Granville Island (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

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Granville Island

The 14 hectare (35-acre) Granville Island, a peninsula (originally used by the Musqueam First Nations as a fishing area)and shopping district in the Fairview neighborhood, across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver, is under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge.

Granville Island Ferry Dock

Granville Island Marina

In the 20th century, the peninsula was an industrial manufacturing area named after Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville. Technically a sandspit and not an island, the neighborhood sits just south of the downtown peninsula, right under the Granville Bridge.

Artsclub Theater Company

Waterfront Theatre

The Improv Centre

It includes a public market, an marina, a hotel, the False Creek Community Centre, as well as various performing arts theatres including the Arts Club Theatre Company, Carousel Theatre, Arts Umbrella, Axis Theatre Company, Boca Del Lupo, Carousel Theatre for Young People, Ruby Slippers Production Company, and the Vancouver Theatre Sports League.

Cheska and Grace strolling along Duranleau Street

Jandy, Grace and Cheska at Tap & Barrel – Bridges Restaurant

Granville Island was used as the finale of the film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). The Vancouver International Children’s Festival, the Vancouver Fringe Festival and the Vancouver Writers Fest are all held here.

Festival House

Gallery

One of the best ways to get to Granville Island is one of the adorable mini-tugboat ferries that crisscross False Creek. False Creek Ferries and Aquabus, favorites among young and old, provide ferry service from Granville Island to Downtown Vancouver, Yaletown, False Creek, the West End, and Vanier Park.

Boat Rentals

Waterbike Rental

Other water transportation options include a water taxi service to Bowen Island provided by English Bay Launch. WESTCOAST Sightseeing and Vancouver Trolley Hop-On, Hop-Off services both have stops located at Granville Island.

Artisan District

Artisan District

Between 1998 and 2011, the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway operated between Granville Island and Science World. The streetcar is now permanently shut down.

The old streetcar tracks. The railway between Granville Island and Olympic Village Station was discontinued in 2012 after the City of Vancouver decided to end its $100,000 annual subsidy for the volunteer-related service. For 15 years, it ran on weekends and holidays, from May to October, carrying 133,000 passengers over its lifespan.

Once you’re there, the biggest attraction on Granville Island is the year-round Granville Island Public Market.  For the food-focused, a walking tour of the market can be a great way to get an insider’s insight.

Granville Island Public Market

Established in 1979 as a location where farmers and other food vendors could sell to consumers, it operates in an enclosed facility where customers can purchase, in endless rows of stalls, fresh produce, meat, smoked salmon, exclusive teas, gourmet foods, baked goods, seafood, cheeses and other products, many locally sourced.

Granville Island Public Market

Attracting both local residents and tourists, the market generally has 50 vendors including retail food vendors that sell a range of items from Mexican, Asian, Greek and deli food to candy and snacks. The market includes a “kids market” designed for children.

Tap & Barrel – Bridges Restaurant

My Island Cafe

Often described as a “food lover’s paradise,” an impromptu picnic is easily picked up between vendors offering cheese, charcuterie, bread and fresh produce. The popular food court, at the end of the market building, is where you’ll find something casual but already put together. If you prefer restaurants, there are some great restaurants offering seafood down there and there’s nothing like dining by the waterfront.

Dalbergia Wood and Fine Objects

Amy Stewart Art and Shira Gold Photography

The area is home to an artisan sake maker (the first in Canada), a spirits distillery, and two breweries.  Granville Island Brewing Co. is the name of a beer company which originated on Granville Island in 1984, but whose main base of operations was moved to Kelowna, British Columbia, some time later.

Granville Island Brewing

JN Glass

In 2009 it was purchased by Molson’s Brewery and continues to brew small batches of its varieties at the Granville Island brewing original site, and offers beer tasting and tours of their brewing facilities.

Pressure Group 6 (1982) by Barry Cogswell. A Corrosion-resistant weathering steel sculpture along path S.E. of Community Center

Ocean Concrete is the longest-established tenant on the island, having set up shop there in 1917. In 2014, OSGEMEOS (Portuguese for THE TWINS), consisting of brother duo Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, revamped the concrete silos with their ongoing mural project, ‘Giants’.

Materna Ceramics Studio

The Liberty Distillery

Canada’s only hammock shop, the Hamuhk Hangout Place, has been operating on Granville Island since 1995.In the early 1900s, Granville Island was home to factories, plants and sawmills. Things are a little different today—Granville Island is both a locals’ favorite and a huge draw for visitors. The Granville Island Public Market acts as a hub of activity, but it’s also one of the city’s most important cultural districts with theatres, artisan workshops and craft studios.

Railspur Park Playground

Granville Island, with a mix of unique crafts, skilled artisans, outdoor outfitters and deluxe gourmet stores, is one of the best places in the city to purchase souvenirs for back home. At the Net Loft Building, check out the stores for First Nations artworks, B.C. wines, and other unique gifts.

S&R Apron Co.

Performance Works

Along Railspur Alley and the far end of the island, you can peek into artisan studios where glassblowers, potters, jewellers and even a broom maker ply their crafts.  Outside of the market, catch a show at one of the many theatres on the island, browse an art gallery show, or appeal to your outdoorsy side with a kayaking or paddleboarding tour.

Kids Market

Craft Council of British Columbia

Granville Island: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Website: www.granvilleisland.com. Coordinates: 49°16′15″N 123°08′03″W.

Lynn Canyon Park (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

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Lynn Canyon Park

On our 27th day in Canada, our whole family (Grace, Jandy, Cheska, Bryan, Kyle and I, with dog Luffy) decided to visit the 250-hectare (617-acre) Lynn Canyon Park, one of the gems of the  District of North Vancouver’s Parks system and a great place to learn about North Vancouver’s eco-system.

 

This public park, operated by the  District of North Vancouver, is located on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations people who called the Lynn Creek area Kwa-hul-cha, referring to a settlement in the area.

Bryan and Cheska on their way to the Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

When settlers moved to North Vancouver, they began to log the old growth forests as part of Vancouver’s growing logging industry. The Lynn Valley area, along with Lynn Creek and Lynn Canyon were renamed after sapper John Linn (1846-1876), a British pioneer and member of the Royal Engineers who, in 1869, moved his family onto 65 hectares of land on the mouth of the Lynn Creek near Burrard Inlet.

Lynn Canyon Cafe and Ranger Station

While the creek has been dubbed Fred’s Creek after fellow pioneer Fred Howson, the name Lynn, a corruption of the original spelling, soon became the common designation.  Lynn Valley Park and Canyons, as it was known in the 1950s, soon gave way to the current Lynn Canyon Park.

Waterfall seen on the way to the suspension bridge

In 1912, after the bulk of the Lynn Canyon’s old growth forests were logged by the Lynn Valley Lumber Company under Julius M. Fromme, the McTavish Brothers donated a 5 hectare piece of land around the newly constructed Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in the hopes that a park would attract people to the real estate development.

Bryan (with Luffy) and Cheska crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

The  District of North Vancouver added another 4 hectares to create the original Lynn Canyon Park. On September 14, 2012, the park was formally opened.  In 1991, the District of North Vancouver added another 241 hectares to the park, making it one of the largest and most popular parks in Metro Vancouver.

View of Lynn Creek from the suspension bridge

This forested park features stunning creek and waterfall views and hiking trails through the temperate rainforest, a relatively rare ecosystem that extends along the coast of Alaska and British Columbia down to northern California. In the rainy months of the year, mist rises from the canyon and the creek rises dramatically.

