Granville Entertainment District
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Granville Mall, Vancouver. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2008. |
The Granville Entertainment District is an area in Downtown Vancouver known for its vast assortment of bars and danceclubs and nightlife. The entertainment district centred on a seven-block stretch of the Granville Mall and immediately surrounding streets.
The Vancouver city council originally came up with the concept of having most of the downtown's drinking establishments centred in one area in the late 1990s. This was in part to help the city rid its image as the "No Fun City". However, the area has become known for its high number of violent incidents, this is in part to the area clubs being able to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Due the to this and the increase of gang activity in the city many establishments are now participants in the Barwatch program.
Prior to the establishment of the current Entertainment District, in what is now the Granville Mall was home to a number of movie theatres, which gave that stretch of Granville Street the nickname "Theatre Row" for many years. The closure of most of those theatres over the years (and the conversion of some of them into their current nightclub forms), however, has left just one cinema complex still operating in the former Theatre Row area as of July 2007. Those theatres (with alternate names included) were:
- Capitol, 820 Granville (1920-1974, 1977-2005 as Capitol 6; demolished for the Capitol Residences condominium tower)
- Caprice, 965 Granville (1929-1967 as Dominion, 1967-1988 as Downtown, 1992-1999; now the Caprice Nightclub)
- Colonial, 603 Granville (1929-1972; demolished for the second phase of Pacific Centre)
- Granville 7, 855 Granville (1929-1935 as Globe, 1935-1964 as Paradise, 1964-1986 as Coronet, 1987-present; is the last remaining cinema complex on Granville Street. Still under the name Granville 7, currently owned and operated by Empire Theatres.)
- Lyric, 765 Granville (1891 - 1907 as Vancouver Opera House, 1913-1927 Orpheum, 1927-1935 Vancouver Theater, 1939-1947 and 1961-1969, 1947-1960 as International Cinema; demolished to make way for Eatons Department Store, now location of Sears Canada)
- Orpheum, 884 Granville (1927-1975; concert hall and home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since 1977. Originally built as the New Orpheum)
- Paradise, 919 Granville (1949-1972 and 1984-1989 as Studio, 1972-1978 as Eve, 1979-1981 as Lyric, 1981-1984 as Towne, 1989-1999; now the Tonic Nightclub)
- Plaza, 881 Granville (1934-1935 as the Maple Leaf, 1936-1963, 1988-1991 and 1993-1997, 1963-1987 as Odeon; now the Plaza Nightclub)
- Vancouver Centre, 650 West Georgia at Granville (1977-2002; now used by JLS Business College) (although officially addressed to West Georgia Street, technically part of Theatre Row due to its proximity with Granville. It basically sat on the site of the Strand and old Birks Building)
- Vogue, 918 Granville (1941-1987; now a live theatre)
Other Venues on Granville
- Buffalo Club (Now closed)
- Caprice
- Cellar
- Commodore Ballroom
- Crush
- Furniture Warehouse
- Ginger 62
- Gorg-O-Mish (Afterhours club)
- Granville Room
- Plaza Club
- Republic
- Roxy
- Sip Lounge
- Space Lounge
- Speak Easy
- Stone Temple
- The Royal
- TONIC
- Yale
Nearby, not on Granville per se but part of the District
- 555 Vibes
- Atlantis
- AuBAR
- Bar None
- Celebrities
- Ceili's Irish Pub (Formerly known as Skybar)
- Doolins Irish Pub
- Gossip (Formerly Plush Night Club)
- Mint (Formerly Cyber Night Club)
- Pop Opera (Formerly known as Club 686)
- Richard's on Richards
- The Red Room