TopNational Historic Site · 1888–1989Stanley ParkGeorgia StreetPhoto: squeakymarmot · CC BY 2.0 · Commons file
Coastal Church · Photo: Yuet Man Lee · CC BY-SA 4.02historic places on the registers
History of West End · Canada’s heritage registers
West End has 2 historic places on the registers, one in the top tier
On the list: a provincial or municipal listing. The oldest dated place, Stanley Park, goes back to 1888. For every 10,000 residents West End has 0.6, ahead of 76% of Canadian towns. Behind these stands one more local or provincial listing that only Wikidata records.
Historic places
2
0.6 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
1
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Provincial and local listings
1
provincial and municipal listings with an encyclopedia article
Oldest building
1888
the first construction date on its record
Homes built before 1961
22%
typical town: 18%
In pictures
Heritage West End through 2 photographs
Among them: Stanley Park and Coastal Church. Both of West End’s designated places are pictured.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
The map
Where West End’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designationsProvincial and local listings
Tap any dot to open that place’s own page; hovering shows its name.
The 2, by tier
1 Highest designations1 Provincial and local listings
What the map shows is the open record: the federal directory in full, and from provincial or municipal lists only the places Wikidata ties to an encyclopedia article.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
One place in West End with the highest designation
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.
Provincial and local listings
One more place West End or its province protects
Provincial and municipal listings that Wikidata records and an encyclopedia describes. Each one opens its own page.
LocalAround the town
The closest heritage to West End is Electra Building, 1.1 km off
Among them are 15 provincial or municipal listings, 9 National Historic Sites and 3 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings. They are spread over 8 towns, including Yaletown, Granville Entertainment District and Strathcona. By age, Vancouver's Chinatown leads, from 1880, at 2.8 km.
The 12 nearest, within 5 km
| Electra BuildingListed in a community heritage register · 1957 · 1.1 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| Former Vancouver Law CourtsNational Historic Site · 1907–1912 · 1.3 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| Hotel GeorgiaHeritage designation · 1.3 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| Vancouver BlockHeritage designation · 1910 · 1.4 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| Orpheum TheatreNational Historic Site · 1926–1928 · 1.4 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| St. RochNational Historic Site · 1928–1929 · 1.5 km away, in Kitsilano |
| Vogue TheatreNational Historic Site · 1940–1942 · 1.5 km away, in Granville Entertainment District |
| Former Main Post OfficeClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1905–1911 · 1.6 km away, in Coal Harbour |
| Gastown Historic DistrictNational Historic Site · 1886–1915 · 1.8 km away, in Coal Harbour |
| Queen Elizabeth TheatreListed in a community heritage register · 1.9 km away, in Yaletown |
| Dominion BuildingHeritage designation · 1910 · 2 km away, in Yaletown |
| Victory Square, VancouverListed in a community heritage register · 1886 · 2 km away, in Yaletown |
Homes by age
West End built the most from 1961 to 1980, 45% of today’s homes
Count back from today and half of West End’s homes are older than 1981. Few of West End’s homes date from 2001 to 2015: 5.4%, the norm 15%. 22% of West End’s homes predate 1961, close to the typical town’s 18%.
22%
Before 1961
45%
1961–80
25%
1981–2000
5.4%
2001–15
2.9%
2016–21
West EndTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Neighbours
West End and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West End | 30,785 | 2 | 1 | 1888 |
| Davie Village | 16,833 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Coal Harbour | 10,407 | 2 | 2 | 1886 |
| Granville Entertainment District | 19,125 | 6 | 3 | 1907 |
| Yaletown | 40,297 | 10 | 0 | 1886 |
| Kitsilano | 27,320 | 2 | 1 | 1928 |
| Fairview | 33,969 | 1 | 0 | 1935 |
In brief
West End in brief
Older stock first: 22% of homes in West End were standing by 1961, against 18% in the typical town. All told, the registers hold 2 historic places, one with the highest designation, Stanley Park among them. The rest is about typical: it has 2 historic places, about typical for a town its size (the middle one has 1); and its one place was designated in 1988.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Only Wikidata gives open access to listings on provincial and municipal registers outside Québec; without an article such a place is counted but not paged.
- Map points. Federal places get their map points from Wikidata, since Parks Canada’s files carry none; they are as mapped there.
- The grade. There is no history grade: the page sets out the record and compares it with other towns.
- The tiers. Tiers follow the designation: national recognition and classement first, other federal designations next, provincial and local listings last.
Questions about West End’s history
Which places in West End have the highest designation?
Just one: Stanley Park.
What is the oldest building in West End?
Stanley Park (National Historic Site): the first construction date on its record is 1888.
Why might a heritage building in West End be missing here?
Provincial and municipal registers outside Québec aren’t open data. Wikidata knows one more listing in West End, but without an open description or an encyclopedia article it gets no page.
How old are the homes in West End?
22% of its homes were built before 1961, against 18% in the typical Canadian town.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).