VHF advances the appreciation and conservation of our city’s diverse heritage places and their stories. We raise awareness of the vital contribution that heritage makes to a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable community.
We host informative events and workshops, create resources about Vancouver’s history and heritage places, and provide financial and practical support for the successful conservation of historic buildings and sites.
Take a walk through some of Vancouver's historic neighbourhoods this summer. Available here to download and print or to use on a desktop or mobile device, each map guide provides a walkable route to follow and learn about local history and heritage places.
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Join us in July for our first Summer Storytelling event - all are welcome! Enjoy an evening with local community organizations, a heritage storytelling presentation, free food and non alcoholic beverages, and live music. The heritage presentation will feature the story of how the Henry Hudson Elementary school house was saved from demolition and donated to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation for their Language Nest, an early years education center for Squamish language.
Vancouver’s newest neighbourhood is anything but new. Travel back in time to when this area was home to one of B.C.’s largest sawmills. Hear stories about the people who lived and worked there, and the ships that sailed past – including the ill-fated journey of Vancouver’s oddball cargo vessel, The Sudden Jerk. (No prior knowledge of carbolineum is required).
The place we call Vancouver was a varied landscape of forest, bogs and streams that flowed into the surrounding waters. The streams and the bogs were an important source of food for the Indigenous population. However, settlement and resource extraction saw the destruction of these waterways so that today there are only 2 open streams within the city. On this series of walks we’ll walk the courses of some lost streams and find the traces that reveal their location and look at the development of the area over time. This walk will focus on the area around 46th Avenue and Killarney Street.
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An interactive map of places listed on Vancouver's Heritage Register.
Places That Matter sites recognize some of the people, places and events that tell the story of Vancouver’s history.
Defines, details and illustrates local house styles, their architectural elements and social context.
As a charitable organization, we are grateful for all donations. Your support means we can promote appreciation of Vancouver's unique history and heritage places, as well as support conservation projects with education, information and grants. Donors are known as Friends of VHF and are acknowledged on our website.
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Explore all resources & guides
A heritage study guide, grants for field trips and professional development support
Guidance and support for heritage property owners and stewards.
Learn about the relationship between community, sustainability and heritage
Explore all grants
Support for heritage places.
Grants to assist with researching and sharing Vancouver's heritage.
To support local field trip costs for Vancouver history and heritage experiences.