Mount pleasant clock

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Good morning! 

I haven’t been to as many movies lately as I’d like. I’m fixing that with Wim Wenders’ classic American Friend on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., for VIFF’s Film Studies series with lecturer Patricia Gruben

If you’re planning to attend, or want a reason to go to the movies, let me know, I’d love to say hi (and even talk about the movie afterwards).

Today, we’ve got one of those stories that I feel only the Lookout would write, a deep dive into a clock and a changing neighbourhood in Vancouver. It’s the type of journalism I believe this city needs more of, and I’m so happy that all you paying members can help fund these stories.

Let’s dive in.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder and managing editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Wednesday: 7 🌡️ 2 | ❄️

Thursday: 5 🌡️ 1 | ❄️

Friday: 4 🌡️ 0 | 🌤️

NEIGHBOURHOOD PROFILE

40 years later, the Mount Pleasant clock still marks a neighbourhood in flux

By Stephen Smysnuik. Read the story online here.

A clock, as we all know, is meant to keep time.

But the Mount Pleasant clock, which sits at the triangular corner of Kingsway and Main St., can’t even quite manage that.

At the time of writing this, it’s one hour ahead. B.C.’s final Daylight Saving Time change has come and gone, yet the clock won’t be adjusted by the City of Vancouver’s engineering team until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11 – three days after the clocks officially jumped forward, and the same day you’re reading this. 

Granted, adjusting the clock isn’t exactly the most pressing item on the engineering department’s list. Other projects take precedence. 

Still, there’s something oddly fitting about this, given the nature of this clock. This is a clock that doesn’t quite give you an accurate reading, if only for a few days. It’s a clock that, now and then, can’t keep time, period.

“A few years ago the motor started wearing out and I was getting calls from people complaining that the clock was wrong and they missed their bus,” says Neil Wyles, executive director for the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association (BIA). “I had to file a 311 request.”

Let’s leave aside the idea that anyone is relying on a nearly 40-year-old decorative street clock to get to work on time. This clock, like the neighbourhood itself, never quite meets the expectations of the people who designed it. 

Take, for example, Broadway, which city planners had intended to be a neighbourhood. Originally called 9th Ave., it was renamed Broadway in 1909, specifically to give it a stronger commercial identity.

City planners, all these years later, are trying again. With the Broadway line station coming to Main and Broadway – south of the clock – and the Broadway Plan, 30 years in the making, there’s some kind of push to make the street a happening commercial zone.

The locals, however, are skeptical.

“People keep saying Broadway will become a great street, but for a hundred years it hasn’t been,” says Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant BIA.

“Broadway isn’t really a neighbourhood – it’s a connector between neighbourhoods. You can widen sidewalks and redesign it, but you can’t force people to embrace a place. If people haven’t embraced it for a hundred years, I’m not convinced that will suddenly change,” he says.

Mount Pleasant has been shape-shifting for nearly 150 years. Now, the small village area where the clock sits is in a particularly interesting moment as it faces a new round of dramatic change with the Broadway Line construction. 

And the clock…well, it keeps doing its own thing, in a neighbourhood that has always done the same. For better or worse.

The beginning

The clock sits at a peculiar Y-shaped junction in a city otherwise dominated, save for a few rare exceptions, by the rigid grid common across most North American cities. This intersection is what gives the neighbourhood its shape and character. In many ways, Mount Pleasant Village exists because of it.

Kingsway predates Vancouver’s street grid. Long before the city was laid out, it followed an Indigenous and animal trail that ran roughly from what is now New Westminster toward False Creek. When Vancouver’s planners imposed their tidy grid on the landscape, the road was already there, cutting diagonally across the plan.

The result was the triangular pocket where Mount Pleasant Village formed in the late 1880s – the city’s first major development south of False Creek, and Vancouver’s first suburb, despite technically sitting within city limits.

“Initially Mount Pleasant was supposed to be an elite residential area. That’s why you see some of the larger houses along 10th Avenue,” says local historian Christine Hagemoen.

A village formed in and around the triangle, butchers, bakers, banks, and everything else you’d need for a small local village. City planners had planned for the area to be a second downtown core for the city and the community developed around that commercial area and expanded along Broadway and Main St. 

“There was a lot of optimism during the economic boom from about 1908 to 1913, but the boom ended with a crash and then the First World War,” Christine says. “The big ambitions for the neighbourhood never fully materialized.

The Canadian Pacific Railway soon developed Shaughnessy as the city’s premier upscale district, and the focus shifted there instead.