Grace and the author at Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge

Rangers are on site in July and August to offer walking tours and information about the area’s flora and fauna. For advanced hikers, there are trails that lead directly to Grouse or Seymour Demonstration Forest, in addition to nice cycling trails.  Due to its natural landscape many TV series such as Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis used the area for filming.

Cheska and Grace hiking the dirt trail

From Holdom Station, we took the SkyTrain to Gilmore Station, then took Bus 28 to Phibbs Exchange and, finally, the 20-min., 4-km. Bus 227, from Bay 12 Station, to the Westbound Peters Road@Duval Station.  From there, it was just a short walk to the entrance of Lynn Canyon Park.

Moss-covered trees

Past the entrance, we passed by the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre (has over 80 informative nature videos, on a large screen, about the plants and animals of the temperate rainforest and environmental issues, plus a nature-themed gift shop) on the left and Lynn Canyon Cafe (they serve fresh siphon coffee, lattes and more, crepes for breakfast and burgers, hot dogs, pasta, fish and chips for lunch) on the right.

A large boulder amidst tall stands of trees

A very popular area for hiking, we tried the 2.6-km. Lynn Canyon loop trail (one of 7 easy hiking trails), open year-round, which is generally considered a relatively easy route to hike (though not wheelchair or stroller friendly), taking an average of 50 mins. to complete.

In this free, self-guided adventure, there are three major attractions along this loop – the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Twin Falls and the 30-Foot pool. Dogs are welcome here, but must be on a leash so we did just that for Luffy.

While exploring the trail that was surrounded by second growth western red cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western hemlock trees draped with moss, we encountered a lot of people. Although there are quite a number of wooden stairs (a bit challenging for beginners), it was still a great family friendly trail, with lots of options for different level hikers. There were multiple photo-worthy stops along the route, especially as it was summer.

The first major attraction we encountered was the  Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.  On the way to the bridge, we espied a small, thin waterfall.  The bridge was used in Disney’s Descendants (as part of Auradon) that leads to Lynn Canyon’s 30 Foot Pool (used as the Enchanted Lake).  The bridge was also featured in the MacGyver episode “The Invisible Killer.”

Though not as long as the one at the widely-advertised Capilano Suspension Bridge, this 40-m. (130-ft.) long, wooden plank suspension bridge, built in 1912, is a good one and a different experience than its complement, offering a rustic and jiggling adventure, and the views from it are equally spectacular.

The author

If you want to see a suspension bridge but don’t want to pay for the one at Capilano Suspension Bridge, then this is the place to go as it’s less commercial and some people actually prefer it. About 50 m. (167 ft., the height of a 15-storey building) above the beautiful clear pools and rivers of Lynn Creek, it was just wide enough for two people to pass each other. Originally, visitors paid 10 cents (later reduced to 5 cents) to cross the bridge. Today, it’s free to cross the bridge.

The 30 Foot Pool

On the north side of the suspension bridge, the trail to the left lead us northwest through the park and a short walk took us to the popular 30-Foot pool, one of the most popular locations among tourists and locals and a safe place to swim compared to some of the river’s other sections. It was a very large area, with great spots for a picnic, and featured a beautiful swimming hole.

Visitors getting ready to dive, off rocks, into the 30 Foot Pool

As it was summer, a number of visitors were taking a quick refreshing swim to cool off. Others were also jumping off rocks and into the water (it looked extremely dangerous).  However, even in the summer months, the water is almost always extremely cold. If you are looking for a quiet place to sit by the river, this is the spot.

L-R: the author, Jandy, Grace, Cheska, Kyle and Bryan (with Luffy)

Beginning at the 30-Foot pool, we ascended one big flight of stairs and ended up at the start of the trail heading to the Northern region of the park, the Seymour Demonstration Forest and Rice Lake entrance (another beautiful location for walking around and fishing) which is about a further 20-min. walk away.

Stair leading up to the northern part of the park

As we did not wish to venture into these areas, we took the wooden boardwalks and trails that loops back towards the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge.

East of the suspension bridge is Twin Falls  which can be accessed from either side of the suspension bridge.  If we did not cross the bridge from the main entrance, we could have proceeded east, past the Lynn Canyon Café, and followed the trail down towards the river.

Twin Falls Bridge

Twin Falls is less accessible than the 30-Foot pool and not as popular among visitors but we still wanted to get to Twin Falls so, right after the bridge, we headed south (south is right and north is left) followed a series of boardwalks, steps and staircases to Twin Falls. There was a sign that pointed us in the right direction.

View of Lynn Creek from Twin Falls Bridge

In less than 20 mins., we descended down to Twin Falls Bridge where we had a beautiful view of  Twin Falls, below the bridge, which is not large or high but rather just a section of rapids that drop a bit just under the bridge.   The hike back up the canyon took us up two large flights of wooden stairs back up the canyon on the other side (just a short walk back to where we started).

Twin Falls below the bridge

A diverse hiking experience along wooden stairs and boardwalks, the river and dirt trails, Lynn Canyon truly is a nice place for everyone.  Here, you can take your time hiking and enjoy the fresh air.  Even late in the day, the sun stayed with us most of the time.

From Twin Falls Bridge, ascending another flight of stairs

Lynn Canyon Ecology Center: 3663 Park Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia V7J 3G3, Canada.  Tel: 604-990-3755.  Email: ecocentre@dnv.org.  Website: www.ecologycentre.ca and www.lyncanyon.ca.  Open Mondays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4 PM, and weekends, 12 noon to 4 PM. Coordinates: 49°20′02″N 123°01′03″W. Walk in visits are accepted if space is available (maximum 15 people inside at a time). Proof of Vaccination required for ages 12 and up. Masks required for ages 5 and up. Admission is free but donations are accepted (suggested $2 per person).

How to Get There: the nearest bus stations are Eastbound Peters Rd @ Duval Rd. (a 492 m./7-min. walk), Northbound Lynn Valley Rd. @ Burrill Ave. (a 715 m./10-min. walk) and Northbound Underwood Ave. @ Evelyn St. (a 1.219 km./16-min. walk). Buses leave Lonsdale Quay about once every 15 mins. on weekdays (or 30 minutes on weekends and holidays). The ride on Bus #228, from Lonsdale Quay, takes just over 30 mins.

Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre (British Columbia, Canada)

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Port of Vancouver Discovery Center

The exciting, high tech Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre, serving multiple arms of the Port Authority, offers a space that converts from visitor Discovery Centre to education centre, to town hall meeting space, to event venue, and at times, all in the same 24 hours.

Entrance

Located on the waterfront at Canada Place, below Fly Over Canada, at the north end of the pier, it is one of the facility most used spaces and a great place to learn about Canada’s largest and busiest port in a fun and interactive wayas well as engage in the stories and ideas that have shaped the port city.

Through the integration of interactive panels, projection mapping surfaces, digital informational kiosks, and broadcast-quality equipment, Eos Lightmedia helped transform the Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre into a highly flexible space, working with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as well as designers Waddell & Conder, content producers Burnkit, Resolve Design for the history wall, and fabricators Three Dimensional Services to design, supply and integrate the layers of lighting, audiovisual, software and controls technology.

It features interactive touch screens; animated graphics and informative videos; historical artifacts and ship models; west-facing views of Vancouver harbor and access to the Canada Place promenade.

The stunning historical display case spanning the length of the facility

The Discovery Centre is also the venue for a school program designed especially for local elementary students in grades four to six, who use interactive, projection driven benches with embedded touch sensors that provide hands on education about the busy goings on of Canada’s largest port. Eos Lightmedia’s custom control software allows facilitators of the space to change the vocabulary and content to make it suitable for both younger and more mature student groups.

