Introduction to Grandview-Woodland

Grandview-Woodland extends from Broadway to Burrard Inlet, and from Clark Drive to Nanaimo Street. This charming area features an assortment of people, housing and land use. The heart of this area is Commercial Drive: an interesting collection of ethnic restaurants and food stores, funky coffee shops, different clothing stores and street activity. The Drive is known throughout the city for its cosmopolitan appeal. Its businesses are as diverse as the people that own them.
It is commonly referred to as 'Little Italy', many of the Drive's Italian residents have moved to North Burnaby and the Italian influence has widened into a Latin one. It is still common to see men playing Bocce, a type of Italian lawn bowling, in Victoria Park.

History & Heritage

Grandview could have remained a wilderness of stumps if not for the Vancouver-New Westminster interurban railway that opened in September 1891, it was logged off in the 1880's. In 1891 the area's first house was constructed. It had hourly runs from Carrall and Hastings Streets along Park Drive (Commercial Drive). The construction of 2nd and 3rd Avenues by chain gangs from the Powell Street jail in the 1890's opened the area for growth. Arrival of the city water system along Commercial Drive in 1904 allowed for more expansion.

Early settlement years saw business activity on Park (Commercial) Drive. Industry claimed the area's northern fringe that was largely influenced by the CPR line and the Port. In the early 1900's, "Park Drive" was renamed "Commercial Drive", and "9th Avenue" became "Broadway". After 1912, construction in the area slowed down due to a citywide recession. A new political and economic focus was centred on westside neighbourhoods such as Kitsilano, Point Grey, and Shaughnessy.

Transportation has always played a central role in the area's history; its development and focus for community action. As early as 1907 residents organized to have Park Drive improved so children would not have to walk along the railway to school. Ratepayers rejected the First Avenue viaduct three times before agreeing in 1934.

In the 1950's, residents had complaints about improper lighting, crumbling streets, poor drainage, the lack of a library and poorly equipped schools. The trolley tracks on Commercial Drive were replaced with new blacktop and brighter streets in 1954. Motorbuses took over the electric trolleys. A library was not constructed until the 1970's.

The Britannia Community Services Centre was one of North America's largest facilities when it was built in 1975. It was carefully planned not to overwhelm the neighbourhood. Its modern design integrated recreation, learning and social facilities to provide services to a very diverse population. The 1970's also saw residents join the successful lobby to prevent the construction of a freeway down Venables Street through to Downtown. The 1980's saw the construction of the Sky train in the area.

The face of the community changed after World War 1 when Italian, Chinese and East European immigrants arrived in the area. After World War 2, a second wave of Italian immigrants made the area their home. They renovated old houses and changed the look of Commercial Drive with new shops and restaurants. Grandview's Chinese residents increased in numbers in the 1950's and 1960's when early Italian and East European residents moved elsewhere. In the late 1960's, Grandview's first East Indian residents also made the area their home.

Grandview-Woodland is characterized by a combination of buildings. Elaborate houses on large corner lots are located next to cottages on narrow lots. The largest house date back from the late 1890's and early 1900's. This was when Grandview-Woodland was initially promoted as a high-status residential area. Several wealth Vancouverites, including Professor Edward Odlum, Alderman J.J. Miller, and realtor Captain W.H. Copp built in the area.