Downtown Eastside - Significant Locations

Significant Locations

The demolished Woodward's Building, (only the original 1903-08 portion of the building remains) was at one time a central retail and social epicentre of the neighbourhood, and had sat empty for many years. The City Hall driven process was led by then City Councilor Jim Green and was designed by local architect Gregory Henriquez. Almost the entire block is now being redeveloped by Westbank Projects to contain the Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts, 200 units of social housing, 536 units of market housing, a drugstore, a foodstore, a daycare, National Film Board, Federal offices, City offices, a bank and 31,500 square feet (2,930 m2) of Community Space for DTES Non-Profit organizations which includes AIDS Vancouver and W2 Media Collective.

Vancouver's historic Chinatown (Pender and Keefer Streets run through its center) and Gastown Historical District (Water Street) are popular tourist areas in the Downtown Eastside. Gastown is home to many high-end restaurants, lofts and boutiques. Some see this creeping eastward gentrification as a promising development while others are concerned that this will only force many of the poorest from the only housing they can afford. Vancouverites do not traditionally see Gastown and Chinatown as Downtown Eastside locations although they do fall within its borders according to the City of Vancouver.

A number of art galleries, artist-run centres and studios have located themselves in the area. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden is also situated within the boundaries of the Downtown Eastside. The flatiron Europe Hotel sits at the crux of Water, Powell, Alexander and Carrall Streets.

The Strathcona neighbourhood lies within the DTES and is a historic working-class neighborhood that has avoided many social problems, despite the decline of areas nearby. Some people believe that this sense of community was threatened by the growing number of wealthy land speculators buying up the neighbourhood in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In 2001 17 mosaics were laid, employing local artists and residents. Tours of these mosaics and the Downtown Eastside are conducted by various groups. The Vancouver Walkers Meetup group has posted some photos of the mosaics.

The area hosts several public parks, including Oppenheimer Park, Portside (Crab Park), and Wendy Poole Park. Portside Park, or Crab Park as the local residents like to call it, provides a haven for dogs, fowl, and human elements. It is attached to a small beach of sand and pebble that has views over Burrard Inlet. A local group, the Central Waterfront Coalition is trying to build support to retain it for Vancouverites, as it is presently being considered for development.