Yaletown is Vancouver's
Cinderella story. Bordering False Creek, a vital harbor, this suburb
in downtown Vancouver was once dotted with warehouses and marshalling
yards. It was one of many areas of the city influenced by the growth
of the train industry during the late 19th century. While it remained
a major industrial sector in the 1970s, some professionals had other
plans in mind.
Today, Yaletown is a
sprawling district of modern conveniences, with remnants of its
industrial past well preserved. The Vancouver Heritage Register
accounts for 27 heritage sites in the area. One popular site is the
Roundhouse Community Centre, a former hangar for locomotives. Today,
the brick-and-mortar structure stands beside the steel-and-glass
lobby.
Look at the whole of
Yaletown from any high-rise condo and you can see traces of the
drastic change. At first glance, it's as if Yaletown was never a
marshalling yard in years past. Decades of development transformed
this former industrial city into an entertainment hub filled with
restaurants, cafes, and shops.
Yaletown's story is an
inspiration not just to Canada but also to the world. Its
transformation perfectly illustrates the sense in preserving vestiges
of the past for the new generation to appreciate. The train itself
was a revolution, a major player in shaping Canada's economy.
