Want to know more about downtown Vancouver commercial properties?

Our advice? If you're interested in commercial properties in downtown Vancouver – whether you're looking to buy or lease – here is your opportunity for a quick overview of downtown commercial properties.

Come along with us and take a short tour.

Let's begin at the Westin Bayshore Hotel, on West Georgia Street adjacent to Stanley Park.

Stanley Park offers a close-up view of Vancouver's skyline.

We're going to drive or cycle round the park, head east on Pacific Avenue to Burrard Street, cross the downtown peninsula to the waterfront, head east to Gastown and the Woodward's Complex, go through Vancouver's Chinatown and the Sun Yet Sen Chinese Gardens, before heading round False Creek and the Concord Pacific Developments. We'll end at Granville Island a good example of the adaptive reuse on a once Industrial Complex, now used for entertainment, retail and a hotel.

Stanley Park was dedicated in 1889 and named after Lord Stanley the Governor General of Canada. It is the third largest Urban Park in North America. The drive round the park is in counter clock-wise direction, one way.

Soon after entering the Park, we pass:

• Robbie Burns Statue to Scotland's National Poet as you enter park to the left
• The Brockton Point Totem Poles
• The Nine o'clock Gun discharges every night at 9PM
• A fabulous View across Coal Harbour to downtown Vancouver and the Convention Centre (Sails)
• The Brockton Point Lighthouse
• Lumberman's Arch
• Lions' Gate Bridge to West Vancouver - built by the Guinness Family to service their property and to sell residential lots which became the high residential development of British Properties
• Siwash Rock interesting rock formation caused by erosion

Leaving the Park we come to:

English Bay on our right hand side and high density residential to the left.

Look out over English Bay, on the extreme west of the point is the University of British Columbia. As we cross Denman, you will see myriad shops, restaurants and coffee bars to serve the many residents.

Proceeding east we join Pacific Boulevard, known for having some of the highest real estate prices in Vancouver.

We will be turning North on Burrard Street, a good example of an Art Deco Bridge

Downtown Toyota on Burrard Street is the only car sales lot in the City centre making it by far the most undeveloped property in the whole downtown area.

St Paul's Hospital further along Burrard Street the only hospital in the downtown area. The first section built in the early 1800's has significant heritage value. This is a leading BC health provider in Cardiac, Aids and emergency medicine.

Wall Centre - One Wall Centre built by Peter Wall – Chair of Wall Financial Corporation- a multi-million dollar real estate empire. One Wall Centre is a gleaming
150 metre high, 48-storey housing-hotel hybrid which has become a landmark on Vancouver's skyline. It is a hotel, office and residential building.

Electra Apartment Tower - an example of a high-rise conversion this was formerly the Head Office of the BC Hydro, the electric utility for BC. The entire block to the north was the generating station for downtown electricity. There is a nine-cinema complex developed by Bosa Brothers, one of the prominent developers in the City.

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - one of the original railway hotels built jointly by Canadian Pacific & Canadian National Railways.

Christ Church Cathedral – built in 1889, this is the oldest surviving church in the City. A generation ago, the diocese planned to demolish the cathedral and replace it with an office tower and underground sanctuary. Instead, a better solution transferred unused density rights to the adjacent property to the north (Park Place) providing the diocese with cash for social programs and building maintenance.

Park Place - the density transfer allowed for a much larger building than that allowable under previous Design and Density By-laws.

Bentall Centre - One of the largest multi-building single developments in the City centre with five towers and an underground shopping plaza. Tenants include the head office of Teekay Shipping and the Bank of Montreal.

We continue North on Burrard, past the Marine Building, one of Vancouver's first high-rises, opened in 1930 at a cost $2.3 million ($1.1 million over budget). One of North America's finest examples of Art-Deco architecture (the only better example is the Chrysler Building in New York), decorations reflect Vancouver's maritime heritage. The entrance lobby is a showpiece, as are the elevators.

As we turn right at Cordova Street, then south at Hornby, we pass the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, the Pan Pacific Hotel and the Vancouver Trade and Convention, one of the largest Trade and Convention Centres in Canada, but too small to host many conferences. We turn left on Cordova Street.

Woodwards – this combination residential/commercial development by Bob Rennie and Remax Realty is on the site of a highly popular former Department store (Woodwards)

We continue on east on Cordova Street and turn south on Gore Avenue then turn right at Keefer Street entering Chinatown, second only in size San Francisco's.

The area dates to the turn of the century when many immigrants from China came to Canada to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway's Transcontinental Railway.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in the heart of this very busy area offers peace tranquility.

Take Expo Boulevard to Drake Street and then we turn left on Hornby Street to Pacific Street. Concord Pacific on the north shore of False Creek is a massive Commercial and residential area on what was the site of the Vancouver 86 Worlds Fair Site. Before this, it was the marshalling yards of the Canadian Pacific Transcontinental Railway. The Roundhouse of the railyards has been retained as a community centre.

We continue on east on Pacific around the east end of False Creek where Science World a legacy of Expo 86, is popular with children and families.

Across Quebec Street we see the headquarters of Vancity, the credit union with the world's largest assets. There is also City Gate, a three tower complex clustered around a station of Skytain, Vancouver's rapid transit system.

Travelling south on Quebec Street to Second Avenue we travel through the area which will be the Olympic Athletes Village for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Continuing along 6th Avenue we reach the entrance to Granville Island a former Industrial site which has been adaptively reclaimed and is now a mix, of retail, commercial, hotels and some industry. 

Sources: REBGV; Mercedes Wong, Commercial REALTOR®

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