We continue our Vancouver 125 series, commemorating our beautiful city’s 125th birthday. This week we take a look at some of the famous, and also the lesser known landmarks situated in the city of Vancouver.
119. Vancouver Art Gallery
The VAG is always in the news, even when it’s not. Whether there are relocation rumours, protests, or their beef with our good friend Bob Rennie, VAG is the spot. Currently, it is located in the old provincial courthouse at Robson Square, but is long due a new, larger building.
118. Canada Place
Canada Place is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Vancouver. Built in time for Expo ’86, it houses the Vancouver Convention Centre, Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver World Trade Centre, and main cruise ship terminal.
117. Vancouver Convention Centre (West building)
It was built in time for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and has become a welcome addition to Vancouver Harbour. The new Vancouver Convention Centre building is an ecological gem, LEED Platinum (full details here). Although there were cost-overruns due to rising labour and resource prices, the VCC has already been a profitable investment with pre-bookings lined up for the next decade.
116. BC Place Stadium
BC Place held the honour of having the largest air-inflated roof. Mass renovations are in effect to make the roof retractable and build an adjacent casino. BC Place has a 55,000+ seating capacity depending on the event. It is home to the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps sports teams, and several exhibitions throughout the year.
115. Shangri-La
Standing at 60 storeys, the Shangri-La Hotel is a magnificent luxury 5-star hotel with residences. It also holds the dubious honour of being the tallest building in Vancouver. There has been much debate about increasing height restrictions in the downtown Vancouver core paving way for several buildings to rival the Shangri-La’s height within the decade and beyond.
114. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
This truly brings you back to the early twentieth century. It is a large-scale luxury hotel offering all the modern amenities with heritage charm.
113. Marine Building
The Marine Building was inspired by the ocean, according to its architects. It was the tallest building in Vancouver for a time before the Hotel Vancouver was built. It has been featured in many TV shows and movies.
112. Steam Clock
The famous Steam Clock is located in Gastown, one of the oldest parts of Vancouver. You can see many tourists huddled around the steam clock admiring its design and workings on a daily basis.
111. Lions Gate Bridge
The Lions Gate Bridge may be the most useful of Vancouver landmarks. It sparked mass development of the North Shore when built in 1938.
110. The “W” Building
A large “W” on a 25-metre Eiffel Tower is a symbol representing retail innovation. Currently just a memory of the past, the “W” sat atop the first chain of supermarkets in North America, the Woodwards department store. It is now at the forefront of revitalizing the Downtown Eastside.
109. East Van Cross
The East Van cross is of great pride. It is situated in East Vancouver, a symbol of immigrant labour, gangs, arts, culture and much more.
108. Harbour Centre Lookout Tower
One can see an unobstructed view of Downtown Vancouver atop the Lookout Tower. It is also home to a revolving restaurant. Below is office, shopping, and a Simon Fraser University campus.
107. Burrard Bridge
The Burrard Bridge is a great vantage point looking over to the East at False Creek and to the West at English Bay. It has been in the news over the last few years regarding its bike lanes. The bridge is the best looking of the southern downtown connectors.
106. Vancouver City Hall
The huge art deco style Vancouver City Hall is located in the Broadway City Centre, overlooking downtown Vancouver. It is a fast-growing area with the second highest employment concentration in BC.
105. Nine O’Clock Gun
Many people are unaware of the Nine O’Clock Gun fired at 9pm every night. It is located in Stanley Park. A booming sound, it is heard all over the Lower Mainland.
104. Jack Poole Plaza Olympic Cauldron
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games were arguably one of the greatest moments in Vancouver and Canadian history. They are remembered by a sometimes-lit Olympic cauldron located by the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building in Jack Poole Plaza. It is a frequent photo-op for tourists with a beautiful North Shore Mountains backdrop.
If you feel there’s anything missing here, feel free to comment below!
Image Credits: Vancouver Convention Centre, Shangri-La, Lions Gate Bridge, 9 O’Clock Gun
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