Gastown and Chinatown History

The Gastown Steam Clock marks the intersection of Water and Cambie Streets with its bronze casing and four glass dials. Raymond Saunders built this clock in nineteen seventy-seven to hide a steam vent that kept locals awake with its…

The red brick archway leading into Gaoler's Mews hides a small, cobblestone courtyard tucked away from the noise of Gastown. It occupies the site of Vancouver's first jailhouse, built in eighteen sixty-seven. John "Jack" Deighton, the man…

Maple Tree Square acts as the literal birthplace of Vancouver. A small, triangular plaza holds the foundation of the city, marked by the statue of Gassy Jack Deighton. In eighteen sixty-seven, Jack stood on this spot and convinced local…

Shanghai Alley holds a single, narrow brick passageway that cuts between the buildings of Pender and Keefer Streets. In the late eighteen hundreds, this was the gateway to Vancouver for thousands of Chinese migrants who arrived to work on…

The Millennium Gate features four stone pillars and a double-tiered roof covered in green clay tiles. It marks the western entrance to Chinatown and commemorates the neighborhood's long history. Completed in two thousand and two, the…

The Jack Chow Building is a thin, wedge-shaped structure that pinches to a width of less than five feet at its narrowest point. Built in nineteen thirteen, it houses the Sam Kee Company. While the city initially confiscated a large portion…

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is defined by its uneven, hand-laid limestone walls and deep, dark green roof tiles imported from China. Built in nineteen eighty-six, it is the first full-scale garden of its type constructed…

The Chinese Canadian Museum occupies the Wing Sang Building, easily identified by the narrow, red brick facade that pushes out toward the street. This is the oldest building in Chinatown, constructed in eighteen eighty-nine by Yip Sang, a…