A 麻豆传媒映画time travelogue brought to you by聽.
In the late 1960s, community activists mobilized to block a major freeway proposal that would have decimated Chinatown, Strathcona, and Gastown. After the scheme was scrapped, many of the activists turned their energy towards preserving and renovating these areas as an alternative to demolition, and the city鈥檚 modern heritage movement was born.
础听聽of the聽聽led very popular 鈥淕astown Revisited鈥� walking tours that highlighted the squalor, history, and architecture of the neighbourhood. The tours effectively conveyed the importance of conserving Vancouver鈥檚 built heritage and generated public support.
At the same time, a group of developers led by聽聽was buying up and renovating buildings in Maple Tree Square, starting with the聽聽(a.k.a. the Alhambra Hotel) on the southwest corner of Carrall and Water streets. Inspired by San Francisco鈥檚聽, 鈥淟arry the Landlord,鈥� as Killam became known, commissioned the statue of聽聽and created Gaolers Mews (the original jail was actually down the street) for some added historical cachet.
The City finally got on board after聽聽and his new TEAM civic party swept into power in 1972. The major renovation that followed saw Gastown鈥檚 asphalt and sidewalks replaced with red bricks, old-fashioned bollards were added to separate pedestrians from motor traffic, and the cobble-stoned聽聽was created out of a portion of聽. The final piece was the faux-Edwardian聽聽built by Ray Saunders and installed at Water and Abbott streets to conceal a steam vent.聽Along with Chinatown, Gastown was designated a heritage area.
Although the heritage flourishes added in the 1970s聽, the transformation of the area into the old-timey neighbourhood we know today is itself part of Vancouver鈥檚 history.
Source: City of 麻豆传媒映画Archives聽
