which could include better lighting and shared seating,” states the City.

“Over the years, the streetcar has been subject to ongoing graffiti and vandalism, as well as typical deterioration requiring maintenance.”

Wyles suggests the corner would be a “perfect place” for a public washroom, and cities findings by local historian Christine Hagemoen that this precise location previously served such a use.

“We need a washroom desperately,” continued Wyles.

Other components of the Mount Pleasant Revitalization Project in the late 1980s included new street lighting, banners, landscaping, and the heritage-inspired Mount Pleasant Welcome Clock a block away at the intersection of Kingsway and Main Street.

Condition of Mount Pleasant streetcar shelter, as of June 1, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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