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Coordinates: 49°16′15″N 123°08′03″W / 49.27083°N 123.13417°W / 49.27083; -123.13417
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{{Short description|Peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia}}
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{{Infobox islands
{{Infobox islands
| name = Granville Island
| name = Granville Island
| local_name = {{ubl|{{nobold|{{lang|hur|sən̓aʔqʷ|italics=no}} ([[Hunquminum]])}}|{{nobold|{{native name|squ|Sen̓áḵw}}}}}}
| local_name = {{native name|squ|Snauq}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://granvilleislandworks.com/about/history-of-granville-island|title=The Insiders Guide to Granville Island|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017051819/http://granvilleislandworks.com/about/history-of-granville-island|archive-date=October 17, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| image_name = Granville Island.jpg
| image_name = Granville Island.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| image_size = 300px
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| country = Canada
| country = Canada
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
| website = {{URL|granvilleisland.com}}
| website = {{URL|https://granvilleisland.com/}}
| additional_info =
| additional_info =
}}
}}
'''Granville Island''' is a peninsula and shopping district in the [[Fairview, Vancouver|Fairview]] neighborhood of [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada. It is located across [[False Creek]] from [[Downtown Vancouver]] under the south end of the [[Granville Street Bridge]]. The peninsula was an industrial manufacturing area in the 20th century. The area was named after [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville]].
'''Granville Island''' is a [[peninsula]] and shopping district in the [[Fairview, Vancouver|Fairview]] neighbourhood of [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]], across [[False Creek]] from [[Downtown Vancouver]], under the south end of the [[Granville Street Bridge]]. Formerly an industrial manufacturing area, it was named after [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville]].


Granville Island includes a [[Marketplaces#Types|public market]], a marina, a hotel, the False Creek Community Centre, as well as various performing arts theatres including the [[Arts Club Theatre Company]] and [[Carousel Theatre]].
It includes a [[Marketplaces#Types|public market]], restaurants, a [[marina]], a [[hotel]], the False Creek [[Community centre|Community Centre]], numerous artists' studios and workshops, and various performing arts theatres, including the [[Arts Club Theatre Company]] and [[Carousel Theatre]].


[[Image:Granville Island Public Market 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Granville Island Public Market]]
[[Image:Granville Island Public Market 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Granville Island Public Market]]
[[File:Lagenaria siceraria "geese".jpg|thumb|Apples and [[calabash]] "geese", Granville Island Public Market, 2011.]]
[[File:Lagenaria siceraria "geese".jpg|thumb|Apples and [[calabash]] "geese", Granville Island Public Market, 2011.]]


Granville Island was used as the finale of the film ''[[Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol]]'' (2011).
It was the location for the finale of the film ''[[Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol]]'' (2011). [[The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down]], first broadcast in 2024, was filmed in the area.


The Vancouver International Children's Festival, the [[Vancouver Fringe Festival]], and the [[Vancouver Writers Fest]] are all located here.
The Vancouver International Children's Festival, the [[Vancouver Fringe Festival]], and the [[Vancouver Writers Fest]] are held there.


== Transportation ==
== Transportation ==
[[False Creek Ferries]] and [[The Aquabus|Aquabus]] provide ferry service from Granville Island to [[Downtown Vancouver]], [[Yaletown]], [[False Creek]], the [[West End, Vancouver|West End]], and [[Vanier Park]]. Other water transportation options include a [[water taxi]] service to [[Bowen Island]] provided by [[English Bay Launch]].
[[False Creek Ferries]] and [[The Aquabus|Aquabus]] provide ferry service from Granville Island to [[Downtown Vancouver]], [[Yaletown]], [[False Creek]], the [[West End, Vancouver|West End]], and [[Vanier Park]]. 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.
WESTCOAST Sightseeing and Vancouver Trolley Hop-On, Hop-Off services have stops there.


