menu
  • Font Size:
  • A
  • A
  • A
Online Heritage Inventory

Cannery Row Heritage Area

General Information
Thumbnail photograph of Cannery Row Heritage Area
Click to see full image
Type of Resource: Heritage Area
Common Name: Cannery Row Heritage Area
Address:
Neighbourhood (Planning Area Name): Steveston
Construction Date: 1880-1920
Current Owner:
Designated: No

Statement of Significance
Description of Site
Richmond’s Cannery Row is a linear stretch of the South Arm riverfront between the mainland at Steveston and Steveston Island. So-called because of the plethora of canneries that were located here during the height of the fishery in the 1920’s, Cannery Row runs from Garry Point in the west to the foot of No. 2 Road in the east, and encompasses both the river channel and a portion of the mainland. Along its length are a number of industrial and utilitarian built resources related to the fishing and canning industries.

 Statement of Values
The heritage value of the Cannery Row site is encompassed in its historical association to salmon canning and the fishing industry in Richmond late in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries. This area was shaped by these industries, which created large-scale structures along the riverfront, modified the landscape, and influenced Steveston’s development and social structure during this era..
The location of this heritage area is also significant. The concentration of canneries developed here because of proximity to the fishing grounds. The deep quiet water between Steveston Island and the mainland allowed fishing vessels access to unload the catch, and transport ships to load the canned salmon for its overseas voyage.
The linear form of development along the riverfront was shaped through the activity and occupancy of the fishing, canning and boatbuilding industries. The overall form of land acquisition and development in this area was solely dependent upon the needs of these enterprises. The direct relationship of the canneries, shipyards and associated structures to the river is a result of the need for riverfront access and is an important aspect of the development of this area and in the evolution of its historic character.
There are social and cultural values inherent in this area as well. The canneries influenced the development of Steveston by bringing in businesses, workers and money which enabled Steveston to evolve into a busy, bustling, successful riverfront community. The area still has the ability to demonstrate how the canneries operated and their relationship to the river.

 Character Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
· The rough industrial and utilitarian character of the working waterfront
· The presence of the three remaining cannery complexes which create focal points along the river channel: the Britannia Heritage Shipyard, the Paramount Cannery complex and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery
· The large scale and continuous linear massing of the built form along the riverfront, with continuity provided by the pilings, wharves, and other built elements
· The immediacy of the river, Steveston Island, and the presence of the fishing fleet and its equipment which speak to the historic function of the area
· The form and massing of the existing buildings along Cannery Row, which are generally of wood frame and heavy timber construction.

 History
Richmond’s Cannery Row is a linear stretch of the South Arm riverfront between the mainland at Steveston and Steveston Island. So-called because of the plethora of canneries that were located here during the height of the fishery in the 1920’s, Cannery Row runs from Garry Point in the west to the foot of No. 2 Road in the east, and encompasses both the river channel and a portion of the mainland. Along its length are a number of industrial and utilitarian built resources related to the fishing and canning industries.

 Architectural Significance
Design Features
Significant buildings:
Established in 1890, the Britannia shipyard and cannery is the oldest surviving structure on the Steveston waterfront, and possibly the oldest cannery building in the province. Included in the complex are cannery worker’s housing, boatworks, office, winch shed, and a seine loft that was part of the Phoenix cannery complex. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is the most westerly surviving fish canning and processing plant in the Cannery Row. Both of these buildings have retained their L-shaped form. The Paramount Cannery complex consists of a cannery building and reduction plant, currently used for gear storage and as a net loft.
Overall built form:
The three remaining cannery complexes create focal points along the river channel. Connecting them is a dense pattern of large and small buildings, most associated in some way with the fishing industry, others representing new development. The Cannery Row still retains something of its original character, particularly in the eastern section.
The area still manages to convey a sense of the sheer size development at the height of the canning industry, and the massive undertaking it must have been to construct all of the canneries, workers housing, net lofts, and other structures associated with fishing and canning.
Portions of the original wooden bulkhead still exist at the Britannia site, while other areas of the foreshore are supported by riprap and concrete retaining walls. There is a continuous upland area created between the constructed bulkheads and Dyke Road which creates a reclaimed area of land. As well, continuity is provided by the pilings and wharves which dominate the waterfront.
Aesthetic qualities:
Most of the existing buildings along Cannery Row are of wood frame and heavy timber construction. The roughness of a working waterfront, and the large-scale massing of many of the buildings with their wooden piling supports and associated wharves and docks still conveys a sense of cohesiveness.

