Victory Square

The Memorial Amphitheatre

Historically the site of the provincial courthouse, the square was known as Government Square and later Courthouse Square before the Southam family, owners of the Province newspaper across the street, funded its redevelopment into a park and it was renamed Victory Square. It became a place of commemoration with the 1924 dedication of the Cenotaph, a three-sided granite obelisk roughly 30 feet tall, cut from Nelson Island granite and designed by Major G. L. Thornton Sharp of Sharp and Thompson, its triangular form chosen to suit the wedge-shaped site. The specimen maples lining three sides of the square were planted in 1892 in the courthouse era and are likely the oldest street trees in Vancouver. The park's sharp downward slope toward Hastings Street creates a natural amphitheatre, though the gradient complicates large-scale infrastructure and requires complex leveling for stages. The 0.36-hectare site is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places and on Vancouver's community heritage register.

Crosstown Identity

The district, often called "Crosstown," sits between Gastown and the Central Business District. It is surrounded by early-20th-century landmarks, including the Dominion Building and the Sun Tower. This zone also hosts private event spaces like The Permanent and The Kent, both former banking halls.

Event Logistics

Activating the park requires navigating "Solemnity Protocols" due to its status as a war memorial. While commercial events are restricted, the annual Victory Square Block Party (Labour Day weekend) serves as a key case study for successful community activation, utilizing the sloped grass for seating despite the lack of on-site power or loading docks.