Between 1998 and 2011, the [[Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway]] operated between Granville Island and Science World. The streetcar is now permanently shut down.
Between 1998 and 2011, the [[Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway]] operated between Granville Island and Science World. The streetcar is now permanently shut down.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old European streetcar in Vancouver being auctioned by government (PHOTOS) {{!}} Urbanized |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-old-streetcar-auction |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=dailyhive.com |language=en}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
The peninsula was originally used by the [[Musqueam Indian Band]] and the Squamish people as a fishing area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2017 |title=About Us |url=https://granvilleisland.com/about-us |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Granville Island |language=en}}</ref>
The peninsula was originally used by the [[Musqueam First Nation|Musqueam]] and Squamish peoples as a fishing area.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2017 |title=About Us |url=https://granvilleisland.com/about-us |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Granville Island |language=en}}</ref> A village was established in the area named {{lang|hur|sən̓aʔqʷ}} in the [[Hunquminum]] language and {{lang|squ|Sen̓áḵw}} in the [[Squamish language]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Granville Island |url=https://placesthatmatter.ca/location/granville-island-public-market/ |website=Vancouver Heritage Foundation |access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>


The city of Vancouver was called Granville until it was renamed in 1886, but the former name was kept and given to [[Granville Street]], which spanned the small [[inlet]] known as False Creek. False Creek in the late 19th century was more than twice today's size, and its [[tidal flat]]s included a large permanent [[Shoal|sandbar]] over which spanned the original, rickety, wooden Granville Street bridge. This sandbar, which would eventually become Granville Island, was first mapped by [[George Henry Richards|Captain George Henry Richards]] in the British Boundary Commission's naval expedition in 1858–59, and the island today conforms roughly to the size and shape documented at that time.<ref>Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 30.</ref> A British Admiralty Chart of 1893 shows the island in greater detail and conforming even more accurately to today's Granville Island.<ref name="HayesDerek">Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 104.</ref>
The city of Vancouver was called Granville until it was renamed in 1886, but the former name was kept and given to [[Granville Street]], which spanned the small [[inlet]] known as False Creek. False Creek in the late 19th century was more than twice today's size, and its [[tidal flat]]s included a large permanent [[Shoal|sandbar]] over which spanned the original, rickety, wooden Granville Street bridge. This sandbar, which would eventually become Granville Island, was first mapped by [[George Henry Richards|Captain George Henry Richards]] in the British Boundary Commission's naval expedition in 1858–59, and the island today conforms roughly to the size and shape documented at that time.<ref>Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 30.</ref> A British Admiralty Chart of 1893 shows the island in greater detail and conforming even more accurately to today's Granville Island.<ref name="HayesDerek">Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 104.</ref>


The first attempt to stabilize the sandbar by driving [[Deep foundation|piles]] around the perimeter was an unofficial attempt to create some free real estate shortly after the creation of the original Granville Street bridge in 1889.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Granville Island History |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/1970s-granville-island-redevelopment-1.4021855}}</ref> The Federal government put a stop to the work as a menace to navigation, but the piles are still visible in a photo taken in 1891.<ref name="HayesDerek" />
Shortly after the creation of the original Granville Street bridge in 1889, the first, unofficial, attempt was made to stabilize the sandbar by driving [[Deep foundation|piles]] around the perimeter in order to create some free real estate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Granville Island History |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/1970s-granville-island-redevelopment-1.4021855}}</ref> The Federal government put a stop to the work as a menace to navigation, but the piles remain visible in a photo taken in 1891.<ref name="HayesDerek" />


In 1915, with the [[Port of Vancouver (1964–2008)|port of Vancouver]] growing, the newly formed Vancouver Harbour Commission approved a [[land reclamation|reclamation]] project in False Creek for an industrial area. A {{convert|35|acre|ha|order=flip|adj=on}} island, connected to the mainland by a combined [[Road-rail bridge|road and rail bridge]] at its south end, was to be built. Almost {{convert|1000000|cuyd|m3|order=flip}} of [[fill (land)|fill]] was [[dredge]]d largely by a man named Alvin Kingston, from the surrounding waters of False Creek to create the island under the Granville Street Bridge. The total cost for the reclamation was $342,000. It was originally called '''Industrial Island''', but Granville Island, named after the bridge that ran directly overhead, was the name that stuck.
In 1915, with the [[Port of Vancouver (1964–2008)|port of Vancouver]] growing, the newly formed Vancouver Harbour Commission approved a [[land reclamation|reclamation]] project in False Creek for an industrial area. A {{convert|35|acre|ha|order=flip|adj=on}} island, connected to the mainland by a combined [[Road-rail bridge|road and rail bridge]] at its south end, was to be built. Almost {{convert|1000000|cuyd|m3|order=flip}} of [[fill (land)|fill]] was [[dredge]]d largely by a man named Alvin Kingston, from the surrounding waters of False Creek to create the island under the Granville Street Bridge. The total cost for the reclamation was $342,000. It was originally called Industrial Island, but Granville Island, named after the bridge, that ran directly overhead, was the name that stuck.


