building history

The Warehouse Studio lies within the walls of an incredible heritage building in the center of downtown Vancouver, B.C.

Originally built by the Oppenheimer family in 1886, the Warehouse Studio is now at home in the oldest brick building in city, and at one time in its illustrious history even served as Vancouver's first City Hall. One of the brothers, David Oppenheimer, served as the City's mayor from 1888-1891. The Oppenheimer's were pioneer merchants who ran "Oppenheimer's Klondike Supplies and Dry Goods" during the gold rush.

The building survived the great fire of Vancouver in the same year it was constructed and has after years of neglect been painstakingly restored with a modern interior. The original exterior was restored using references of photos done at the time of it's original construction and recently won a heritage award from the city.

For most of this building's life it was a glass factory and storage warehouse for Pilkington Glass Company from England.

gastown history

Gastown is the historic centre of Vancouver. Once a ragtag settlement, Gastown and adjoining land were incorporated as the City of Vancouver in 1886. During the city's boom years, it attracted wholesalers and warehouses to its location near the wharves and railroad tracks. But after the 1920s, Gastown became a quiet backwater of deteriorating buildings. It wasn't until the 1960s that the public began to appreciate Gastown's distinctive architecture and role in the city's history, and undertook to revitalize the area.

In 1867 Captain John "Gassy Jack" Deighton floated a barrel of whiskey ashore on the south side of Burrard Inlet. He persuaded workers in the nearby sawmill to build a saloon for him, and days later he was in business. The village of Gastown, as it became known, was officially surveyed as "Granville" townsite in 1870. In 1884, the small village received word that the Canadian Pacific Railway would extend its tracks to the townsite. The railroad promised a grand future for Gastown, and real estate speculators were determined to cash in on it. Speculation forced land prices to increase threefold as lots that sold for $300 in March 1886 fetched $900 in May of the same year.

On June 13, 1886, shortly after Gastown and adjacent lands were incorporated as the City of Vancouver, a brush clearing fire in Yaletown blazed out of control and in 20 minutes burned the townsite to the ground. In 1887, when the first CPR trains reached Vancouver, travelers and investors found a thriving city. Gastown's many hotels were crowded with speculators and lumberjacks, miners and would-be millionaires. A business district, including the Gastown area, emerged.

Today Gastown is a must see for visitors to Vancouver. Designated a historic area by the government in 1971, Gastown is a charming mix of old and new with cobble stoned streets, Victorian architecture, boutiques, courtyards, restaurants and nightclubs. There are a number of attractions in Gastown, most notably the world's first steam clock and the statue of "Gassy Jack".