Art of False Creek

Along the shores of False Creek, there are many remnants of what was once the industrial heartland of Vancouver. 

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the False Creek area was surrounded by a dense temperate rainforest of fir, hemlock, spruce and salal. South East False Creek became an industrial hub, with shipbuilders, sawmills, foundries, metalworks and a salt refinery among its occupants.

There were talks in 1950 of draining of the mudflats and filling in the inlet to Granville Street, but that never occurred. As False Creek industries gradually moved to other areas, such as along the Fraser River, this area started to show signs of deterioration and dereliction.

Old structures, such as the Salt Building, which once proudly stood on pillions on the water front, have been restored and modernized. Preserved are the massive Douglas fir beams and the old industrial hardware. False Creek housing developments, such as the Foundry, show gears, cleats and hooks, cast in bronze as a decorative element on their gates and entrance ways as a reminder of their past.

Today the area has been transformed into pedestrian walkways, bike paths, parks, and a public market to name a few. Incorporated in the children's play area are large metal scoops, pieces of abandoned equipment; boilers turned into tunnels and some just plain visual art.