The very first tenant, B.C. Equipment Ltd., set the standard by building a wood-framed machine shop, clad on all sides in corrugated [[tin]], at the Island's western end. (Today the same structure houses part of the Granville Island Public Market.) The company repaired and assembled heavy equipment for mining and forestry industries and used barges for shipping.
The first tenant, B.C. Equipment Ltd., set the standard by building a wood-framed machine shop, clad on all sides in corrugated [[tin]], at the Island's western end. (Today the same structure houses part of the Granville Island Public Market.) The company repaired and assembled heavy equipment for mining and forestry industries and used barges for shipping.


By 1923 virtually every lot on the Island was occupied, mostly by similar corrugated-tin factories.
By 1923, virtually every lot on the Island was occupied, mostly by similar corrugated-tin factories.


During the [[Great Depression]], one of Vancouver's several [[shanty town|hobo jungles]] sprang up on the [[False Creek]] flats opposite Granville Island's north shore.<ref>{{cite book| last =Roddan| first =Andrew|author2=Todd McCallum| title =Vancouver's Hoboes [God in the Jungles]| publisher =Subway Books| year =2005 |orig-year=1931| location =Vancouver| pages =ii–iii, 83–84| isbn = 0-9687163-9-3}}</ref> "[[Squatter|Shacker]]s" lived on the island, in town, or in [[houseboats|floathouses]], and survived by fishing and beachcombing and sold [[salmon]], [[smelt (fish)|smelt]], and wood door to door or at the public market on Main Street.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Wade| first =Jill| title =Home or Homelessness? Marginal housing in Vancouver, 1886–1950| journal =Urban History Review| issue =2| pages =19–29| date =March 1, 1997| volume =25| doi =10.7202/1016068ar|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-30415929|access-date=2007-02-04}}</ref> They were basically self-sufficient and were left alone.
During the [[Great Depression]], one of Vancouver's several [[shanty town|hobo jungles]] sprang up on the [[False Creek]] flats opposite Granville Island's north shore.<ref>{{cite book| last =Roddan| first =Andrew|author2=Todd McCallum| title =Vancouver's Hoboes [God in the Jungles]| publisher =Subway Books| year =2005 |orig-year=1931| location =Vancouver| pages =ii–iii, 83–84| isbn = 0-9687163-9-3}}</ref> "[[Squatter|Shacker]]s" lived on the island, in town, or in [[houseboats|floathouses]], and survived by fishing and beachcombing and sold [[salmon]], [[smelt (fish)|smelt]], and wood door to door or at the public market on Main Street.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Wade| first =Jill| title =Home or Homelessness? Marginal housing in Vancouver, 1886–1950| journal =Urban History Review| issue =2| pages =19–29| date =March 1, 1997| volume =25| doi =10.7202/1016068ar|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-30415929|access-date=2007-02-04| doi-access =free}}</ref> They were basically self-sufficient and were left alone.


During the Second World War, Wright's Canadian Ropes on the island was Canada's biggest manufacturer of heavy-duty wire rope. Their Green Heart product was supplied to forestry and mining industries. A fire in 1953 gutted their Granville Island factory so they moved to south Vancouver in 1956.
During the Second World War, Wright's Canadian Ropes on the island was Canada's biggest manufacturer of heavy-duty wire rope. Their Green Heart product was supplied to forestry and mining industries. A fire in 1953 gutted their Granville Island factory so they moved to south Vancouver in 1956.
In 1972, a federal order-in-council assigned management of the 14-hectare site to [[Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation]] (CMHC).<ref name="stueck" /> The federal government invested $24.7&nbsp;million there between 1973 and 1982.<ref name="stueck" /> In 1979, the federal and provincial governments converted a 50,000 square foot building to the Public Market. In 1980, the Emily Carr University of Art & Design was added to the island.
In 1972, a federal order-in-council assigned management of the 14-hectare site to [[Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation]] (CMHC).<ref name="stueck" /> The federal government invested $24.7&nbsp;million there between 1973 and 1982.<ref name="stueck" /> In 1979, the federal and provincial governments converted a 50,000 square foot building to the Public Market. In 1980, the Emily Carr University of Art & Design was added to the island.


