The Shipyards

 store / shop, shipyard, historical building

As part of Phase II of The Pier development, some of the former shipbuilding facilities have been restored to accommodate retail and commercial space, there are new public plazas, interpretive signage, and waterfront walkways. The Shipyards also preserves two cranes, and the stern section + engines of the Victory ship HMS Flamborough Head which was built here in 1944.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has identified the Burrard Dry Dock as a site of "significant national historic event", and the City of North Vancouver has designated the area as a Historic Precinct.

HISTORY: Over its many years of operation, The Shipyards became a defining aspect of the City's identity. Wallace Shipyards opened in 1906 and grew into one of the most impressive industrial operations in western Canada before closing its doors in 1992. The site was renamed in 1921 as Burrard Dry Dock and later, Versatile Pacific Shipyards. Tugs and barges for the lumber industry, ships for the war effort, ferries for coastal travel, and icebreakers to aid in developing the North all set sail from this historic location, including a number of famous ships, such as the RCMP schooner St. Roch which achieved many "firsts" in the world of polar voyages. Burrard Dry Dock and neighbouring North Van Ship Repairs (at the site now occupied by ICBC) built approximately one third of Canada's World War II Victory ships and established a reputation for their high standard of workmanship.

A portion of the original shipyards remains in use by Vancouver Drydock.

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In the current image, two historical buildings - Building 4 Coppersmith Shop (left) and Building 6 Pipe Shop (right) - are visible, each with a dark red roof. Adjacent to the Pipe Shop is a gantry or craneway, under which ships were assembled. Hanging from the gantry is a "Wallace Shipyards Ltd" sign, commemorating the site. The gantry area and plaza in front of the Pipe Shop building has been designated Shipbuilders' Square.

Building 10 Machine Shop, a large historic structure adjacent to (east of) the Pipe Shop and Shipbuilder' Square, has been temporarily dismantled. It will be re-erected and restored towards the later stages of The Pier development.

(Initially, the National Maritime Centre for the Pacific and Arctic was going to be developed within the Machine Shop building, but this museum project was shelved when the Provincial government withdrew funding. The continued vision for the site is for a resident and tourist destination including a regional attraction and supporting retail uses.)

The coppersmith shop is being renovated to house a brew pub and restaurant, while the pipe shop will house the North Vancouver Archives and an interactive museum.

When finished, the Spirit Trail will pass through the site as it connects to Esplanade Avenue.

www.cnv.org/Parks-Recreation-and-Culture/City-Waterfron...