The Vancouver Block is a fifteen-story Edwardian commercial building with a striking clock tower perched above the intersection of Granville and Georgia streets. Completed in nineteen twelve, the building was designed for meatpacking…
Granville Street Neon Signs
I will lead you down Vancouver’s historic theater row to see the vintage neon marquees and flashing signs that defined our city's nightlife for decades. We'll explore the stories behind these glowing landmarks, from legendary music halls to retro diners.
Listen to this tour in the Mira app →Walk it in street view
1. Vancouver Block
2. Commodore Ballroom
The Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street is recognizable by its Art Deco façade, which features distinctive decorative tilework and a prominent parapet. Built by George Conrad Reifel and opened in December nineteen thirty as the…
3. Orpheum
The Orpheum is identifiable by a tall, vertical neon sign displaying its name and a wide canopy extending over the sidewalk on Granville Street. Designed by architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca in a Spanish Renaissance style, the building…
4. Vogue Theatre
The Vogue Theatre is defined by a towering neon sign topped with a golden silhouette of the Roman goddess Diana. It stands on Granville Street as one of the last remaining venues from the city's once-famed Theatre Row. Designed by…
5. The Roxy Cabaret
The Roxy Cabaret on Granville Street is recognizable by its enduring, unpretentious atmosphere and a floor famously covered in carpet, a choice intended to dampen sound and prevent slips in a crowded room. Since opening in June nineteen…
6. The Penthouse Nightclub
The Penthouse Nightclub at one thousand nineteen Seymour Street is marked by a boxy sign and neon green lettering. Opened in nineteen forty-seven by the Filippone brothers—Joe, Ross, Mickey, and Jimmy—the club began as a late-night venue…
7. The Templeton
The Templeton sits on Granville Street, easily identified by the retro, diner-style aesthetic that stretches back to the mid-twentieth century. Housed in a building dating to nineteen oh eight, the interior features black-and-white…
8. The Yale Saloon
The Yale Saloon sits at the corner of Granville and Drake Streets, identifiable by the neon saxophone sign mounted on its exterior. Originally built in eighteen eighty-nine as the Colonial Hotel, the structure served as a bunkhouse for…