#expo86

‘Pax,’ Sailor’s Cove marina, British Columbia, Canada,

Canada Pavilion - Pavillon du Canada 1986, a watercolour poster print for Expo86 by Thomas J. Huntley. I hadn’t noticed this print before, but I recently encountered it in a local thrift shop. If you’re looking to round out your 80s decor, this poster print might be it!

Flashback from 1986, this print of the Roundhouse for Expo86 by Don Portelance was sponsored by Esso. From his bio:

[Don] began his formal art education at night classes in the Vancouver School of Art, and continued focusing on studio art during his bachelor degree at the University of British Columbia, and master degree at Western Washington University. In 1976 he completed a year of Post-Graduate studies in Lithography at the Vancouver School of Art, and in 1997 completed Simon Fraser University graduate field studies on Queen Charlotte Islands focusing on the Art and Culture of the Haida Indians.

From 1958 to the present Portelance has focused on teaching art, and has continued an active exhibition schedule. Presently he continues to be employed in the Education Department at the University of Victoria, and also teaches artistically gifted young adults for Place des Arts in Coquitlam.

The story of the Roundhouse is a significant chapter in the city’s heritage preservation. It came close to demolition, and in fact, half of it was demolished. I’ve added some of the photos from the gallery on the Roundhouse website, along with the quote below:

When the Provincial Government announced the purchase of the CPR rail yards on the north shore of False Creek in 1980, plans for the Vancouver Roundhouse became clear – they intended to demolish it. Fortunately, only part of the demolition occurred, thanks to the efforts of heritage and train buffs, supported by numerous Vancouver residents who refused to see this historic building disappear.

In 1984, Norman Hotson Architects was retained by the BC Place Corporation to restore and renovate the Roundhouse. The immediate goal was to bring the building up to the standards as prescribed by current building codes to prepare the Roundhouse for use as a theme pavilion for the World Exposition of 1986. The Roundhouse proved to be a favourite of the crowds at Expo 86, the adaptation of the building was an unqualified success.

After Expo 86 closed, all of the temporary buildings used during the fair were dismantled and removed leaving the Roundhouse sitting alone on Pacific Boulevard at the foot of Davie Street. Except as a backdrop for the occasional film being shot on location, the Roundhouse sat empty waiting for the next phase of its use as a key building in Vancouver’s history.

When Concord Pacific developed the Overall Development Plan for the new community on the 204 acres of the False Creek north waterfront, the historic Roundhouse was designated as a public amenity and plans for a new community centre began – but only after attempts to turn the Roundhouse into a collection of boutique shops were defeated by concerted citizens’ action. The zoning that ensured its rejuvenation into a public facility was finalized in 1993.

The Park Board then took a major leap and agreed that the Roundhouse would be unlike any other community centre in Canada – a unique facility dedicated to community development through arts and culture – an arts oriented community centre that would serve not only the residents of the area but all citizens of Vancouver.