The Canadian National Steamship terminal was a funky Spanish Colonial-style building that sat on the pier at the foot of Main Street from 1931 to 1983.
From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
Foot of Main Street
Before CRAB Park was created in 1987, there was a funky Spanish Colonial-style building that sat on the pier at the foot of Main Street. Built in 1931 as the terminal for the Canadian National Steamship Company, access was by way of a roadway over the CPR railway tracks.
Tom Carter found this ca.1930s map from a Hotel Greeter’s Guide at MacLeod’s Books. It shows the CN terminal, the ferry to North Vancouver, the North Arm ferry to the Wigwam Inn, Pier B-C which was eventually replaced by Canada Place, and Pier D which burned down in July 1938. (Note the two missing piers at English Bay, how Crystal Pool is highlighted, and the “Old Mill Site” in Coal Harbour).
CN Ships
While Canadian Pacific Railway owned the Princess line of steamboats, the competition—CN had a healthy line of Prince’s—Henry, David, Robert, Charles, William and George until the war years when steamship service dropped and stopped altogether in the 1950s.
It’s a bit unclear what CN did with the building in the intervening years, but by 1973 it was in full swing as the Oompapa Restaurant and Happy Bavarian Inn.
Over the next decade it changed hands at least twice. Here it is as the Dock,
And as O’Hara’s and missing the distinctive maple leaf.
And demolished in 1983.
Related:
For a story on the last remaining house on the waterfront in the immediate area just to the east of Crab Park see Hastings Mill and the Flying Angel Club.
For more posts see: Our Missing Heritage
10 comments on “The Canadian National Terminal on Main Street”
Was this also a German beer house in the late 1970s “The Oom Pa Pa”? Perhaps I have the wrong building.
Yes from about 1973 it was the Oompapa Restaurant and Happy Bavarian Inn. I couldn’t find a picture of it unfortunately.
I remember the Oompapa. It wasn’t too different in ambience from most of the big beer parlours of the day, but it brought the Oktoberfest idea to Vancouver. Number 5 Orange (slightly tamer then) was a better bet for a cheap evening out. The CN’s Prince George continued to run at least as late as the early 1980s as a sort of budget Alaska cruise line, but from Ballantyne Pier. I’m not sure whether it was CN running it or somebody else.
I played O’Hara’s in 1978. It was a large venue, but surly not managed very well. The night in question, a bunch of Hell’s Angels showed up and it was pandemonium at closing time. People injured and plenty of broken chairs. I think it was torched before it had to be demolished. Maybe it was what the city wanted.
I saw Trooper at O’Hara’s … “Here for a good time, not a long time” really speaks to the history of Vancouver’s performing arts venues and clubs …
Not to mention heritage buildings!
I was thinking exactly that as well!
I saw Esther Phillips at O’Haras. This was the third time I had seen Miss Phillips perform in Vancouver. The first time, at a long forgotten bar in Gastown, the second time at the Old Roller Rink in North Vancouver and finally at O’Haras. The nightclub/ train station ‘ambience’ was definitely not a place to showcase her vocal talents.
Thanks so much for letting me use your great photo of O’Haras and for the information. Do you know what year that was?
I recall watching it being demolished in the summer of 1984. I don’t think it was ever a really successful nightclub or dinner club venue. Yeah I miss the old Vancouver.