Gastown in Vancouver, British Columbia, has become one of the city’s most vibrant and unique areas. The neighborhood is home to many of Vancouver’s best restaurants, bars, and shopping but also features notable monuments that connect it to the past and present of the city. By providing both residents and visitors with so ways to engage with the culture and economy of the region, Gastown has been able to become a hub that attracts audiences from across the region and country.
“Gassy” Jack Deighton is the Founding Father of Gastown
Gastown was named after “Gassy” Jack Deighton, a steamboat captain who opened the first saloon in what would become known as Gastown in 1867. He became best known for his “gassy” monologues when he became the saloonkeeper at the Deighton House Hotel. The structure was erected in Gastown on a subdivided lot.
In those early days, the town was little more than a sawmill and seaport. Loggers and fishermen, as well as the crews and captains of sailing ships, came to the area to work and trade. It wasn’t until 1886 that the town was incorporated as the City of Vancouver.
As time passed, the neighborhood of Gastown became the center of the city’s wholesale produce distribution that enabled numerous notable buildings to be constructed. Unfortunately, the Great Depression helped cause the area to fall into disrepair and end up housing Vancouver’s ‘skid row’. By the 1960s though, citizens became concerned with preserving Gastown’s distinctive architecture and historic significance. Property owners, retailers and various other Gastown stakeholders came together to help revitalize the area.
This effort culminated with “The First Pioneer Citizen of Gastown” award that was first given out in 1976. A “key to the city” pressured the civic, provincial and federal governments to declare Gastown a historical site that would ensure the heritage of the area would be protected and the protection of this heritage continues to the present. In 2009, the entire neighborhood was declared a national historic site.
In 2012, Gastown was named the fourth most stylish neighborhood in the world, setting trends from the historic heart of the city that have driven and created experiences for both residents and tourists alike.
Statues, Clocks, Restaurants and Much More
The main drag in Gastown runs down Water Street. It contains old buildings, cobblestone streets and a variety of other pieces of history that includes a statue of “Gassy” Jack Deighton. Installed in 1986, the sculpture celebrates the history of the area and also provides visitors with an ideal place to literally interact with the history of the neighborhood and city.
The history of the neighborhood is also showcased in the Gastown Steam Clock. Dedicated to the citizen of Vancouver in 1997, every 15 minutes it whistles and shoots steam from its five whistles in its own version of the Westminster Chime. On the hour it marks each hour with a toot from each whistle. In the course of exploring these notable monuments, visitors are also exposed to the historic buildings and setting of the neighborhood which includes the Greenshields Building, the Hudson House and many others.
As part of the transformation of the neighborhood, Gastown has become known for its nightlife, shopping, and many of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants. Galleries, Vancouver’s best cocktail bars and some of the best food in Vancouver. In creating such unique experiences, these places have become just as relevant to residents as they are to visitors.
Like other neighborhoods that have embraced the history and culture of the region, Gastown has been able to showcase what it can mean for an entire neighborhood to create an identity that defines the culture and economy of an entire region.
The Center of the Culture in the Present and Future
Gastown Thursday Nights have promised to be the night residents and visitors don’t want to miss. Sales, deals, in-store events, giveaways, promos provide something for everyone in the oldest neighborhood in Vancouver. Bars and restaurants promote extended happy hours and drink specials but it also hosts events like the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix.
Organized walking tours have provided residents and tour groups with incredible revenue opportunities, while the numerous shops and stores around the neighborhood are designed to specifically appeal to the visitors these tours and groups attract. To help attract these audiences, Gastown as a whole has been highlighted and promoted in guides and maps of the city. This showcases the power of such attractions to pull in audiences from across a city and region.
Residents have also experienced the benefits of the neighborhood’s significance by seeing investments that will see it transformed for the future. New unique mixed-use office / retail developments are poised to make these buildings some of the city’s most coveted commercial buildings.
These types of developments showcase how Gastown has embraced its history while still looking to the future. In doing so, it has come to represent the way in which entire neighborhoods can utilize monuments to enable a powerful legacy for the present and future of a city.
A Legacy for Vancouver
Gastown is home to a curated selection of independent boutiques, one-of-a-kind galleries and some of the best culinary fare in town. By pulling together so many different aspects of the past and present of the city, Gastown has come to define a legacy for the future of the city and region.
