BC Place's Past: From Lumber Yards to the 2026 World Cup
Before BC Place hosted the FIFA World Cup, the False Creek site was full of railways and lumber yards. Archival photos trace the stadium's 1983 opening and the Expo 86 transformation.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
BC Place is one of the oldest venues in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the iconic stadium hasn't always existed. Built in 1983, it was one of the defining pieces of Expo 86, helping mark False Creek's shift from a working industrial harbour to a residential area with attractions for tourists and locals.
Before BC Place and the rest of Expo 86, the area was full of railways and lumber yards, with log booms floating in eastern False Creek. The world's fair transformed the waterfront for several months, and when it left, some pieces stayed and became central to Vancouver's new vibe—BC Place and Science World chief among them.
Older buildings visible in archival photos of the site include the CBC building (now a couple of blocks away from BC Place), the Post, the Sun Tower, and the building that sits at Beatty and West Georgia, identifiable by its two big chimneys.
Since its opening, BC Place has hosted an impressive lineup of events. The stadium hosted a dinner featuring international leaders including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Pope John Paul II visited. Taylor Swift performed the last shows of her record-breaking Eras Tour there. The stadium hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup final in 2015 and the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Archival photos now offer a window into how dramatically False Creek has changed—from industrial waterfront to the cultural hub it is today.