[[Ron Basford]], the Minister responsible for CMHC was, was referred to as Mr. Granville and was later recognized with the naming of Ron Basford Park on Granville Island.
[[Ron Basford]], the Minister responsible for CMHC, was referred to as Mr. Granville and was later recognized with the naming of Ron Basford Park on Granville Island.


In 2016, the federal government announced a commitment to develop a 2040 plan to redevelop the island, in part because the Emily Carr University was going to move off the island.<ref name="courier">{{cite news|last1=Howell|first1=Mike|title=Feds launch plan to re-imagine Granville Island in 2040 : Revitalization of the public market among potential changes|url=http://www.vancourier.com/news/feds-launch-plan-to-re-imagine-granville-island-in-2040-1.2248971|work=Vancouver Courier|date=May 6, 2016}}</ref><ref name="bramham">{{cite news|last1=Bramham|first1=Daphne|title=A 'jewel' in need of polishing, Granville Island gets some needed attention|url=https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/daphne-bramham-a-jewel-in-need-of-polishing-granville-island-gets-some-needed-attention|work=Vancouver Sun|date=May 6, 2016}}</ref>
In 2016, the federal government announced a commitment to develop a 2040 plan to redevelop the island, in part because the Emily Carr University was going to move off the island.<ref name="courier">{{cite news|last1=Howell|first1=Mike|title=Feds launch plan to re-imagine Granville Island in 2040 : Revitalization of the public market among potential changes|url=http://www.vancourier.com/news/feds-launch-plan-to-re-imagine-granville-island-in-2040-1.2248971|work=Vancouver Courier|date=May 6, 2016}}</ref><ref name="bramham">{{cite news|last1=Bramham|first1=Daphne|title=A 'jewel' in need of polishing, Granville Island gets some needed attention|url=https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/daphne-bramham-a-jewel-in-need-of-polishing-granville-island-gets-some-needed-attention|work=Vancouver Sun|date=May 6, 2016}}</ref>


==Granville Island Public Market==
==Granville Island Public Market==
The Granville Island Public Market was established in 1979 as a location where farmers and other food vendors could sell to consumers. It operates year-round in an enclosed facility where customers can purchase fresh produce, meat, fish and seafood, cheeses and other products, many locally sourced. There are generally 50 vendors in the market. The market includes retail food vendors, selling a range of items from Mexican, Asian, Greek and deli food to candy and snacks. The market attracts both local residents and tourists. The market includes a "kids market" designed for children.<ref name=PPSpaces>{{cite web |title=Granville Island Public Market |work=Project for Public Spaces |url=https://www.pps.org/places/granville-island-public-market/ }}</ref><ref name=EatJournal2012>{{cite news |title=Granville Island Public Market: Top 10 Places to Eat and Shop |date=February 28, 2012 |work=The Eat Journal |url=https://eatmagazine.ca/granville-island-public-market-top-10-places-to-eat-and-shop/ }}</ref>
The Granville Island Public Market was established in 1979 as a place where farmers and other food vendors could sell to consumers. It operates year-round in an enclosed facility where visitors can purchase fresh produce, meat, fish and seafood, cheeses and other products, many locally sourced. There are generally 50 vendors selling a wide range of items, from Mexican, Asian, Greek and deli food to candy and snacks. A large scenic outdoor eating area adjacent to it overlooks downtown Vancouver. The Market attracts both local residents and tourists, and includes a "kids' market" for children.<ref name=PPSpaces>{{cite web |title=Granville Island Public Market |work=Project for Public Spaces |url=https://www.pps.org/places/granville-island-public-market/ }}</ref><ref name=EatJournal2012>{{cite news |title=Granville Island Public Market: Top 10 Places to Eat and Shop |date=February 28, 2012 |work=The Eat Journal |url=https://eatmagazine.ca/granville-island-public-market-top-10-places-to-eat-and-shop/ }}</ref>


==Other businesses==
==Other businesses==
[[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. 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 sommelier|beer tasting]] and tours of their brewing facilities.
[[Granville Island Brewing]] Co. is a beer company founded on Granville Island in 1984, but whose main base of operations was moved to [[Kelowna]], British Columbia sometime later. In 2009 it was purchased by Molson's Brewery and continues to brew small batches of its varieties at the original Granville Island brewing site. It offers [[beer sommelier|beer tasting]] and brewery tours.


