Hastings History

This building is at the corner of Vernon and Hastings Streets. It was built in 1905.

The information I have on this building came from word of mouth. Two young men are turning the 'Shoprite' location into a coffee shop/small grocery and were pleased to inform me of what they knew.

Originally, this building was a stable and workers going to work at the sugar refinery down the hill as well as other employers in the area.

It took a bit of investigation but I did find out that Shoprite stores were bought by the Hudson's Bay Company. However, I was unable to find out more than that.

Another person told me that he thought this building was built in the 1940s. I wonder if perhaps that is the upper floors or any other additions?

If you spend any time around Vancouver, you will notice that name Hastings is used a few times. There is the Hastings Mill Park where the old Hastings Mill Store, from the original Hastings Mill site, there is Hastings Street and Townsite and then there is the Hastings Sunrise district.

I could be lazy, tell you that the name is in honour of Rear Admiral George Fowler Hastings (1814-1876) who was commander-in-chief of the Pacific Station of the Royal Navy from 1866 to 1869, and leave it at that. If I did though, this would be a very boring - and short - entry. So I will go into more detail.

Hastings - Sunrise and Hastings Park are on a site once used by the First Nations people as a stopping place. A trail led from the Burrard Inlet shoreline to the Fraser River. This trail became a coach road linking New Westminster and New Brighton by 1865.

New Brighton was renamed Hastings and Colonel Moody designated it as a town site. Moody subdivided the area in the 1860s and the community boasted a hotel, post office, and wharf. Soon though speculators' interest moved to the town of Granville since it was destined to be the CPR railway terminus. In 1888, the city set aside 65 hectares along the shoreline as Hastings Park. Eventually this became the PNE grounds.

We know where the Hastings came from but, since this area faces north, we're not sure where "Sunrise" came from. Wishful thinking?

West of the Hastings community was Captain Stamp's sawmill on Burrard Inlet, near the present day Dunlevy Street. It was soon named Hastings Mill. There was a waterfront Hastings Mill store that happened to be one of the few buildings that were untouched by the Great Fire of 1886. It served as a refuge for people escaping the flames by boat.

In 1929, the store was slated to be torn down. But the Native Daughters of B.C. saved it and had the building barged to a site in Pioneer Park (Alma Street and English Bay). There it was restored as a heritage building.

As we know, the town site named Hastings was well established by the time that Hamilton named the road to Hastings, Hastings in 1885.  The town site was administered by the Province from the time it was formed until 1911. That was the year that residents voted 1,200 to one to join Vancouver. (I wonder who the lone stand out was?)

At that time, the town site ran from the Burrard Inlet to where 29th Avenue is today and from Nanaimo Street to Boundary Road.

The Rear-Admiral was a man who left quite an impression in the short time he was here. There was town site named after him as well as a street; an elementary school, park, an early (very important) mill and part of the Observatory Inlet, which is north of Prince Rupert. New Westminster and Port Coquitlam also have streets named Hastings.

Thanks go to Tom Snyders and Jennifer O'Rourke and their book Namely Vancouver for the information included in this entry.

I hope you find the beauty around you.


Karen Magill, Vancouver, Rear Admiral Hastings, Stamps Mill, Shoprite, British Columbia

Hastings Street, Tattoos and Boots

Today I did the second part of my month end shopping along Hastings Street. For those who do not reside here and who have paid attention to certain news items, Hastings Street can seem very scary. It brings to mind skid row and prostitutes and drug dealers and assorted crime. And although that is a part of Hastings Street that is only a small area, less than 2 kilometres. Hastings Street itself runs from downtown Vancouver and through part of Burnaby - about twelve kilometres.

The Hastings Street I know runs from about Victoria Drive to Renfrew and is a vibrant area filled with shops and businesses that make the customer feel welcome.

Today I had to get my hair cut and decided to try somewhere new.

I walked into the Kim Loan Beauty Salon and was served immediately. The hair cut was exactly what I wanted and at a good price. I'm happy.

After my haircut I walked further east along Hastings Street. I have to admit that I have always taken it for granted, never really thought about the name or history of this street. It has always just been the east-west route that many people travel on.

So it was interesting when I found out that Hastings Street is named for Vice-Admiral George Fowler Hastings, a former officer of the Royal Navy and had once served as commander in chief of the Pacific Station in Esquimalt. (My mother grew up in that area so I feel a special kinship to it.)

More interesting though are the photos I saw of what Hastings street used to look like. Lots of changes.

This is one of my favourite places on Hastings to shop. And not only for the fresh fruit and vegies.

Of which you can see there are many! I like the unique, hard to find items here - today I bought blueberry, vanilla goat cheese as a special treat - and the people are fantastic. Everyone is so warm and friendly.

Finding friendly people along here is not too difficult. Take Thomas Lockhart.

He is the talented genius behind West Coast Tattoos. And he is a fairly nice guy too. He did my tattoo and not only was the price reasonable he was so patient with me and all my stupid questions. (I had never got a tattoo before) I think he did an excellent job, don't you?

I feel for Thomas though. I am soft spoken and he can never hear me. I try to raise my voice but I don't do that well enough. Perhaps next time I will bring a chalk board to write on.

I can't finish this without mentioning a shop that doesn't appear to be much but has a history that is remarkable.

During the winter of 1946 Charlie Wohlford was a man with a history in the logging industry and who managed the Lumberman's Social Club. He had also learned in earlier life the craft of shoemaking and would repair the boots for the loggers. One evening the loggers, helped a little by a case of whiskey (or so they say), convinced Wohlford to start designing quality logging boots. Who knew that all these years later Dayton Boots would be known and appreciated world wide. And just think, it all started in my city on Canada's west coast.

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Vice Admiral George Fowler Hastings,West Coast Tattoos,Thomas Lockhart,Walk,Dayton Boots,