Fairview is one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, named
It really started to grow after the original Granville Street Bridge was built in 1889, meaning people could travel between the downtown peninsula and the area without a boat.
The area initially formed as a suburban area filled with new houses owned by many of the city's wealthy and more powerful figures. As the city grew, the southern side of False Creek became more industrialized and its density increased as the small apartment buildings the neighborhood is known for were built.
Eventually, much of the industrial land was redeveloped into residential space (and Granville Island) leading to the neighbourhood we know today.
While that's the neighbourhood's history in a nutshell, here are five things you (probably) didn't know about Fairview.
1. UBC got its start in Fairview
While nowadays UBC is it's own place technically outside of Vancouver, there was a period where it was in Vancouver.
The university officially opened in 1915, mostly using the buildings that the McGill University College of B.C. had; those buildings were on land now occupied by Vancouver General Hospital.
Some of the buildings were not high-quality, and were nicknamed the "Fairview Shacks."
2. Bryan Adams' "Heaven" music video was shot there
The Stanley Theatre may not be the best known of Vancouver's theatres and concert venues, but it does have an on-screen credit for a famous music video.
The hit song (it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985) had two music videos made. The more well-known one was shot features Granville Street near West 12th Avenue.
In the scene a woman's boyfriend appears to have been stopped by a cop for drunk driving. After watching him get busted and rolling her eyes she walks into the theatre and comes upon a Bryan Adams concert in full swing.
Which is a little odd given it was a movie theatre at the time.
3. The England house was built using stone from a quarry nearly next door
Built in 1909 for James England, the house at 2300 Birch St., at the intersection with West 7th Ave., uses stone from very nearby.
In fact, it had to be carried less than a block by the builders.
4. The Douglas Lodge has had some famous residents
While it's now known as the Douglas Lodge, the building at Granville and West 12th has been around for more than 110 years; it was originally built for a bank.
Over the years it's gained quite a list of residents, and visitors.
Jonn Candy, Arthur Erickson, and Ted Danson have all lived there for a spell but not always very long; for example, Danson was filming Cousins in Vancouver at the time.
Emily Carr used to teach a friend to paint here, as well.
5. It's home to the first Afghan restaurant in Canada
Afghan Horseman opened in 1974, almost five decades ago, making it the first, and oldest, Afghan restaurant in the country.
