History

Mount Pleasant’s character was first shaped by beer. In the early 1900s four breweries set up shop to draw fresh water from a local stream, which was later named Brewery Creek. By 1908, the neighbourhood had become a popular streetcar destination. Less than 5 years later the area was home to shops, a theatre, and the Lee Building—Vancouver’s first seven-storey tower. The ability to commute to the businesses Downtown and the industries in False Creek persuaded working families to build homes here. Many were employees of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Vancouver Gas Company, and the Hudson Bay department store.