Granville Street Neon Signs

A massive clock face sits near the top of the terra cotta Vancouver Block, its hands illuminated by neon tubing against the night sky. Built in nineteen twelve, this building anchored the commercial district with a vertical beacon meant to…

The Commodore Ballroom features a rounded, neon-lit marquee that extends over the sidewalk on Granville Street. Built in nineteen thirty, the venue operates as a dance hall with a unique horsehair-padded floor designed to absorb shock for…

The Orpheum’s Spanish Baroque facade stands out with its intricate terra-cotta carvings and a marquee that glows against the street. Opened in nineteen twenty-seven as a vaudeville house, it was the flagship of the Orpheum circuit in…

The Vogue Theatre displays an art deco tower featuring a jagged, vertical fin of neon lights that cuts into the skyline. Built in nineteen forty-one, it served as a premier movie house for the Odeon chain. During its opening week, the…

The Roxy Cabaret is marked by a neon sign that cuts through the gray Granville Street concrete. Since nineteen eighty-nine, this room has functioned as a live music venue, keeping a loud, sweaty grip on the city’s nightlife. Musicians like…

The Penthouse Nightclub occupies a plain brick building on Seymour Street, marked by a faded neon sign that glows above the entrance. Joe Filippone opened these doors in nineteen forty-seven, creating a venue that became the city's premier…

The Templeton wears a curved, chrome-heavy facade that mimics a classic nineteen-fifties diner. This structure inside the Granville Hotel began as a space for travelers and transients, but it eventually became a fixture for locals seeking…

The Yale Saloon sits at the corner of Granville and Drake with a weathered brick exterior that predates the surrounding high-rises. It opened in eighteen eighty-nine, just three years after the city incorporated. While early patrons drank…