With hundreds of square feet of projection mapped surfaces for interaction and digital informational kiosks, here you can experience the sights and sounds of a busy harbor while learning about Canada’s largest and most diversified port.

St. Roch

You can also learn about early port development; trade, innovation and shipbuilding; harbor operations today; working on the waterfront; environmental programs; and facts and statistics.  In contrast to the cutting edge technology, there’s also stunning historical display case, spanning the length of the facility, that is replete with artifacts from the ports long history in the city.

A Regal Heritage

The entire atmosphere of the room can also change, from its public setting, to a sleek professional meeting room setting with just a click of a button on the facility’s sophisticated control system.

SS Beaver

The interactive touch panels break apart into bench seating for over 100 and, for the Port Authority’s many meetings, announcements, and group functions, the large digital map wall becomes the presentation screen for keynote speakers.

Pacific Gateway

Broadcast quality lighting and audio equipment also allows for events to be live-streamed, in high definition, with professional results without the need for off-site equipment rentals.

Shipbuilding for the Wars

Within the center, every function has its own custom lighting look controlled by DMX over the dedicated exhibit network within the space. The central control system links the benches, their projectors, and the audio systems, automatically turning on and off with a preset, adjustable schedule. The facilities operations team can also instantly recall the various ‘scenes’ within the center.

The Container Revolution

Port of Vancouver Discovery Centre: 100 The Pointe, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia. Admission is free. Open daily, 8 AM to 8 PM. Download the Port of Vancouver community map to follow along during the virtual harbout tour.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)

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Fairmont Vancouver Hotel

After our exploration of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Jandy and I visited the historic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.  Formerly and still informally called the Hotel Vancouver, it is situated within the city’s Financial District in Downtown Vancouver, bounded by Burrard Street to the northwest, West Georgia Street to the northeast, and Hornby Street to the southeast. To the southwest, the hotel property is bounded by two buildings, including 750 Burrard Street.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery” and “Former Vancouver Law Courts Building”

Jandy and the author with the hotel in the background

This  17-storey building, opened in May 1939 and currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels (it was initially built by Canadian National Railway). Standing 112.47-m. (369.0 ft) high, the hotel was also the tallest building in Vancouver until the completion of TD Tower in 1972.

The view of the hotel from the Vancouver Art Gallery

Located close to several attractions in Downtown Vancouver, the hotel is situated directly northwest of the aforementioned Vancouver Art Gallery and Robson Square (a public square adjacent the art museum). Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest church in the city, also lies north of the hotel  and two SkyTrain rapid transit stations (Burrard station, and Vancouver City Centre station) are also situated near the hotel.

Heritage Building Plaque

The third hotel in the city to use the name “Hotel Vancouver,” the first and second Hotel Vancouver were both located along West Georgia Street, southeast of the present hotel. The first, a crude four-storey structure, debuted in 1888 after the arrival of the Canadian National Railway in the region. In an effort to prevent competition with the new Hotel Vancouver, Canadian National Railway closed its hotel operations at the second Hotel Vancouver once the new hotel opened and, in 1949, it was torn down after Canadian National Railway sold the property to Eaton’s in December 1948.

Bas reliefs

This Châteauesque-styled hotel (part of series of Chateauesque grand railway hotels built throughout Canada in the late-19th and early 20th centuries), designed by two Canadian architects, John Smith Archibald, and John Schofield, incorporates elements from Renaissance-era chateaus found in France‘s Loire Valley.

The spectacular copper pitch roof outfitted with many dormers

Its Châteauesque features include its prominent and spectacular copper pitched roof, outfitted with many dormers, and extensive amount of carved stonework encompassing a steel frame. Hotel Vancouver also incorporates Renaissance Revival architectural detailings, gargoyles and relief sculptures. The decorative work for the building was done by a number of artists including Olea Marion Davis, Charles Marega, Beatrice Lennie, Valentine Shabief, and Lilias Farley.

Here’s the historical timeline of the hotel:

  • In the 1920s, plans to develop a railway hotel at the present site of Hotel Vancouver first emerged.
  • In December 1928, as a result of a land deal between the city, and Canadian Northern Railway (a company later acquired by Canadian National Railway), work on the present Hotel Vancouver commenced.  Shortly after the erection of the building’s steel frame however, work on the hotel was halted, as a result of the Great Depression.
  • In 1937, work resumed on the building
  • In 1938, a joint investment into the property from Canadian Pacific Hotels (a division of Canadian Pacific Railway) and Canadian National Railway made possible the completion of the new hotel.
  • In May 1939, the hotel was completed in time for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth‘s 1939 royal tour of Canada.
  • In 1962, Canadian National Hotels (a division of Canadian National Railway) acquired Canadian Pacific Hotels’ share of the property, gaining full ownership of the hotel.
  • On January 1, 1964, Hilton Hotels International assumed management of the hotel for CN, though it was never branded as a Hilton.
  • On January 1, 1984, after the management contract with Hilton ended, CN Hotels resumed management of the hotel.
  • In 1988 Canadian National Hotels sold its remaining nine properties, including Hotel Vancouver, to Canadian Pacific Hotels.
  • In 2001, Canadian Pacific Hotels was reorganized as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, adopting the name from an American company it had purchased in 1999. As a part of this re-branding effort, the hotel’s name was changed to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
  • In 2007 Fairmont Hotels and Resorts sold 25 hotel properties, including Hotel Vancouver, to Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, although Fairmont continues to manage the hotel.
  • In 2015, the property was sold to Larco Enterprise for C$180 million.
  • In 2014, in preparation for the building’s 80th anniversary, the hotel underwent a C$12 million renovation which saw a reworked main lobby and guest rooms and restoration of the 14th floor of the hotel to its original decor from 1939. Restored items on the 14th floor include English harewood doors with bronze doorplates, bronze hallway doors, sapele-panelled walls with bronze strips at its elevator lobby.
  • In 2018, the four-year hotel renovation project was completed.

Check out “80 Years of Iconic Moments“

Hotel lobby

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, with 557 guest rooms and suites (including the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite and the Royal Suite), has a restaurant (Notch8 Restaurant + Bar which also hosts the hotel’s afternoon tea service), a gym, swimming pool and spa. The Lieutenant Governor’s Suite, designed with Art Deco stylings, features black walnut veneer-paneled walls.

Notch 8 Restaurant

Aside from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, other famous people who stayed there include:

Front Desk

In movies and television the hotel was featured in:

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver: 900 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia VC 2W6, Canada. Tel: +1 604 684 3131.  Fax: +1 604 662 1929.  E-mail: hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.

Vancouver Art Gallery (British Columbia, Canada)

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Vancouver Art Gallery

The 15,300 sq. m. (165,000 sq. ft.) Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG), the largest art museum, by building size, in Western Canada, serves as a repository of art for the Lower Mainland region. Its permanent collection consists of approximately 12,000 works (as of December 2018) by artists from Canada and around the world. Aside from exhibiting works from its collection, the museum has also organized and hosted a number of travelling arts exhibitions.The gallery connects to the rest of Robson Square via an underground passage below Robson Street.

