CPR Pier B and C

With the expanding trans-Pacific trade, the Canadian Pacific Railway needed to upgrade its wharf space in Burrard Inlet, Vancouver. When the railway was finished in 1886 a small freight shed and small pier was built. At the time the CPR leased ships (Parthia and Abyssinia) and thus the volume of freight was low. The CPR then built its famed RMS Empress of China and began to capitalize on the Pacific run. Tea, silks and other wares were moved across the ocean.

Vancouver and the Pier had a very close call on 6 March 1945 when the ammunition ship SS Greenhill Park burst into flames after longshoremen drained a quantity of whiskey and it caught fire. The ship′s hold exploded and the fire spread. Fortunately, it did not extend to other holds, which contained ammunition. It was a five-alarm fire, and took the lives of several longshoreman and firefighters. The tug RFM towed the burning Greenhill Park to the far side of Stanley Park, where she burnt out. Greenhill Park was declared a constructive total loss but was repaired and re-entered service in 1946 as the Panamanian-flagged Phaeax II.

The Pier was used for many years until 1970 when the CPR sold its passenger fleet. The wharf was then gutted and the Brutalist tower built at 50 Granville St. In the process the pier was sold to the Government of Canada, which erected the Teflon sails of Canada Place for Expo 86.

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Wikipedia