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'.<ref name="stueck">{{cite news|last1=Stueck|first1=Wendy|title=Beloved Granville Island a landmark in transition|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/beloved-granville-island-a-landmark-in-transition/article22244428/|access-date=May 7, 2016|work=Globe & Mail|date=December 30, 2014}}</ref>
Ocean Concrete is the island's longest-established tenant, since 1917. In 2014, OSGEMEOS (Portuguese for THE TWINS), consisting of brother duo Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, made the concrete silos the site of their ongoing mural project, 'Giants'.<ref name="stueck">{{cite news|last1=Stueck|first1=Wendy|title=Beloved Granville Island a landmark in transition|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/beloved-granville-island-a-landmark-in-transition/article22244428/|access-date=May 7, 2016|work=Globe & Mail|date=December 30, 2014}}</ref>


Granville Island is home to several theatre companies such as the [[Arts Club Theatre Company]], Arts Umbrella, Axis Theatre Company, Boca Del Lupo, Carousel Theatre for Young People, Ruby Slippers Production Company, and the Vancouver Theatre Sports League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://granvilleisland.com/taxonomy/term/17/all|title=Theatre Companies|website=Granville Island}}</ref>
Granville Island is home to several theatre companies, including as the [[Arts Club Theatre Company]], Arts Umbrella, Axis Theatre Company, Boca Del Lupo, Carousel Theatre for Young People, Ruby Slippers Production Company, and the Vancouver Theatre Sports League [[Improvisational theatre|improv]] troupe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://granvilleisland.com/taxonomy/term/17/all|title=Theatre Companies|website=Granville Island|date=May 27, 2022 }}</ref>


Canada's only physical hammock shop, the Hamuhk Hangout Place, has been operating on Granville Island since 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/still-standing-hangout-place-1.5140952|title=Happy Hanging|website=CBC – Still Standing}}</ref>
Canada's oldest physical hammock shop, the Hamuhk Hangout Place, has operated on Granville Island since 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/still-standing-hangout-place-1.5140952|title=Happy Hanging|website=CBC – Still Standing}}</ref>


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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{{Wikivoyage|Vancouver/Kitsilano-Granville Island|Kitsilano & Granville Island}}
{{Wikivoyage|Vancouver/Kitsilano-Granville Island|Kitsilano & Granville Island}}
{{commons category|Granville Island}}
{{commons category|Granville Island}}
* [http://www.granvilleisland.com/ Official Granville Island website]
* {{Official website|https://granvilleisland.com/}}
* [http://www.giculturalsociety.org Granville Island Cultural Society] Information about busking (street performing) on Granville Island and theatre information
* [http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Vancouver&ll=49.270849,-123.134229&spn=0.005545,0.008500&t=k&hl=en Satellite image of Granville Island] from Google maps.
* [http://www.gidva.org Granville Island Day Vendors Association website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100811084141/http://www.gibca.ca/ Granville Island Business and Community Association website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100811084141/http://www.gibca.ca/ Granville Island Business and Community Association website]
* [http://www.granvilleislandworks.com Granville Island Works community website]
* [https://www.granvilleislandworks.com/ Granville Island Works community website]
* [http://thenots.com/0/ The Growing Pains of Vancouver] – Internet radio documentary discussing Granville Island from 24'00" till 34'43".
* [https://thenots.com/0/ The Growing Pains of Vancouver] – Internet radio documentary discussing Granville Island from 24'00" till 34'43".


{{VancouverNeighbourhoods}}
{{VancouverNeighbourhoods}}
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{{Shopping Malls in Metro Vancouver}}
{{Shopping Malls in Metro Vancouver}}


[[Category:Granville Island| ]]
[[Category:Shopping districts and streets in Canada]]
[[Category:Shopping districts and streets in Canada]]
[[Category:Shopping malls in Metro Vancouver]]
[[Category:Shopping malls in Metro Vancouver]]
[[Category: Neighbourhoods in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Vancouver]]
[[Category: Busking venues]]
[[Category:Busking venues]]
[[Category:Retail markets in Canada]]
[[Category:Retail markets in Canada]]
[[Category:Islands of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Islands of British Columbia]]
[[Category: Tourist attractions in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Former islands of Canada]]
[[Category:Former islands of Canada]]
[[Category:Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Canada]]
[[Category:Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Canada]]


[[Category:Market halls]]
[[Category:Market halls]]
[[Category:Food retailers]]
[[Category:Food retailers]]