“Uninvited – Canadian Women in the Modern Moment” Exhibit

Here is the historical timeline of the museum:

  • In April 1931, in order to establish and maintain a museum for the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery Association was established under the provincial Society Act.
  • On October 5, 1931, the Association opened the art museum to the public in a building, designed by architectural firm Sharp and Johnston and costing approximately CA$40,000 to construct, at 1145 West Georgia Street. It featured four galleries (one of which included a sculpture hall), a lecture hall and a library. At the time of its opening, works exhibited at the museum were dominated by British, and other European artists.
  • In 1938, during a sitdown strike in the weeks leading up to Bloody Sunday, the museum was the one of the buildings occupied by unemployed protesters. Luckily, paintings were not damaged while the protesters occupied the building.
  • In 1950, the museum expanded its first building.To reshape the design of the building towards an International Style of architecture, the building’s Art Deco façade was removed. To accommodate the 157 works bequeathed to the museum by Emily Carr, renovations, costing approximately CA$600,000 (funded by the City of Vancouver government, and funds raised by Lawren Harris) were also conducted
  • In 1951, the building was reopened to the public.
  • In 1983, the institution was relocated to its present location, the former provincial courthouse adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver.It was renovated by architect Arthur Erickson, at a cost of CA$20 million, as a part of his larger three city-block Robson Square The Annex Building was the only part of the building complex that was not converted for museum use.
  • In 2004, a result from its need for more exhibition and storage space for its collections, plans to build a new building for the museum were undertaken.
  • In November 2007, the museum publicly announced plans to move, seeking approval from Vancouver City Council to build a new building at Larwill Park, a block formerly occupied by a bus depot on the corner of Cambie and Georgia streets.
  • In May 2008, the museum and the City of Vancouver government announced its intention to relocate to an area occupied by the Plaza of Nations.
  • In April 2013, the Vancouver City Council later reversed its decision, opting to approve the original proposed site in Larwill Park.
  • In September 2013, the museum formally issued requests for qualifications to construct the new building, receiving responses from 75 architectural firms from 16 countries.
  • In April 2014, the bid of Herzog & de Meuron (the first project for the architectural firm in the country) was selected by the museum.  Perkins and Will‘s Vancouver branch was contracted as the project’s executive architects. The cost to construct the building has been estimated to be CA$330 million, with the federal and provincial governments expected to provide CA$200 million, and the museum expected to raise the rest from public and private donors.  The building was originally planned to be completed in 2020. However, developments for the project stalled due to a funding dispute between the federal and provincial governments.
  • In November 2021, to help fund the new building, the museum received a $100 million donation (the largest cash donation to a public art museum in Canadian history) from Michael Audain.
  • As of November 2021, the museum still needed to raise another $160 million to fund the project.

“The Imitation Game” Exhibit

The former provincial courthouse building, designed by Francis Rattenbury, after winning a design competition in 1905, was opened as a provincial courthouse in 1911, and operated as such until 1979 when the provincial courts moved to the Law Courts south of the building.  In 1980, the building was was designated as the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada. Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated “A” heritage structures by the municipal government.

Check out “Former Victoria Law Courts Building”

“Kids Take Over” Exhibit

It continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia, although the museum occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974 who, in turn, leases the building from the provincial government. The museum’s permanent collection is formally owned by the City of Vancouver, with the museum acting as the custodians for the collection under a lease and license agreement. Should the museum secure its relocation to its proposed site at Larwill Park, the museum would occupy the building under similar arrangements as the former courthouse, with the museum leasing the property from the City of Vancouver.

“Everything Under The Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit

The Vancouver Art Gallery has organized and hosted a number of temporary and travelling exhibitions. A select list of exhibitions held at the museum since 2005 include:

  • Brian Jungen (2006)
  • Monet to Dali: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art (2007)
  • KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art (2008)
  • Vermeer, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art Masterpieces from The Rijksmuseum (2009)
  • Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man (2010)
  • The Color of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art (2011)
  • Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore (2012)
  • Beat Nation: Art, Hip Hop and Aboriginal Culture (2012)
  • Grand Hotel: Redesigning Modern Life (2013)
  • Charles Edenshaw (2013)
  • The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors (2014)
  • Unscrolled: Reframing Tradition in Chinese Contemporary Art (2014)
  • Cezanne and the Modern: Masterpieces of European Art from the Pearlman Collection (2015)
  • How Do I Fit This Ghost in My Mouth? An exhibition by Geoffrey Farmer (2015)
  • Embracing Canada: Landscapes from Krieghoff to the Group of Seven (2015)
  • Douglas Coupland: Everywhere Is Anywhere Is Anything Is Everything (2015)
  • MashUp: The Birth of Modern Culture (2016)
  • Picasso: The Artist and His Muses (2016)
  • Claude Monet’s Secret Garden (2017)
  • Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats its Own Leg (2018)
  • French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 (2019)
  • Alberto Giacometti: A Line Through Time (2019)
  • Cindy Sherman (2020)
  • Growing Freedom: The instructions of Yoko Ono/ The art of John and Yoko (2022)

“Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit

During our visit, there were five ongoing exhibits – “Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment” Exhibit in the ground floor; “The Imitation Game: Visual Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Exhibit at the second floor; and “Kids Take Over” Exhibit, “Everything Under the Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit and “Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit at the third floor.

Check out “Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment” Exhibit, “The Imitation Game: Visual Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” Exhibit, “Kids Take Over” Exhibit, “Everything Under the Sun: In Memory of Andrew Gruft” Exhibit and “Restless: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit“

Self-Portrait of Emily Carr (1938-39, oil on wove paper)

The Centennial Fountain, on the Georgia Street side of the building, was installed in 1966 to commemorate the centennial of the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia.  In 2017, it was later removed as part of the Georgia Street plaza renovations.

Are You Talking to Me

The Neo-Classical-style building, replacing the previous courthouse at Victory Square, wasconstructed using marble imported from Alaska, Tennessee and Vermont.  It has Ionic columns, a central dome, formal porticos and ornate stonework. Construction for the building, which contained 18 courtrooms, began in 1906. In 1912, an annex, designed by Thomas Hooper, was added to the western side of the building. Declared as a heritage site, it still retains the original judges’ benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

Clear Cut to the Last Tree (Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, screenprint on paper)

The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protest rallies, serving as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver’s Critical Mass, as well as flash mobs, the Zombie Walk, pro-marijuana rallies and numerous environmental demonstrations. The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of the building are also popular gathering spots for protest rallies. In the summertime, the Georgia Street side is also a popular place for people to relax or socialize.

Amauti (Anne Maria Kigerlerk, 1937)

In March 2007, the 2010 Olympic countdown clock, placed in the front lawn of the building, was  opened for free for the public to see. Now disassembled, one half of the clock went to BC Place and the other to Whistler Village.In June 2021, Cheryle Gunargie created a vigil(consisting of 215 pairs of shoes) to honor the 215 children whose remains were discovered in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Caffeinated Diversions (Scott Eaton, 2018-19, inkjet print on paper) (1)

The permanent collection acts as the principal repository of works produced in the Lower Mainland region, with museum acquisitions typically focused on historical and contemporary art from the region. Approximately half of the works in its collection were produced by artists from Western Canada. In addition to art from the region, the collection also has a focus on First Nations art, and art from Asia. The museum’s collection is organized into several smaller areas, contemporary art from Asia, photography and conceptual photography, works by indigenous Canadian artists from the region, and artists from Vancouver and British Columbia.

Baskets (Panier)

The museum’s photography and conceptual art collection includes photographs from the 1950s to the present, and includes photos by the N.E. Thing Co. artist collective, photographers of the Vancouver School of conceptual photography, and other artists including Dan Graham, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Cindy Sherman, Robert Smithson, and Thomas Struth. The museum’s collection of contemporary Asian art includes works by Eikoh Hosoe, Mariko Mori, Fiona Tan, Jin-me Yoon, Reena Saini Kallat, Song Dong, Wang Du, Wang Jianwei, Yang Fudong, and O Zhang.