Mount Pleasant had developed strong industrial roots, particularly along the shores of False Creek, becoming a largely working-class neighbourhood for much of the twentieth century. By the late 1960s, the artists began moving in, drawn by relatively affordable spaces and small retail storefronts where independent businesses could survive.

Here comes the clock

By the early 1980s, Vancouver had begun to rediscover its heritage. As the city approached its centennial in 1986, preservation projects gained new attention, including the restoration of Heritage Hall.

The Mount Pleasant clock was built in 1988 to mark the neighbourhood’s 100-year anniversary. Designed by Raymond Saunders, who built Gastown’s famous steam clock, it was designed to look far older than it really is – a deliberate nod to the neighbourhood’s past.

Saunders’ two most famous designs are, in their own way, small fictions. Gastown’s steam clock isn’t actually powered by steam, and the Mount Pleasant clock isn’t actually an antique. But the clock design represents something far more encompassing – the past, present, and future together in a single landmark.

By this point, Mount Pleasant had been defined by a certain amount of grit and, dare we say, grime. The area was notorious for sex workers, drug use and other elements of criminal activity, while remaining a hub of the city’s art scene. 

By the 2000s, it began to gentrify.

“As the west side became more expensive, development pressure moved eastward. Being close to downtown, Mount Pleasant was one of the first areas to feel that shift,” Hagemoen says.

Many of the new developments in the neighbourhood were large commercial units that only big chains could afford. Smaller businesses, meanwhile, need smaller spaces in order to survive.  

Throughout this 20-year gentrification project, the triangle block and its adjacent buildings, which the clock sits in between, have provided those types of affordable spaces, supporting a mix of artists’ spaces, independent shops, and gathering places that give the neighbourhood – and, by extension, the city – its character. 

A future in question

The Broadway Line promises to make the neighbourhood a bigger transit hub, but it also brings concerns about losing independent businesses and smaller retail spaces. Construction is taking its toll on independent businesses, at a time when such businesses are struggling across the city anyway. 

“The neighbourhood has always evolved, but the challenge is preserving some of that uniqueness so it doesn’t become just another generic part of the city,” Hagemoen says.

Last year, Antisocial Skate Shop closed its storefront after 15 years. The Tightrope Theatre has also lost its space in the John Juke’s Building, right across from the clock, and is moving to a new space near Commercial Drive. 

Meanwhile, the village area may be getting a complete facelift, with 2345 Main St. – the Goh Ballet building – under a rezoning application for a 26-storey mixed-use tower. Wyles says that there are “fluid” plans to develop the empty commercial lot that once housed Frenchies Diner and was destroyed in a fire in October 2020. He also says there are “rumours” that the triangle building, which is currently home to Gene Cafe, is for sale.

At this point, it seems like anything could happen and nothing is certain. 

“To me it’s a tale of two stations,” Wyles says. “Are we going to be more like Cambie – where a whole bunch of development grew up around the station? Or more like Commercial, which has a very different vibe.”

He adds, “Right now I can’t walk into a business here and honestly say, ‘Just tough it out, there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,’ because what if there isn’t? What if [the station] is just a bus station underground? You can make it easier to get here, sure, but unless you put Disneyland on the corner of Broadway and Main, everything else stays roughly the same.”

Despite the pain of the Broadway construction, Wyles says the neighbourhood is having a good moment. New businesses are cropping up. There’s a new parklet under construction at 7th Ave. and Main Street, beside Steamworks. The village area still feels vital, even if some of the businesses have struggled.

And through it all, the clock keeps watch – and mostly keeping time – over a city in flux. Soaked in rain, baked in sun, staring at the mountains to the north and a changing urban core to the south, it marks the passage of ambition, evolution, and uncertainty in a neighbourhood that has always done things its own way.”

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THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

6%

That’s the average drop in rental prices from February 2025 to 2026, for an average monthly price of $2,672. The average across Canada was $2,030. Part of the reason? An increase in purpose-built rentals is coming onto the market. [CityNews]

THE AGENDA

🧑‍⚖️Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s false allegations towards Coun. Sean Orr are now getting even more serious. Orr has now filed a civil lawsuit against the mayor for his false claims that he was handing out drugs on Christmas. The mayor previously apologized, but Orr said he does not accept the apology. Read more. [CityNews]

🗳️ Popular urban writer Francis Bula has announced she’s seeking the nomination for city councillor for the municipal party OneCity. Bula is well known for her decades of writing on civic issues in Vancouver for the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Sun. Read more.

