The second Doors Open Vancouver is coming up this Saturday October 3, and will give you a behind-the-scenes look at 18 city-owned buildings. Since you won’t have time to see all of them – here’s my top six:
1. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Training Centre:
Go see the city’s only burn building (meaning one that’s lit on fire), find out about the heavy urban search and rescue team, and of course, check out the hot firefighters.
2. Vancouver Police Department’s Tactical Training Centre:
Where cops go to fire guns and learn other skills (Waterboarding 101 anyone?)
3. Stanley Park Train
The Stanley Park Miniature Train Yard—It has been around since 1947, and should be on the must-do list of any visit to Vancouver (with or without kids). It may even have its Halloween clothes on.
4. Carnegie Community Centre:
Built in 1903 as the Carnegie Library, now operating as the Carnegie Community Centre at Main and Hastings. Right next door are some of the cleanest washrooms I’ve ever seen. You could eat off the floor.
5. The Orpheum Theatre:
For all the different architectural influences, and because it wasn’t demolished
Dan Rickard photo. www.danrickard.ca
5. Vancouver City Hall
Go just to see our Mayor’s ceremonial office and council chambers. Who knows you may even have a strange encounter with the mayor himself.
Sharp eyed-readers will notice that this post was written last year for the first Doors Open Vancouver. I’ve updated a little, but overall, I stand by my choices. If you got to these ones last year check out the other 12 on display at Doors Open Vancouver 2015
6 comments on “Doors Open Vancouver”
This is one of my favorite pictures of City Hall. It captures the building as it was envisioned by the Architect, with the louvered parking garage (converted into office space with the East wing was added) and the looping vehicle access ramps. The trees are still small and Yukon street has fresh concrete paving. It speaks of an optimistic time in our history as expressed in its architecture. There is yet an additional gem: a 1936-37 Hayes Anderson PCT-37 bus which was a locally manufactured product.
There are some links to this below.
http://illustratedvancouver.ca/post/12165974314/hayes-anderson-motor-trucks
http://www.trams.bc.ca/page6.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrqx8Npy-qc
Thanks for posting the links Dave, I’ll check it out.
That theater is absolutely breathtaking. And what a creative idea for the city to showcase some of it’s historic beauty. I’d imagine the open doors concept helps residents fall in love with the city they live in.
Of course #1 is the “hottest”!! #5 Orpheum…my daughter and I attended an event by Robert Bateman in 1989 and I fell- in- awe all over again from decades earlier when it was “just” a movie theatre.
Yes! Definitely the iconic “portrait” of city hall.
Serendipitously, I just reprinted a photograph I made in 1983, featuring Gerhard Juchum’s statue, The Lovers II, situated on the west lawn, with part of the building and wall sweeping away behind. It’s part of my “80s Vancouver” portfolio.
The story behind the sculpture is interesting. Evidently, Juchum deposited his work around town, only to have Vancouver Parks Board haul them to the dump.
Finally, they threatened to sue him if he persisted. In the end, the city relented and gave this piece a place at city hall.
Tragically, the artist was killed in a car accident not long after.
Is this event still alive? I went one year and hit about five buildings. Seems like it has died. What is the scoop on 2024?