 Landscape Significance
Design Attributes
Natural features:
Natural landscape components include marshes and fish habitat areas. Because the area is so built up, there is little sense of natural ‘river bank’ anywhere along the Cannery Row.
Cultural traditions:
Many of the structures built to house workers in the canneries may have been based on cultural practices. As an example, the First People’s House in the Britannia complex is thought to have been constructed to resemble a traditional longhouse. Other than this, the multi-ethnic nature of the Row in its heyday is no longer seen in the existing landscape.
Circulation and open space:
Circulation in and around the Cannery Row consists of the river, the developed roadways and a trail system. Historically, circulation related to Row activities would probably have centred on the boardwalk main street and the river system. Within the row area itself there is little open space as such, except for the public space maintained at the Gulf of Georgia and Britannia sites. However, the open space of the river creates an impressive panorama for this area.
Vegetation:
Visually, vegetation is not a major component of the Cannery Row landscape. On the mainland side, the vegetation along the Row consists of pockets of mixed, disturbed vegetation, grasses, with an occasional cluster of trees. Most of the historic vegetation has been altered due to dyking, drainage and fill, although Steveston Island appears to represent a more natural ecosystem. Historically, many of the worker’s homes associated with the canneries would have had cultivated gardens and orchard trees nearby for food production.
Views, vistas, perceptual qualities:
Views from the river into the heritage area are truncated due to the dense development along the river edge, with the exception of Garry Point from which there are views to the mountains in the north. From the bank, there are significant views up and down the river, and south to Steveston Island and beyond.
Water bodies or features:
Cannery Row itself, formed by Steveston Island in the South Arm is the significant water body associated with this site. Cannery Row developed because of the existence of this water feature.
Small-scale elements:
Most of the small-scale elements that still exist along the row consist of pilings and wharves. The original wooden bulkhead is still in place only at the Britannia site.

 Integrity
Alterations
Overall, Cannery Row does not display a high degree of integrity.
Location:
Cannery Row maintains integrity of location. Most of the fishing and canning activities that have shaped this area took place in the river channel or on adjacent land due to the proximity of fish and deep water for ships. Although land uses have changed, the remaining elements, and new ones, maintain the same relationship to the river.
Design:
Integrity of design along Cannery Row has been compromised. Significant change in land use, the removal of many extant features and the infill of new development has greatly affected the original design elements of Cannery Row and its environment.
Setting:
The physical environment of the river and the land has not been altered significantly over time. The wharves, boats and equipment related to the fishing industry also help to maintain an integrity of setting.
Materials:
Integrity of materials used in the construction of Cannery Row is somewhat compromised. Although some traditional building materials are still evident on the site, changes to many of the buildings have required the use of different materials. On a larger scale, new residential and commercial developments are constructed of incompatible building and landscape materials.
Workmanship: Integrity of workmanship in the built environment has disappeared as the resources have disappeared. However, the active fishing industry in this area continues to retain some of the traditional practices and uses for the buildings and structures that remain.
Feeling:
The loss of much of the original built fabric lessens the continuity of Cannery Row as a linear area or feature, and therefore the feeling of the place. However, from the water side especially, the sense of place is still evident to some degree.
Association:
Association is the most vital remaining aspect of integrity. Cannery Row is part of Richmond’s soul, with its direct association to the fishing and canning industries, and the people whose lives were shaped and affected by them.

 Lost
No

 Documentation
Evaluated By
Denise Cook BLA, PBD (Public History)

 Date
Friday, August 10, 2001

 Documentation
Bodnar, Diana. Report on Garry Point, Richmond, Department of the Provincial Secretary, Government of British Columbia, 1975. Location #6159, Richmond Archives.
Christopher Phillips and Associates. Britannia Heritage Shipyard Park Concept Plan, 1993.
“Demolition frustrates Steves”, Richmond News, August 19, 2001.
Kidd, Thomas. History of Lulu Island and Occasional Poems, Wrigley Printing Company Ltd., 1927. University of British Columbia Special Collections.
Leaming, Ruth. “Salmon Canning – A Century of Progress”. Historical Vignettes of Richmond, Richmond Centennial Society, 1979.
Lyons, Cicely. Salmon, Our Heritage, B.C. Packers Ltd./Mitchell Press, Vancouver, 1969.
National Park Service. “Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties”, US Department of the Interior, 1999.
Norman Hotson Associates Ltd. Steveston Waterfront Conservation, 1985. Location #6159, Richmond Archives.
Reid, David J. The Development of the Fraser River Salmon Canning Industry, 1885 to 1913, Federal Department of the Environment, 1973. Location #6159, Richmond Archives.
Richmond Heritage Inventory Phase I, 1984.
Ross, Leslie J. Richmond, Child of the Fraser, Richmond Centennial Society, Richmond, B.C., 1979.
Stacey, Duncan. Steveston’s Cannery Channel: A Social History of the Fishing Community, Corporation of the Township of Richmond, 1986. Location #6159, Richmond Archives.
Steveston Area Plan: Heritage Studies of Steveston. Township of Richmond Planning Department, 1984.
Yesaki, Mitsuo. Steveston Cannery Row: An Illustrated History, Lulu Island Printing Ltd., Richmond B.C., 1998.
Historical Photographs:
Location and Type of Plans Found:
Fraser River Canneries, British Columbia. Chas. E. Goad, Civil Engineer, July 1897. UBC Special Collections.
Geological Survey of Canada. Fraser River Investigation: Topographical Maps 1923, UBC Special Collections.
Waterworks Atlas Map, 1936. Municipal Records, Item #1991 40 41, Location # Maps 20, Richmond Archives.
Municipality Sheets of Richmond 1925. Misc. Planning Department Maps, MR SE 520, Richmond Archives

 Back to Search Results
Back to Search
Print Back to top