😂 You will soon be able to live out your dream date pretending to be Tim Robinson at Queen Elizabeth Park, after the park board approved a zipline that will run during the summer. They also approved a year-round canopy nature walk. Read more. [CBC]

🏥 Vancouver Coastal Health is opening Lily’s Community Health Centre at 38 W. Hastings Street, a 50,000 square foot space for people in the community, with services such as primary care, home support, adult mental health and substance care, with an interconnected team on site. Read more. 

⛽ Donald Trump lives to haunt us, and now his actions are hitting our pocketbooks. Gas prices are getting higher and are expected to keep rising for the foreseeable future, as one expert says we could easily see $2 per litre. Prices at the beginning of the week were around $1.80 to $1.90 per litre. Read more ($). [Vancouver Sun]

📈 What trade war? Oh, it’s still going on, but in some good news, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said a record amount of goods went through the Port of Vancouver last year, a total of 170.4 million tonnes, due to higher grain, crude oil and potash exports. Read more. [CTV]

HOME OF THE WEEK

With the snow hitting Vancouver, we can’t help but dream about hitting the ski slopes, and while there is no skiing in the city, there is up in Whistler. So I thought, why not see what’s actually available for all you ski lovers? 

There are definitely a few options. This gorgeous one-bedroom, one-bathroom has 536 square feet of living space and a wonderful layout for hosting people, while the building has an outdoor pool and, most importantly, a hot tub.

Now, Whistler living will set you back a pretty penny, with prices that are worse than Vancouver…

VANCOUVER ARTS GUIDE

Performance

Opera Unbound has announced The Fox, based on D.H. Lawrence’s 1922 novella about two women who run an isolated poultry farm and the young soldier who comes to stay. On at ANNEX from Apr. 17-19.

Produced by Mitch and Murray Productions, Harm is a one-woman play by Phoebe Eclair-Powell, about a real estate agent whose life changes after meeting a charismatic social media influencer. On at Studio 16 from Mar. 20–29.

Over at the Frederic Wood Theatre, you can catch Pyper about AI teens set to be decommissioned, and it won the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award for best new script for young audiences. On now until Mar. 28.

Music

From Apr. 2-5, you can catch the Sound of Dragon Music Festival at The Annex, covering Asian sound and Chinese music.

If the Earth Could Sing is a multimedia concert that responds to the climate crisis through art, and includes music, choral music, poetry and more. At the Pacific Spirit United Church from Mar. 28-29.

Movies

It’s a big Oscar week at the Rio, with showings of nominated films like It Was Just an Accident, Sinners, The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value. The same goes for VIFF, with One Battle After Another and a bunch of Oscar-nominated shorts. 

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 20,000+ Vancouver locals.

VANCOUVER BRIEF

Big changes are on the horizon for development in Vancouver

What happened: Public participation when it comes to development planning in Vancouver could be about to change in a very big way, as council weighs the new Official Development Plan.

• The new plan would mean that as long as a development is consistent with a municipality’s official plan, it could proceed without public hearings. Council would then make a decision based on individual applications, along with staff recommendations, with public written comment but no public members speaking at council. Developments that do not follow the plan would still have public hearings, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Background: The change is required as part of the province’s plan to reduce public hearings at municipalities. Their reasoning was that these meetings slow down home building and add extra costs, while those opposed to the changes say development hearings encourage public engagement and allow people to get involved in the process.

• Over 30 academics, city planners and urbanists have released a public letter opposing the plan.

This is a topic I know Nate will be keen to cover when he returns. In the meantime, for those interested in the topic, the Tyee has a more in-depth piece you can read. 

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Wondering what St. Paul’s Hospital looks like? Here are a few photos.

• Matchstick in Yaletown is set to be taken over by Octave Cafe, a music-inspired cafe. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• One of my favourite food personalities, Phil Rosenthal, hit up a few Richmond spots before his show in town. [Urbanized]

• Lime Scooters just hit 1 million trips, which is a great thing for mobility in Vancouver. [Urbanized]

• You can get some great flight deals for under $250 from Vancouver right now. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Popular comedian and podcaster Bobby Lee is set to perform in Vancouver on Sept. 5, with tickets on sale on Mar. 13. [Daily Hive]

• I’m a big fan of Between 2 Buns, so I’m excited to see them launch a new spot at 4245 Fraser St. on Mar. 26

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

VANCOUVER WORDLE

If you read today’s main story, then this one might be a little too easy. Play the Wordle here.