Vancouver — Gastown & Chinatown
Woodward's
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Transcript
The Woodward's department store became a Vancouver institution, famous for its red “W” sign and for selling almost everything a growing city required.
Department stores were technologies of mass consumption. Fixed prices, advertising, elaborate displays and enormous inventories changed how urban residents bought goods.
Woodward's closure in 1993 became a symbol of downtown economic change. The vacant complex later became central to debates over redevelopment, housing and the future of the Downtown Eastside.
The site was eventually redeveloped as a mixed-use project incorporating the historic sign.
This is where heritage intersects with inequality. Saving a façade is easier than resolving who can afford to remain after investment returns.