Blasting through history: Yaletown is booming * ON SUNDAY, May 28, it took just 10 seconds for 600 sticks of strategically placed dynamite to demolish the Georgia Medical-Dental Building. ; By ANN HAMILTON Contributing Writer Earlier this year the St. Alice Hotel suffered a similar fate. Demolition experts us- ed a wrecking ball to elimi- nate the 77-year-old building from Vancouver's North - Shore. Both buildings disap- peared into a cloud of smoke leaving behind mixed debris and interested citi- zens with mixed emotions. In light of the current con- troversy surrounding the demise of some of Van- couver’s architectural and historical landmarks, it is with great pleasure that one looks to Yaletown as a source of inspiration. Yaletown is an architec- - tural gem, rich with history, and truly a fascinating place to visit. More than a century ago Yaletown became a part of West Coast history. In true B.C. tradition the CPR was responsible for the initiation of this new community. In 1886 the City of Van- couver was eager to establish industry on the north shore of the False Creek area. Subsequently, a 20-year exemption from local taxes was offered to the CPR in exchange for the establishing of a new sail yard in the desired location. The CPR responded by closing its operation at Yale in the Fraser River Canyon with the intention of build- ing new facilities on the north shore of False Creek. Employees prepared to relocate. They packed the railway gear and machinery and shipped it along with everything else to the new work site. Workmen gathered their belongings and got ready for the big move. The transition was easy for some folks, but for others it was more com- plicated. Most bachelors only had to worry about themseives and a limited amount of personal baggage. Some young families, however, were more ambitious; and their preparations extended to the family dwelling. Many homes, therefore, were loaded on to flatcars and transported by rail to the new location at the foot of Homer Street. When the community of workers arrived at Yaletown they had their work cut out for them: the area was thick with forest. They set to work, the land was cleared, roads were built, and a township was established. The town folk were origi- nally from Yale, B.C. and so the new community was appropriately called Yaletown. The streets that marked the original border for the area included Granville, Smithe, Homer and Pacific. it was a community set apart from the hub of activity tak- ing place in downtown Vancouver. Yaletown became a set- tlement unto itself and was quite immune to outside in- terference. This environment provided the community with some unique challenges. It is said that the police did not frequently patrol Yaletown because it was considered to be quite dis- tant from the downtown core of Vancouver. Lack of police patrol coupled with the bolstering number of saloons in the area earned Yaletown an early reputation for “rowdiness and lawlessness.”’ Yaletown, however, was not without its god-fearing individuals, and for the most part there was a solid sense of community. Sunday ser- vice and church picnics were busy social events. Over the next 20 years British Columbia prospered and, like many com- munities, Yaletown enjoyed the thriving economy. City planners eagerly anti- cipated continued industrial expansion in the area and mapped out a new plan for expanding Yaletown. The new Yaletown was bounded by Nelson, Homer, Drake and Pacific streets. This is the area most people recognize as Yaletown to- day. In 1929 the city passed a series of new bylaws: Yaletown was zoned for commercial and light indus- trial use. Yaletown did not, howev- er, continue to grow into the booming industrial area city planners had anticipated. Business people began to build in the suburbs because of lower rental costs and close access to highways. Rezoning Yaletown proved to dramatically change the community in another important way. Fac- tories and shops threatened the residential area and SOFA COURTESY GALLE home-owners sold their property and moved out of the area. Subsequently, the schools and community gathering places became redundant and were closed. Meanwhile, Vancouver continued to prosper and row. The early 1960s saw the introduction of highrise buildings. The city was be- ing tailored to meet the needs of the white collar worker. Yaletown did not share in Vancouver's haste to erect tall office buildings. The old warehouse district that had its humble beginnings as a CPR rail yard remained vir- 19 - Sunda;, June 4, 1989 ~ North Shore News pr: Rs: — ty RIA DESIGN LTD. ROCHE BOBOIS 1010 MAINLAND ST. 669-5443 IDEAL INTERIORS 1036 MAINLAND ST. 685-4207 BEDROOMS ONLY 1038 MAINLAND ST. 669-2337 GINGER'S BATHROOMS 1010 MAINLAND ST. 688-8180 H & R FINE FURNITURE 1004 HAMILTON ST. 688-4356 LART MODERNE - HARVEST tually unchanged while the rest of the city grew around it. Commuting office workers did, however, take advan- tage of cheap parking rates in that part of town. Over the last 10 years the focus of attention has shifted back to Yaletown. People are discovering that this is a very special place with a lot to offer. The location is central and boasts an esthetically pleas- ing view of False Creek; the buildings are full of charac- ter and are like pages from Vancouver's history books; and Yaletown’s historical flavor has not been elimi- ANTIQUES & FURNITURE 775 HOMER ST. 683-3559 GALLERIA DESIGNS LTD. 950 HOMER ST. 681-3144 nated by demolition crews. Like so many other North American cities, Vancouver is bringing its old warehouse district back to life. Buildings that were once deteriorating because of lit- tle or no maintenance are now being given a chance to survive. Instead of reducing these turn-of-the-century struc- tures to sand and rubble, they are being restored. The emphasis is on main- taining the buildings while producing a functional! en- vironment that will attract people to the area.