Shaughnessy
Developed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1909 as an exclusive community of large homes in an estate like setting, Shaughnessy is still one of the city's most stable and prosperous communities. The area is named after CPR's company president Sir Thomas Shaughnessy and is still characterized by large, well-tended homes on winding, tree-lined streets.
The community is centred on Granville Street and stretches from 16th to 41st Avenues and from West Boulevard to Oak Street.
Did You Know?
Sir Thomas Shaughnessy named some of the area's main streets after CRP Directors (Angus, Marpole, Hosmer, Osler and Nanton) and his daughter (Margarite).
During the depression, when many Shaughnessy residents lost their homes, the area was referred to as Poverty Hill and Mortgage Heights.
In 1939, the spectacular "Glen Brae" sold for $7,500, although it had been appraised at $75,000 in 1920. It was used as a kindergarten and nursing home before being transformed into Canuck Place, a hospice for children.
A subterranean concrete vault lies below Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. Once a drinking water reserve, the chamber was drained and sealed in the 1970s.