Mount Pleasant

1860 – 1899

Slow beginnings.

In 1861, Colonel Clement Moody expanded and cleared the trail through the woods to make access to New Westminster easier for naval reserves on English Bay. Soon after in 1867, Julius Vight settled in what would later be known as Mount Pleasant as one of its first European residents. Anticipating that the area’s harbour location would make it ideal for future development and the terminus of a future transcontinental rail route, Henry Valentine Edmonds bought District Lot 200A, which included land north of what would become Broadway in Mount Pleasant.

Still, Henry would have to wait a while before being proven correct. In the 1880s, the area was known as “False Creek” or “the Hill,” and much activity was focussed on real estate speculation. Running through it was a waterway, known as Brewery Creek, because it provided fresh water to the area's many brewing establishments. It has since been covered up, but you can find references to the creek in some of the pavement and design of the neighbourhood’s buildings.

In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway chose Granville as its west coast terminus and Edmonds's vision came true. A bridge was soon built across False Creek and Henry set about planning what he dubbed “Mount Pleasant.” He named it after a village outside Dublin, Ireland where his wife, Jane, was born. And in 1886, Granville changed its name to Vancouver, after George Vancouver.

In particular, Henry’s plan for naming the streets followed a pattern that can still be seen today. He began at the western edge of Mount Pleasant by naming north-south streets after Canada’s western provinces (at the time): [British] Columbia St. and Manitoba St. (Alberta and Saskatchewan didn’t exist yet). He then chose Ontario St. to be the middle street in the area, likely because Ontario is considered "central Canada” – which is also probably why it splits east and west in the city today.

To the east, he named streets Quebec St., [Nova] Scotia St., [New] Brunswick St., and Prince Edward [Island] St., after Canada’s eastern provinces. Keeping to his patriotic theme, streets running east-west were named after successive governor-generals of Canada. There was already a thoroughfare in the spot of what would later be 1st Avenue named Front St., so starting below that he began at the second governor-general of Canada with Dufferin St. and went in order: Lorne St. and Lansdowne St. All of these were later changed to numbered avenues, however.

So influential was Edmonds’s naming plan for Mount Pleasant’s streets that it was later extended to new streets once provinces and territories were added. On the west side, Yukon St. and Alberta St. were added after being formed in 1898 and 1905, respectively.

1900 - 1944

Boom, bust and two world wars.

By the early 1900s, Mount Pleasant was on the upswing. Around 1910, successful merchants in the area wanted to promote their neighbourhood and attract even more newcomers, so they lobbied to rename Westminster St. to something more prestigious-sounding: Main St. Likewise, 9th Avenue was renamed Broadway, after the famous street in New York City. Up to this point, many late Victorian and early Edwardian homes had been built. While some have since been torn down, a number of them remain.

The First World War introduced difficult times to the area, but it also fundamentally changed the face of Mount Pleasant and Vancouver. Coming at the end of a railroad building boom, Pacific Central station started construction in 1917 and was completed in 1919. It sits on infilled land that was formerly waterfront property, hence its original name: False Creek Station. Around the same time, Postal Station C was completed in 1915; it’s now known as Heritage Hall.

During the First World War, Mount Pleasant was home to businesses that provided steel and other materials to the war effort. It would retain this industrial character for much of its history. The 1920s was another boom time for the area, and Mount Pleasant was absorbed into the rest of Vancouver, thanks to expanded streetcar lines and the increasing adoption of the automobile.

The Great Depression meant more hard times in Mount Pleasant. But even with high unemployment and low wages, the area was still known for its neighbourliness and sense of community. The Second World War brought another influx of activity, as all the industries and residents of the area pitched in for the war effort.

1945 - 1999

From industry to iconic homes and waterfront fun.

By the 1950s, Mount Pleasant was a mix of industries and homes. The liveliness of the area was showcased by it becoming a hotspot for jazz music in Vancouver, with performances in basements and homes. The post-war boom brought about a change, though. In the 1960s, low-rise apartments began to be built in the northern sections of the neighbourhood.

By the 1970s, buildings in Mount Pleasant began to look tired and worn out. In 1974, the Kingsgate Mall opened, replacing a former school building. The mall still exists today as a local landmark. This was also the time when skateboarding became popular, and the China Creek skateboard park was completed in 1979, becoming Vancouver’s first skateboard park.

There was also talk of tearing down many of the distinctive Victorian and Edwardian homes in the area. But then some members of the Davis family did something considered quite unusual at the time: they bought a distressed home and began to restore it. And when four more homes nearby became available, they bought and restored those, too. These became known as the “Davis Houses.” This ignited an interest in historical restoration in Mount Pleasant and beyond, and is why many heritage homes exist in the neighbourhood.

The next major change for the area would come with an event that changed Vancouver forever: The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, known locally as Expo 86. Set up on formerly industrial lands adjacent to False Creek, it brought about many of the iconic landmarks of Vancouver, including the SkyTrain’s Expo Line, Science World and more.

The 1990s saw the construction of artist-oriented live-work spaces, and the area became known for its performance art pieces, illustrators and more.

2000 – Today

The Olympics and beyond.

Another event that altered the face of Mount Pleasant was the 2010 Winter Olympics and its associated projects. That meant the arrival of the Canada Line SkyTrain and the opening of Olympic Village station. And Olympic Village’s name is literal: it’s where athletes stayed during their time in Vancouver. After the games ended, the accommodations were turned into condos.

This also meant a shift in the type of workers in the area. These days, many white-collar jobs exist in Mount Pleasant. While industrial businesses can still be found, increasingly diverse types of employment are now in the area. But breweries are still part of its fabric to this day, even though Brewery Creek isn’t visible.

And the next major change coming to Mount Pleasant will be the arrival of the Broadway extension of the Millennium Line SkyTrain. Mount Pleasant will get its own station, named after the neighbourhood, near the intersection of Broadway and Kingsway. The Broadway Plan will also allow for higher densities, meaning more towers, townhomes and other types of housing are going to pop up in the area.

Given the area’s many evolutions in the past, the Mount Pleasant of the future will retain its spirit, even if it ends up looking quite different.