Children Playing (Thomas Kakinuma, ca. 1960)

Serving as a repository for art for the region, the museum holds a number of works by artists based in the Lower Mainland, in addition to artists based in other regions of British Columbia. The museum’s collection includes works from Canadian artists, including members of the Group of Seven, Gathie Falk, Michael Snow, and Joyce Wieland.

Kitwancool Totems (Emily Carr, 1928, oil on canvas)

The museum’s collection also features a significant number of works by Emily Carr, dating from 1913 to 1942. The painting Totem Poles, Kitseukla, by Carr, was among the original set of works acquired for the museum’s collection prior to opening in 1931. The permanent collections of the Vancouver Art Gallery, along with the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, hold the largest number of works by Carr of any collection in the world.

Patriotism (Joyce Wieland, 1967, vinyl, textile,photograph, paper, cotton, wood, thread)

The museum’s also features a collection of indigenous Canadian art from the region, including works from Haida, Heiltsuk, Inuit, Kwakwakaʼwakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, Nuxalk, and Tlingit artists. Regular acquisitions of indigenous Canadian works was undertaken by the museum beginning in the 1980s; with the museum’s practices prior to the 1980s typically leaving the acquisition of indigenous Canadian works for the collections of ethnographic, or history museums.

A Descent of Lilies (Pegi Nicoll MacLeod, 1935, oil on canvas)

In 2015, George Gund III bequeathed to the museum 37 First Nations works, including totem poles by Ken Mowatt and Norman Tait, drawings by Bill Reid, and thirteen carved works by Robert Davidson. Other works in the museum’s indigenous Canadian collection includes works by Sonny Assu, Rebecca Belmore, Dempsey Bob, Dana Claxton, Joe David, Reg Davidson, Beau Dick, Brian Jungen, Marianne Nicolson, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.

Actual Photo Series (Laurie Simmons and Allan McCollum, 1985, azo dye prints)

The Vancouver Art Gallery Library and Archives is a non-circulating library that specializing in modern, contemporary and Canadian art. Its holdings include more than 50,000 books and exhibition catalogues, 30 journal subscriptions, 5,000 files that document various artists, art forms, and works. Access to the museum’s library and archives require a scheduled appointment.

Sea and Shore (Florence Wyle, ca. 1950, marble)

The museum’s archives contain the institution’s official records since its founding in 1931. In addition to institutional documents, the archives also includes files from B.C. Binning, and the books and serials where Bill Bissett’s concrete poetry was published.

In a Food Court (Evan Lee, 2019, oil pigment, pastel on canvas) (1)

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers a wide range of public programs throughout the year, including live performances marketed under the FUSE program, scholar’s lectures, artist’s talks, as well as dance and musical performances. In its most recent year, the gallery has featured over 60 presenters, including historian Timothy Brook, writer Sarah Milroy, and Emily Carr scholar, Gerta Moray. In May 2015, the gallery welcomed architect Jacques Herzog as he presented his first lecture in Canada on architecture and the new Vancouver Art Gallery building.

Neri Oxman and the MIT Mediated Matter Group

Vancouver Art Gallery: 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2H7, Canada.    Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, Tuesdays and Fridays, 12 noon to 8 PM. Admission: $24.00 (adults), $20.00 (seniors), $18 (students), $6.50 (children, 6 – 12 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Tuesdays, from 5 – 9 PM are “donation nights” (pay whatever you want or can afford). Coordinates: 49.282875°N 123.120464°W.

 

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building (British Columbia, Canada)

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Former Vancouver Law Courts Building

The three-storey, grand Former Vancouver Law Courts Building, situated on a city block bounded by Georgia, Howe, Hornby and Robson Streets, is a good example of Neo-Classical design in the Beaux-Art tradition, widely promoted for public buildings in North America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Replacing the previous courthouse at Victory Square, it was designed by noted Victoria architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury (responsible for many prominent public buildings in British Columbia including the Legislative Building in Victoria), after winning a design competition in 1905.  Construction began in 1906 and the provincial courthouse,containing 18 courtrooms,was opened in the fall of 1911, at which time it was praised as the finest building of its kind in Canada.

Check out “”Legislative Assembly of British Columbia”

By 1914, the city had outgrown the original building and a large new wing, connected to the main building by an enclosed two-storey corridor, was added to the western side of the building according to the 1912 designs of Thomas Hooper. It operated as such until 1979 when it was decided that the building could no longer accommodate the needs of the court and the decision was made to construct new facilities.

Vancouver architect Arthur Erickson was commissioned to design the new Law Courts House,located across the street south of the building,and to convert the former Court House into the Vancouver Art Gallery.In 1980, the building was designated as the Former Vancouver Law Courts National Historic Site of Canada.

Entrance to Vancouver Art Gallery

Both the main and annex portions of the building are also designated “A” heritage structures by the municipal government. As a heritage site, it still retains the original judges’ benches and walls as they were when the building was a courthouse.

The massive staircase

The building continues to be owned by the Government of British Columbia, although the Vancouver Art Gallery occupies the building through a 99-year sublease signed with the City of Vancouver government in 1974 who, in turn, leases the building from the provincial government.

Check out “Vancouver Art Gallery“

One of two granite guardian lions

The building consists of three parts with two wings on west and east facades faced with inset Ionic columns flanking a massive projecting central pediment. The latter features an imposing formal portico supported by four columns and surmounted by a flat roof and a copper-clad central dome(with four semicircular occuli) on an elevated base.

On the north and south facades are granite pilasters. Rusticated Nelson Island granite cladding was used for the base section and smooth Haddington Island stone cladding for upper levels.Marble was imported from Alaska, Tennessee and Vermont.

Throughout the facade are decorative stone and plaster scrollwork with acanthus leaf, garland and wreath motifs and stone balustrades along the roof line.Some of the recessed and symmetrical fenestration have protruding granite sills and canopies.Cast iron grates are found above the foundation. Also on the west and east facades are massive granite stair entrances. The twin, ca. 1910 granite lions, on pedestals, symbolize British justice.

Rotunda

 

The original interior layout features a twinned, marble clad staircase with ornamental wrought iron balustrades; a central rotunda, beneath the dome on the mezzanine level, with a series of two-storey arcades; terrazzo flooring in fan and Greek key motif;tapered marble columns on the mezzanine level;plaster egg and dart,garland and wreath motifs on the ceilings, cornices and walls; British Columbia fir and oak for the paneling,cornices, wainscoting and architraves; and British Columbia and Alaskan marble for foyer, floors, baseboards, vestibule halls, stairs and risers.

Marble staircase

Original signs identifying “OFFICES,” “LAND REGISTRY,” “POLICE” (with accompanying “Sheriff” signage) are still incised into offices on the north and south first floor level.

The front lawn and steps of the building has hosted a number of public gatherings and protest rallies, serving as the monthly meeting spot for Vancouver’s Critical Mass, as well as flash mobs, the Zombie Walk, pro-marijuana rallies and numerous environmental demonstrations.

Dome and oculus

The steps on both the Robson Street and Georgia Street sides of the building are also popular gathering spots for protest rallies. In the summertime, the Georgia Street side is also a popular place for people to relax or socialize.

Former Vancouver Law Courts Building: 800 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6z 2E1, Canada.

