Robson Street

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Robson street at night

Robson Street is a major southeast-northwest thoroughfare in downtown and West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its core commercial blocks from Burrard Street to Jervis are also known as Robsonstrasse. Its name honours John Robson, a major figure in British Columbia's entry into the Canadian Confederation, and Premier of the province from 1889 to 1892. Robson Street starts at B.C. Place Stadium near the north shore of False Creek, then runs northwest past Vancouver Library Square, Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, coming to an end at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park.

As of 2006, the city of Vancouver overall had the fifth most expensive retail rental rates in the world, averaging USD$135 per square foot per year, citywide. Robson Street tops Vancouver with its most expensive locations renting for up to USD$200 per square foot per year. In 2006, both Robson Street and Bloor Street in Toronto were the 22nd most expensive streets in the world, with rents of $208 per square feet. In 2007, Bloor and Robson slipped to 25th in the world with an everage of $198 per square feet. The price of each continues to grow with Vancouver being Burberry's first Canadian location and Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood (which is bounded on the south side by Bloor) now commanding rents of $300 per square foot.

In 1895, train tracks were laid down the street, supporting a concentration of shops and restaurants. From the early to middle-late 20th century, and especially after significant immigration from postwar Germany, the northwest end of Robson Street was known as a centre of German culture and commerce in Vancouver, earning the nickname Robsonstrasse, even among non-Germans (this name lives on in the Robsonstrasse Hotel on the street). At one time, the city had placed streetsigns reading "Robsonstrasse" though these were placed after the German presence in the area had largely vanished.

Robson Street is also featured on the Canadian Monopoly board as the most expensive property.

Upscale Shopping

Robson Street's role as a consumer district continues to the present day although the original flavour of the street, which was all small neighbourhood-market stores, has been supplanted by massive redevelopment by brand-name chain stores and high-end restaurants. Robson Street is particularly famous for the fashion shops and dining which extends from Granville Street in the southeast to Denman Street in the northwest, with the main concentration centred between Burrard and Bute Streets, which is the area also known historically as Robsonstrasse.

Although not technically on Robson Street but still considered part of the district, Burrard Street near Robson in addition to the areas of Alberni and Georgia Streets that cross near Burrard contain the most expensive upscale stores in the city, with prominent anchors such as Hermès, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, Chanel, Burberry, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Lacoste, Coach, and Salvatore Ferragamo. This area, focussed around anchor Japanese-marketed businesses on Alberni, is also known as the "Little Ginza".

The street's intersection with Thurlow Street is known for having two Starbucks coffee shops on opposite corners, one of which was non-smoking prior to the enactment of the indoor smoking ban, and the other not. The location on the west corner is known as a major meeting place for the biker culture, with Harley-Davidsons, Japanese bikes, and cafe racers alike parked in a special bikes-only strip of parking painted on the pavement. It was also this corner of Robson and Thurlow that acted as the epicentre of the Stanley Cup Riot of 1994.

Neighbourhoods

Manhattan Apartments (1908)

There are numerous highrises along or near Robson, many of them condo towers and hotels. The Empire Landmark Hotel, originally the Sheraton Landmark, is the tallest highrise on the strip at 42 storeys. It includes the Cloud Nine revolving restaurant.

There are numerous residential condo and apartment towers under construction along the southeastern end of Robson near Yaletown past the bustling Granville Mall, whereas the northwestern end becomes part of Vancouver's West End neighbourhood containing older residential highrises near the quieter Stanley Park and Lost Lagoon; the last few blocks of Robson between Denman and Lost Lagoon are part of the Stanley Park Neighbourhood.

Robson Street is also popular as a cruising street, with many exotic, rare cars and motorcycles present every weekend throughout the summer. In the early 2000s the Vancouver Police sought to combat repeat cruisers and thereby lower congestion by issuing tickets to those driving up and down the street excessively, but police enforcement has since been reduced. Left turns off Burrard Street to Robson Street are also restricted for this same purpose.

See also

• West End, Vancouver (Robson Street passes through the northeast edge of the West End)
• Davie Village

External links

• Robson Street Business Association