Vancouver City Hall, Town hall in Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver City Hall is a town hall in Vancouver featuring a 12-story tower that rises approximately 98 meters (320 feet) and is crowned with a clock tower. The building displays Art Deco architectural elements throughout its structure and decorative details.
Vancouver's council sat on Main Street from 1898 and moved to the Holden Building in 1929. After Gerry McGeer became mayor in 1934, a three-man committee chose the Strathcona Park site at Cambie and West 12th, approved in 1935, making Vancouver the first major Canadian city with a city hall outside downtown. Construction began on 3 January 1936, McGeer laid the cornerstone on 2 July, and the building opened on 1 December 1936, paid for by CA$1 million in bonds.
The 2.4-metre statue of Captain George Vancouver at the front was sculpted by Charles Marega and unveiled on 20 August 1936 by London's Lord Mayor Percy Vincent, who also gave the city a civic mace and a sprig from the apple tree linked to Isaac Newton. Both the mace and the statue remain at City Hall.
The building sits at 453 West 12th Avenue, served by Broadway–City Hall station on the SkyTrain Canada Line. A four-storey east wing was added between 1968 and 1970. In 2012 staff began moving out after a study found the structure would not withstand an earthquake, so check current access before planning a visit.
The 2.4-metre statue of Captain George Vancouver by Charles Marega was unveiled on 20 August 1936 by London's visiting Lord Mayor, Percy Vincent, who also gave the city a civic mace and a sprig from the apple tree linked to Isaac Newton's theory of gravity. Both mace and statue remain in the building.
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