Vancouver’s Gastown, with its cobblestone streets, is a popular tourist destination for visitors. As a local, I also like dropping by to check out the independent shops in the area. Years ago, I had interned at an architecture firm, located near the steam clock. So it has special memories for me.
Gastown
Vancouver is part of unceded Coast Salish territory. In 1871, the Canadian Pacific Railway station was built close by and Gastown became the centre of today’s Vancouver, which was incorporated in 1886. By then Yorkshire seaman Jack “Gassy” Deighton had already opened the first saloon of the settlement, which came to be known as Gastown.
This area of Vancouver has seen tremendous growth and change. In 1886, a fire destroyed nearly all of the buildings. After the Great Depression, Gastown was pretty much forgotten until a movement began in the 1960s to preserve its history and architecture.
Declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2009, Gastown is a trendy neighbourhood with great restaurants, upscale furniture stores, independent clothing retailers, and unique art shops. Some people may remember large department stores such as Woodward’s. Other stores I’m not familiar with include Spencer’s, Fairbanks Morse, Malkins, and Kelly Douglas. (The Old Malkin Warehouse is where Old Spaghetti Factory is now located. This restaurant is reportedly the site of several hauntings. Check out The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour.
Water Street Café
At the corner of Water and Cambie Streets stands a 1906 heritage building that was once Edward Hotel. Opened in 1988, Water St. Café is a landmark and institution. This year, I decided to celebrate my birthday here.
I sat at a table facing Water Street. It was a damp gray day, quite normal for Vancouver in the winter months. The Steam Clock across the street was built in 1977 as a monument by horologist Raymond Saunders and metalwork specialist Doug Smith. It was set over a steam grate. Beneath the ground was a network of underground pipes that heats the downtown core.
Gastown’s 16-foot Steam Clock is only one of few working ones in the world. Its name is misleading as it implies that steam powers the four-faced clock, when it is actually a gravity and steam system. Steel balls drop, moving the chain that keeps the hands in time while a steam engine delivers the balls back to the top via a chain lift. Every fifteen minutes, the clock whistles and blows out steam.
My seat was perfect for people watching. People gathered near the Steam Clock for photographs and selfies.