Sculpture Garden (Seattle Center, Washington, USA)

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The Seattle Center landscape is dotted with art and architectural works that together form urban vistas of mixed form and scale. The Sculpture Garden, at Broad Street Green, a nearly three-acre open space, is framed by the retro-futuristic backdrop of the Space Needle and the post-modern Experience Music Project building.  It is made up of four unique pieces.

Check out “Space Needle“

Sculpture Garden

Ronald Bladen’s Black Lightning  (1981), a striking, black-painted monumental steel sculpture, is currently sited in the Sculpture Garden southeast of the Space Needle. Measuring 355.6 x 1706.9 x 1120.1 cms. (140 x 672 x 441 in.), it’s simple Z-shape outlines the iconic form of lightning and sharp edges, formed from the juncture of acute angles, animate the black steel bolt with alternating planes of light and shadow. Two polygonal bases, reminiscent of blacksmith’s anvils, support the sculpture.

Black Lightning (Ronald Bladen, 1981, painted steel)

The Alexander Liberman‘s Olympic Iliad (also known as Pasta Tube), a 1984 orange-red painted steel sculpture consisting of large steel cylinders cut at different angles and lengths, is installed in 1984 on the lawn southwest from the Space Needle. It was featured on the cover of Brazilian musician Amon Tobin‘s album Bricolage.

Olympic Iliad (Alexander Liberman, 1984, painted steel)

Doris Chase’s Moon Gates, a group of three bronze sculptures, from 9′ to 17′ tall, that play with oppositions inspired by space and form, was installed in 1999 and is located in the Sculpture Garden just south of the Space Needle. In the artwork, two sculptures (one rhomboid and one ovoid), with convex surfaces, are each pierced by a circular hole. The third sculpture’s concave surface also contains a round void at its center but its missing piece can be found attached to the top of the sculpture on a bearing that rotates. A gift to the city of Seattle by Seattle Center Foundation, Chase’s Moon Gates was selected, with Alexander Liberman’s relocated Olympic Iliad, as the completing piece for the garden.

Moon Gates (Doris Chase, 1999, bronze)

Moses, a black-painted, mild steel sculpture by American Tony Smith (1912-1980, is located just northeast of the base of the Space Needle.  Fabricated in 1969 and measuring 460 x 350 x 223.5 cms. (181 1/8 x 137 13/16 x 88 in.), it has been on the Center’s grounds since 1975.  The abstract sculpture, weighing 5,500 lbs., is a geometrical abstract composition consisting of connected solid black steel volumes. It is the first major art acquisition under the city’s 1% for Art program.

Moses (Tony Smith, 1975, painted steel)

Sculpture Garden:  Broad Street Green, Broad and John Street, Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington

Space Needle (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)

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Seattle’s Space Needle

From Pike Place, Val drove Danny and I to the Seattle Center, home to Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) and the Space Needle in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.  It had already stopped raining when we arrived and the sun was again shining.  We didn’t have time to explore the first two but Danny and I were excited to go up the open-air observation deck of the Space Needle 160 m.(520 ft.) above ground, our first time to do so.  Val had done this a couple of times, so he just offered to wait for us till we returned.

Check out “Pike Place”

The author (right) with friend Val Salgado with the Space Needle in the background

This observation tower, a designated a Seattle landmark, is considered to be an icon of the city.  Unlike many other similar structures (such as the CN Tower in Toronto), the Space Needle is not used for broadcasting purposes.The Space Needle was, upon completion by Howard S. Wright Construction Co., the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, replacing the Smith Tower in downtown Seattle as the tallest building west of the Mississippi since 1914.Today, it is dwarfed by other structures along the Seattle skyline, among them the 295 m. (967 ft.) high Columbia Center.

The author and Danny Macaventa

The Space Needle is 184 m.(605 ft.) high, 42 m.(138 ft.) wide and weighs 8,660 metric tons (9,550 short tons).  It was built to withstand wind speeds of up to 320 kms./hr. (200 mph), double the requirements in the building code of 1962. As the Space Needle sways only 25 mm.(1 in.) per 16 kms./hr.(10 mph) of wind speed, it can also be made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds.

The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of local architect John Graham‘s concept of a flying saucer (the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck)and the sketch (on a napkin) of Edward E. Carlson (president of a hotel company and chairman of the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle)which depicted a giant balloon tethered to the ground (the gently sloping base). The hourglass profile of the tower was introduced by Victor Steinbrueck.

Carlson,inspired by a recent visit to the Stuttgart Tower of Germany, also had an idea for erecting a tower with a restaurant at the World’s Fair. As a result of his success in designing Northgate Mall, architect John Graham soon became involved, altering the restaurant’s original design to a revolving restaurant, similar to his previous design of the La Ronde tower restaurant at the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Hawaii.From April 1, 1962, to April 1, 1982, the revolving restaurant was operated by Western International Hotels, of which Carlson was President, under a 20-year contract.

Built for the 1962 World’s Fair(which drew over 2.3 million visitors, with 20,000 people a day riding the elevators to the Observation Deck during the course of the Fair), the construction of the Space Needle was privately financed and built by the Pentagram Corporation (consisting of Bagley Wright, contractor Howard S. Wright, architect John Graham, Ned Skinner, and Norton Clapp).

With time an issue, the construction team worked around the clockand the Space Needle was finished in less than one year. The Space Needle had to withstand earthquakes of up to 9.0 magnitude (as strong as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake) so its earthquake stability was ensured when a hole was dug 9.1 m.(30 ft.) deep and 37 m.(120 ft.) across, and 467 concrete trucks took one full day to fill it. The foundation weighs 5,310 metric tons (5,850 short tons), including 230 metric tons (250 short tons) or of reinforcing steel, the same as the above-ground structure. The structure is bolted to the foundation with 72 bolts, each one 9.1 m.(30 ft.) long.

A scaled model of the Space Needle at the Building the Marvel” Exhibit

The domed top, housing the top five levels (including the restaurants and observation deck), was perfectly balanced so that the restaurant could rotate with the help of one tiny electric motor, originally 0.8 KW (1.1 HP), later replaced with a 1.1 KW (1.5 HP) motor. A grand spiral entryway(shown in a 1962 Seattle World’s Fair poster), with 848 steps from the basement to the top of the observation deck leading to the elevator, was ultimately omitted from final building plans. For paint colors, Orbital Olive was used for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer and Galaxy Gold for the roof.

During the World’s Fair, an imitation carillon (using recordings of bells, rather than live bells),built by the Schulmerich Bells Company of Hatfield, Pennsylvania under the name “Carillon Americana,” was installed in the Space Needle and played several times a day. The instrument, recreating the sounds of 538 bells, was the largest in the world until it was eclipsed by a 732 bell instrument at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Another scaled model of the Space Needle at the ground floor Gift Shop

The operator’s console, located in the base of the Space Needle, was completely enclosed in glass to allow observation of the musician playing the instrument. Also capable of being played from a roll, like a player piano, the 44 stentors (speakers) of the carillon were located underneath the Needle’s disc at the 61 m.(200-ft.) level, and were audible over the entire fairgrounds and up to 16 kms. (10 mi.) away. After the fair’s close, the carillon was disassembled.  The “Carillon Americana,” featured on a 12-track LP record (called “Bells On High-Fi,” catalog number AR-8, produced by Americana Records, of Sellersville, Pennsylvania), was recorded in a studio and performed by noted carillonneur John Klein (1915-1981).