Latest revision as of 04:16, 13 October 2024

Granville Island
  • sən̓aʔqʷ (Hunquminum)
  • Sen̓áḵw (Squamish)
Northwest Granville Island in 2005. The large complex in the centre is the popular Granville Island Public Market.
Granville Island is located in Downtown Vancouver (British Columbia)
Granville Island
Granville Island
Location south of Downtown Vancouver across False Creek.
Geography
LocationVancouver
Coordinates49°16′15″N 123°08′03″W / 49.27083°N 123.13417°W / 49.27083; -123.13417
Archipelagopeninsula
Adjacent toFalse Creek
Area14 ha (35 acres)
Administration
Canada
Additional information
Official websitegranvilleisland.com

Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, across False Creek from Downtown Vancouver, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge. Formerly an industrial manufacturing area, it was named after Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville.

It includes a public market, restaurants, a marina, a hotel, the False Creek Community Centre, numerous artists' studios and workshops, and various performing arts theatres, including the Arts Club Theatre Company and Carousel Theatre.

Granville Island Public Market
Apples and calabash "geese", Granville Island Public Market, 2011.

It was the location for the finale of the film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, first broadcast in 2024, was filmed in the area.

The Vancouver International Children's Festival, the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and the Vancouver Writers Fest are held there.

Transportation

[edit]

False Creek Ferries and Aquabus provide ferry service from Granville Island to Downtown Vancouver, Yaletown, False Creek, the West End, and Vanier Park. 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 have stops there.

Between 1998 and 2011, the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway operated between Granville Island and Science World. The streetcar is now permanently shut down.[1]

History

[edit]

The peninsula was originally used by the Musqueam and Squamish peoples as a fishing area.[2] A village was established in the area named sən̓aʔqʷ in the Hunquminum language and Sen̓áḵw in the Squamish language.[3]

The city of Vancouver was called Granville until it was renamed in 1886, but the former name was kept and given to Granville Street, which spanned the small inlet known as False Creek. False Creek in the late 19th century was more than twice today's size, and its tidal flats included a large permanent sandbar over which spanned the original, rickety, wooden Granville Street bridge. This sandbar, which would eventually become Granville Island, was first mapped by Captain George Henry Richards in the British Boundary Commission's naval expedition in 1858–59, and the island today conforms roughly to the size and shape documented at that time.[4] A British Admiralty Chart of 1893 shows the island in greater detail and conforming even more accurately to today's Granville Island.[5]

Shortly after the creation of the original Granville Street bridge in 1889, the first, unofficial, attempt was made to stabilize the sandbar by driving piles around the perimeter in order to create some free real estate.[6] The Federal government put a stop to the work as a menace to navigation, but the piles remain visible in a photo taken in 1891.[5]

In 1915, with the port of Vancouver growing, the newly formed Vancouver Harbour Commission approved a reclamation project in False Creek for an industrial area. A 14-hectare (35-acre) island, connected to the mainland by a combined road and rail bridge at its south end, was to be built. Almost 760,000 cubic metres (1,000,000 cu yd) of fill was dredged largely by a man named Alvin Kingston, from the surrounding waters of False Creek to create the island under the Granville Street Bridge. The total cost for the reclamation was $342,000. It was originally called Industrial Island, but Granville Island, named after the bridge, that ran directly overhead, was the name that stuck.

The first tenant, B.C. Equipment Ltd., set the standard by building a wood-framed machine shop, clad on all sides in corrugated tin, at the Island's western end. (Today the same structure houses part of the Granville Island Public Market.) The company repaired and assembled heavy equipment for mining and forestry industries and used barges for shipping.

By 1923, virtually every lot on the Island was occupied, mostly by similar corrugated-tin factories.

During the Great Depression, one of Vancouver's several hobo jungles sprang up on the False Creek flats opposite Granville Island's north shore.[7] "Shackers" lived on the island, in town, or in floathouses, and survived by fishing and beachcombing and sold salmon, smelt, and wood door to door or at the public market on Main Street.[8] They were basically self-sufficient and were left alone.

During the Second World War, Wright's Canadian Ropes on the island was Canada's biggest manufacturer of heavy-duty wire rope. Their Green Heart product was supplied to forestry and mining industries. A fire in 1953 gutted their Granville Island factory so they moved to south Vancouver in 1956. In 1972, a federal order-in-council assigned management of the 14-hectare site to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).[9] The federal government invested $24.7 million there between 1973 and 1982.[9] In 1979, the federal and provincial governments converted a 50,000 square foot building to the Public Market. In 1980, the Emily Carr University of Art & Design was added to the island.

