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Welcome to the 10th Annual Heritage Vancouver Society Top Ten Endangered Sites.
 Our Top Ten list is anticipated by
many as the ‘word on the street’ for which of the city’s heritage resources are most threatened. Throughout the year, Heritage Vancouver monitors the status of our heritage sites, and these arethe resources for which we have the gravest concerns. As in past years, there are some new sites, some old sites and some that are returning to the list.
You can also view our previous Top Ten sites from 2001 to 2009.
View our overview brochure from the Top Ten Bus Tour here.
Download the press release/overview sheet (PDF, 176k)
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1. Vancouver Schools – Kitsilano Senior Secondary (1927)
Many of these beloved community landmarks are now threatened with demolition, for reasons that defy
common sense. The Vancouver School Board has stated that heritage is not high on their list of priorities, as
they have already demonstrated through the demolition
of Sir Charles Dickens School.
> see full details
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2. Bloedel Conservatory (1968)
The future of the Bloedel Conservatory is uncertain. The Vancouver Park Board announced it could no longer afford to operate the conservatory and may be unable to secure a new operator or it may secure an operator interested in introducing a use that is not compatible with the design and intent.
> see full details
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3. Carleton School (1896)
Carleton Hall is facing demolition following a fire caused by arson in 2008. The Ministry of Education has denied two proposals by the Vancouver School Board to restore the building for future use and lacks funding to proceed on its own.
> see full details [updated]
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4. Granville Street
The historic character of Granville Street in currently under threat, and there is a distinct possibility that older, smaller heritage buildings, which are unique to the area, will be destroyed in the name of “progress” and a desire to “clean up” the area.
> see full details
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5. Strathcona North of Hastings
Strathcona is the core of Vancouver’s Old East End, and Vancouver’s first neighbourhood. The northern part of Strathcona, north of Hastings Street, is the home of some of Vancouver’s oldest built heritage. While south of Hastings Street has undergone a revival in recent years, the area north of Hastings Street is falling into neglect.
> see full details
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6. Lower Mount Pleasant
One of Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhoods, rich in residential, commercial and industrial heritage, but the area is currently being ignored. If the City doesn’t act soon, there will not be anything significant left of this historic area’s early history.
> see full details
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7. Pantages Theatre (1908) [Lost]
The current owner has plans to demolish the theatre and redevelop the site. No alternative has been found to save the Pantages.
> see full details
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8. Dal Grauer – Architectural Art (1954)
A highly-visible downtown landmark located on Burrard Street, B.C. Hydro’s Dal Grauer Substation is one of the great early works of the Modern movement in Vancouver, and an ‘A’-listed resource on the City of Vancouver Heritage Register.
> see full details
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9. Vintage Neon Signage
Illuminating the bustling districts of Vancouver, neon signs were created from the late 1920s through the 1960s, many by artists capturing the combined spirit of technology, artisanship and commercialism present in the city. Today there are only a few dozen of the 19,000 vintage neon signs left.
> see full details
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10. Historic Street Trees
As historic mature specimen trees become older and die, the City is refusing to plant the same traditional species, and is replacing them with much smaller, ornamental trees that do not have the same scale or presence.
> see full details
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