Here is the historical timeline of the Space Needle:

  • In 1961, investors discovered and bought (for $75,000) a suitable lot, measuring 37 by 37 m. (120 by 120 ft.), containing switching equipment for the fire and police alarm systems, for the proposed Space Needle site (it had no pre-selected site since it was not financed by the city and land had to be purchased within the fairgrounds).
  • In April 1962, the Space Needle was completed at a cost of $4.5 million.
  • On April 21, 1962, the last elevator car was installed the day before the Fair opened.
  • In 1963, a radio broadcast studio was built, used for morning broadcasts by Radio KING and its sister TV station KING-TV from July 1963 to May 1966, and KIRO Radio from 1966 to 1974, on the observation level of the Space Needle.
  • On March 27, 1964, as a result of the 9.2 earthquake in Alaska, the restaurant atop the Space Needle stopped rotating.
  • For six months in 1974, disc jockey Bobby Wooten of country music station KAYO-AM lived in an apartment built adjacent to the Space Needle’s broadcast studio, requiring a permit variance from the city government.
  • On March 4, 1974, Paul D. Baker committed suicide by jumping from the Space Needle, the first person to do so.
  • On May 25, 1974, Mary Lucille Wolf also jumped from the tower.
  • In 1977,Bagley Wright, Ned Skinner and Norton Clapp sold their interest to Howard S. Wright who now controls it under the name of Space Needle Corporation.
  • On July 5, 1978, in spite of the installation netting beneath and improved fencing around the observation deck, Dixie Reeder was able to commit suicide.
  • In 1982, the SkyLine level was added at the height of 30 m.(100 ft.).
  • In 1992, the University of Washington (UW) Huskies football team logo was painted at the tower after the team won the 1992 Rose Bowl.
  • In 1993, the elevators were replaced with new computerized versions that descend at a rate of 16 kms./hr. (10 mph).
  • In 1995, when the game show Wheel of Fortune taped episodes in Seattle, it was painted to resemble the titular wheel as part of an intro sequence with Vanna White.
  • On April 19, 1999, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board designated the tower a historic landmark.
  • On December 31, 1999, the Legacy Light or Skybeam, a powerful beam of light, was unveiled for the first time.
  • Between 1999 and 2000, renovations included the SkyCity restaurant, SpaceBase retail store, Skybeam installation, Observation Deck overhaul, lighting additions and repainting.
  • In 2000, renovations were completed at a cost ($21 million) approximately the same in inflated dollars as the original construction price.
  • In 2000, the Space Needle Restaurant (originally named Eye of the Needle) and the Emerald Suite, the two restaurants 150 m.(500 ft.) above the ground at the hovering disk of the Space Needle, were closed to make way for SkyCity, a larger restaurant that features Pacific Northwest cuisine.
  • In 2000, because of perceived terror threats against the structure after investigations into the foiled millennium bombing plots, public celebrations were canceled but the fireworks show was still performed.
  • In 2001, the 6.8 Mw Nisqually earthquake jolted the Space Needle enough for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms.
  • From September 11, 2001, to September 22, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, the Legacy Light (or Skybeam) remain lit for eleven days in a row.
  • In 2002, to promote tourism, a real estate consultant in Bellevue proposed the construction of five smaller replicas of the Space Needle around the city though official plans to build the proposed structures have not yet materialized.
  • On May 19, 2007, the Space Needle welcomed its 45 millionth visitor, Greg Novoa from California, who received a free trip for two to Paris.
  • In May 2008, since the opening of the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle received its first professional deep cleaning by being pressure washed by Kärcher with water at a pressure of almost 2,611 psi (18,000 kPa) and a temperature of approximately 194 °F (90 °C). In consideration of the Seattle Center and the nearby Experience Music Project, no detergents were used and the cleaning was only done at night so that the Space Needle could stay open to the public.
  • In April 2012, as part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Needle was painted “Galaxy Gold”, which is more of an orangish color in practice. This is the same color used when the needle was originally constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair. This temporary makeover was only intended to last through the summer.
  • In the summer of 2017, a renovation of the top of the Space Needle, called the Century Project,began. An all-glass floor was added to the restaurant, the observation platform windows were replaced with floor-to-ceiling glass panels (to more closely match the 1962 original concept sketches) and the internal systems were upgraded and updated. The work, tocost $100 million in private funds provided by the Wright family (owners of the Space Needle),was scheduled to finish by June 2018. The designer is Olson Kundig Architects and the general contractor is Hoffman Construction Company. The rotating restaurant’s motor was replaced, the elevator capacity was increased by adding elevators or double-stacking them and,with the aim of achieving LEED Gold Certification, the energy efficiency of the building was improved. The temporary scaffold’s 13,000 kg.(28,000 lbs.), 4,148 sq. m. (4,650-sq. ft.) platform under the top structure, made by Safway Services (a company specializing in unique construction scaffolding),was assembled on the ground, and then lifted by cables 150 m.(500 ft.) from the ground to the underside of the structure, controlled by 12 operators standing on the platform as it was raised. So that the Space Needle was never completely shut down to the public, only one-sixth of the observation deck was closed at a time.
  • In August 2018, the Space Needle reopened as the Loupe, an indoor observation deck with a revolving glass floor that takes 45 mins. to do a full rotation. Two sets of stairs called the Oculus Stairs,named after the glass oculus at the base of the stairs where the Space Needle elevators can be seen ascending and descending,were added to connect the two new additional levels. A café, wine bar, more restrooms, and an additional accessibility elevator to the top observation deck were also added.
  • In 2020, the fireworks display was canceled because of high winds, with a laser light show being used at midnight instead.
  • In 2021, the fireworks show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced by a broadcast-only augmented realitypresentation on KING-TV.

 

The queue at the Mezzanine Level

The Space Needle, a visual symbol of Seattle and of the Pacific Northwest, has made numerous appearances in films (It Happened at the World’s Fair in 1962, The Parallax View in 1974, Sleepless in Seattle in 1993,Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999,  Chronicle in 2012), TV shows (Frasier, Grey’s Anatomy, Dark Angel, Bill Nye the Science Guy, etc.), and other works of fiction, often being used in establishing shots as an economical means to tell the audience the setting is Seattle, and has been incorporated into the logos of NBA, WNBA, MLS, and NHL professional sports teams.

Queuing past the “Building the Marvel” Exhibit

After paying the admission fee, we joined the queue of visitors at the mezzanine level (overlooking the gift shop below) waiting for the three elevators (two of them high speed), which can each accommodate 25 people, to take us up the inside observation area.  As it was the summer month, there was a bit of a line as the number of visitors usually climbs to well over a thousand a day. While waiting for our turn, along the line was the “Building the Marvel Exhibit,” a custom exhibit installed in April 2016, of compelling images, interactive experiences, and fun and historical memorabilia that tells the story of how the Space Needle’s conception and construction.  There are also miniature replicas of the Needle, showing the construction’s progress, plus cool vintage advertisements, posters of the Words fair and clippings from magazine articles praising this architectural marvel.

Inside the 25-pax elevator

Once inside the elevator, it took us 42 seconds to reach the top, travelling at a rate of 10 mph (or 880 ft. per min.). Stepping out of the elevator into the inside observation area, we had awe-inspiring and dramatic views of the downtown Seattle skyline, front and center, with buildings shimmering in the sun.

The Inside Observation Area

Seamless floor-to-ceiling  glass walls gave us unobstructed, 360-degree sights of the region –  Lake Union, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, the inky waters of Elliott Bay, the ever-popular Great Wheel along the waterfront, and various islands in glittering Puget Sound, with ferries floating around  On a clear day, the flat top of snow-capped Mt. St. Helens can be seen in the distance.