Ron Basford, the Minister responsible for CMHC, was referred to as Mr. Granville and was later recognized with the naming of Ron Basford Park on Granville Island.

In 2016, the federal government announced a commitment to develop a 2040 plan to redevelop the island, in part because the Emily Carr University was going to move off the island.[10][11]

Granville Island Public Market

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The Granville Island Public Market was established in 1979 as a place where farmers and other food vendors could sell to consumers. It operates year-round in an enclosed facility where visitors can purchase fresh produce, meat, fish and seafood, cheeses and other products, many locally sourced. There are generally 50 vendors selling a wide range of items, from Mexican, Asian, Greek and deli food to candy and snacks. A large scenic outdoor eating area adjacent to it overlooks downtown Vancouver. The Market attracts both local residents and tourists, and includes a "kids' market" for children.[12][13]

Other businesses

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Granville Island Brewing Co. is a beer company founded on Granville Island in 1984, but whose main base of operations was moved to Kelowna, British Columbia sometime later. In 2009 it was purchased by Molson's Brewery and continues to brew small batches of its varieties at the original Granville Island brewing site. It offers beer tasting and brewery tours.

Ocean Concrete is the island's longest-established tenant, since 1917. In 2014, OSGEMEOS (Portuguese for THE TWINS), consisting of brother duo Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, made the concrete silos the site of their ongoing mural project, 'Giants'.[9]

Granville Island is home to several theatre companies, including as the Arts Club Theatre Company, Arts Umbrella, Axis Theatre Company, Boca Del Lupo, Carousel Theatre for Young People, Ruby Slippers Production Company, and the Vancouver Theatre Sports League improv troupe.[14]

Canada's oldest physical hammock shop, the Hamuhk Hangout Place, has operated on Granville Island since 1995.[15]

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  • Vancouver seen from Granville Island
    Vancouver seen from Granville Island
  • Fresh berries at the Granville Island Public Market
    Fresh berries at the Granville Island Public Market
  • Granville Island entrance
    Granville Island entrance
  • Hill is center of Ron Basford Park in Granville Island
    Hill is center of Ron Basford Park in Granville Island
  • Granville Island Marina
    Granville Island Marina
  • Granville harbour
    Granville harbour
  • North-west Granville Island in 1922. Many of the buildings shown here are still standing as of 2006.
    North-west Granville Island in 1922. Many of the buildings shown here are still standing as of 2006.

Notable residents

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  • Jim Coleman (1911–2001), Canadian sports journalist, writer and press secretary[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Old European streetcar in Vancouver being auctioned by government (PHOTOS) | Urbanized". dailyhive.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "About Us". Granville Island. June 1, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  3. ^ "Granville Island". Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 30.
  5. ^ a b Hayes, Derek. "Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley False", 2005. p. 104.
  6. ^ "Granville Island History".
  7. ^ Roddan, Andrew; Todd McCallum (2005) [1931]. Vancouver's Hoboes [God in the Jungles]. Vancouver: Subway Books. pp. ii–iii, 83–84. ISBN 0-9687163-9-3.
  8. ^ Wade, Jill (March 1, 1997). "Home or Homelessness? Marginal housing in Vancouver, 1886–1950". Urban History Review. 25 (2): 19–29. doi:10.7202/1016068ar. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  9. ^ a b c Stueck, Wendy (December 30, 2014). "Beloved Granville Island a landmark in transition". Globe & Mail. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  10. ^ Howell, Mike (May 6, 2016). "Feds launch plan to re-imagine Granville Island in 2040 : Revitalization of the public market among potential changes". Vancouver Courier.
  11. ^ Bramham, Daphne (May 6, 2016). "A 'jewel' in need of polishing, Granville Island gets some needed attention". Vancouver Sun.
  12. ^ "Granville Island Public Market". Project for Public Spaces.
  13. ^ "Granville Island Public Market: Top 10 Places to Eat and Shop". The Eat Journal. February 28, 2012.
  14. ^ "Theatre Companies". Granville Island. May 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "Happy Hanging". CBC – Still Standing.
  16. ^ McIntyre, Gordon (January 13, 2016). "Remembering peerless Province sports writer Jim Coleman". The Province. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kitsilano & Granville Island.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Granville Island.
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