The Inside Observation Area

From the inside observation area, Danny and I stepped out of the door (one of 12) into the open observation deck which was already filled with tourists taking photos and selfies.  Here, we had a more unparalleled experience with a unique, uninhibited bird’s-eye view of the abovementioned landmarks, protected by a series of 11 ft. tall and 7 ft. wide glass panels (which replaced the old wire cages) starting at the floor and tilting outwards.  Lining the edge of the panels are new glass benches, following the angle of the transparent walls, designed at a slant, a perfect, jaw-dropping selfie spot that makes you feel like you are hanging in the air, floating above Seattle.

Danny and the author at the Open Observation Deck

On our way back down, an elevator attendant took the time to point out locations of interest to us, sharing some historical landmark facts and answering questions. Our elevator had windows where we could watch our rapid descent.  Soon the doors opened and we disembarked into the gigantic gift shop at the ground floor before exiting the building.  Every year on New Year’s Eve, the Space Needle celebrates with a fireworks show at midnight that is synchronized to music. Alberto Navarro, a fireworks artist from Bellevue, is the lead architect of the show, which is viewed by thousands from the Seattle Center grounds.

View of the city skyline

To honor national holidays and special occasions in Seattle, the Legacy Light (or Skybeam), derived from the official 1962 World’s Fair poster (which depicted such a light source although none was incorporated into the original design), is lit. Powered by lamps that total 85 million candela shining skyward from the top of the Space Needle, it was originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year but it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year as it is somewhat controversial because of the light pollution it creates.

View of Puget Sound

Since its opening, six (four of them part of an authorized promotion in 1996, withone of them got injured and broke a bone in her back while attempting the stunt) parachutists have leaped from the tower in a sport known as BASE jumping which is legal only with prior authorization (the other two jumped illegally and were arrested).

The Gift Shop

Seattle Needle: 400 Broad Street, Seattle, Washington 98109. Tel: (20) 905-2100. E-mail: guestservice@spaceneedle.com. Website:  www.spaceneedle.com. General admission:: US435 – 39 (regular, ages 13 -64), US$30  -33 (senior, aged 65+) and US$26 – 29 (youth, ages 5 – 12).  Open daily, 10 AM to 9 PM (Sundays to Fridays) and 9 AM to 9 PM (Saturdays).  Coordinates: 47.6204°N 122.3491°W

Pikes Place Market (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)

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Pike Place Market

After our lunch at Seafood City, Val, Danny and I continued on our way to the iconic Pike Place Market, Seattle’s most popular tourist destination and the 33rd most visited tourist attraction in the world, with more than 10 million annual visitors.  Overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront on Puget Sound, it is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers’ markets in the United States.

Opened on August 17, 1907, it is named after Pike Place, the central street which runs northwest from Pike Street to Virginia Street on the western edge of Downtown Seattle.  The market, serving as a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants, is built on the edge of a steep hill and consists of several lower levels located below the main level.

Flower stands

Each level features seemingly endless rows of flower stands, a variety of unique shops such as antique dealers, comic book and collectible shops, small family-owned restaurants, and one of the oldest head shops in Seattle. The upper street level contains wader-clad fishmongers, farm fresh produce stands and craft stalls operating in the covered arcades.

High school batchmates Val Sagado, Danny Macaventa and the author at Pikes Place Market

Home to nearly 500 residents who live in eight different buildings throughout the Market, the market’s mission and founding goal is allowing consumers to “Meet the Producer.”  Year-round, local farmers and craftspeople sell in the arcades from tables they rent, on a daily basis, from the Market.

Cheese Box

In the past, most of these buildings have been low-income housing.  However, some of them, such as the Livingston Baker apartments, no longer offers these. The Market is run by the quasi-government Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA). The first Starbucks store, founded in 1971 originally at its location at 2000 Western Ave., moved, in 1977, one block away to 1912 Pike Place where it has been in continuous operation ever since.

Check out “Pike Place Starbucks Store”

Sosio’s Produce

Val directed me to the Pike Place Fish Market, one of the Market’s major attractions, where employees threw three-foot long salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. This tradition started when the fishmongers got tired of having to walk out to the Market’s fish table to retrieve a salmon each time someone ordered one.

Pure Food Fish Market

The owner realized it was easier to station an employee at the table and, when a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market’s ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop, where street buskers catches it and preps it for sale.

Pit Bar-B-ue

This attraction of the flying fish has appeared in an episode of Frasier, the television sitcom  that was shot on location.  It has also been featured on The Learning Channel (TLC) and the opening credits of MTV‘s The Real World: Seattle. When the Seahawks host games at nearby CenturyLink Field, this attraction also appears on numerous prime-time installments of NFL games.

Oriental Market

A taste of the Philippines can be found at Oriental Mart, a three-generation, family-owned business. A mainstay of the Market opened in 1971 by Milagros Apostol, it has an 18-seat lunch counter, operated by Leila “Ate Lei’ Apostol (Milagros’ daughter), serving up a selection of award-winning authentic Filipino cuisine and other novelties such as the salmon collar sinigang and her “Do You Trust Me Plate.”

Ulis Bierstube

Pike Place Market: 1st Ave. and Pike St., Seattle, Washington 98101, USA.  Tel: (206) 682-7453. Website: www.pikeplacemarket.org. Coordinates: 47°36′34″N 122°20′30″W.

Pike Place Starbucks Store (Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.)

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Pike Place Starbucks Store

After lunch at Seafood City, Val drove Danny and I to the historic Pike Place Market in the downtown core of Seattle, Washington,.  Once parked, we walked towards the Pike Place Starbucks Store (also known as the Original Starbucks), the first Starbucks store in the world.

Check out “Pikes Place Market“

The store front

A known tourist attraction, it was hosting crowds during our visit. In fact, they say there was never a day without The Line which winds out the door and stretches down the street but it also keeps on moving as the baristas there are said to be as good as any on the planet.

However, many people, just like us, didn’t come to 1912 Pike for a cup of coffee. Instead, we came to experience the place where it all began. Founded in 1971, the store was opened by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, three partners who were inspired by Alfred Peet of Peet’s Coffee to open the store and sell high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans, tea and spices from around the world to take home as well as coffee making equipment and accessories.

The store interior

The name was inspired by the  Moby Dick, the 1851 classic tale of Herman Melville, which evoked the romance of the high seas and seafaring tradition of early coffee traders.  The name of the store was originally going to be called Cargo House or Pequod (Captain Ahab”s hip in the book), but the brand consultant (who also designed the chain’s logo , produced from an old 1800s map), but decided on Starbuck, the first mate and no-nonsense crew member on the Perquod. Starbos is also the name of a mining town which features in the book.

Everything in the entire store, truly one of a kind, is original, from the floors, the fixtures, the counters, etc.  They also still proudly display the brass labels that were on their bulk coffee bins in 1971.  However, while it commonly referred to as the first Starbucks location, the current address is the second for the Pike Place store as, for five years, the first restaurant was located at 2000 Western Avenue. In 1977, it moved one block away to 1912 Pike Place where it has been in continuous operation ever since.

Val Salgado, the author and Danny Macaventa outside the store

The sign outside this branch, unlike others, features the original logo – a seductive, bare-breasted siren that was modeled after a 15th-century Norse woodcut. It also features a pig statue called “Pork’n Beans,” a sculpture created locally for the 2001 Pigs on Parade competition that raised money for the Pike Place Market Foundation.

Starbucks logo from 1971 to 1987

Pike Place Starbucks Store: 1912 Pike Place, Seattle 98101, Washington .  Tel: +1 206-448-8762. Coordinates: 47.609899°N 122.342441°W.