Get to know about Shaughnessy

Shaughnessy is an entirely residential neighborhood in Vancouver’s Westside, British Columbia. Shaughnessy was created in 1907 by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and was named after Thomas Shaughnessy, 1st Baron Shaughnessy, former president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Shaughnessy is the site of many historical homes with a higher-than-average proportion of heritage houses from the first half of last century. Shaughnessy is built on the heights overlooking Vancouver's Downtown and has always aspired to be the city's most prestigious area. It is one of the Vancouver's most prosperous and stable neighborhood with beautiful houses and tree-lined streets. Several major arteries and the Canada Line subway serve this otherwise serene area. Local residents enjoy shopping areas in 16th & Arbutus to the west and Cambie Village to the northeast. The eastern side of this area has two hospitals Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) & Womans & Childrens Hospital and the gorgeous VanDusen Botanical Garden (39th & Oak). Shaughnessy is the city's geographic heart, between Queen Elizabeth Park and Arbutus. Shaughnessy Heights is Vancouver's best example of a planned community. In 1907, the CPR spent more than one million dollars developing the site before it began selling the high-priced lots. The estate-like character of the community is a result of a combination of large lots, winding boulevards, and extensive landscaping. This is the best place to be in Vancouver for heritage homes, and that is one of the reasons why Vancouver city council voted unanimously to put the new designation on First Shaughnessy in October 2015. Shaughnessy is largely residential, with a higher-than-average proportion of heritage houses from the first half of last century. 

The Shaughnessy area has three neighborhoods – First Shaughnessy, Second Shaughnessy and Third Shaughnessy. 

First Shaughnessy:  The boundaries of this area centered on ‘The Crescent’ that encircled Shaughnessy Park, and extended from 16th Avenue to King Edward Avenue, and Oak Street to the Arbutus Corridor. There are 595 properties in First Shaughnessy, of which 329 were constructed before 1940. Eighty of the properties are listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register. Many of the homes in First Shaughnessy were designed by the city's leading architects including Maclure & Fox, Parr & Fee, Sharp & Thompson, and Thomas Hooper. The architectural styles used during this period range from English Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival to Craftsman and Colonial Revival.  

Second Shaughnessy: The impact of First Shaughnessy was so great that CPR developed adjacent land called as Second Shaughnessy to accommodate demand. Area between King Edward and 37th is called Second Shaughnessy.

Third Shaughnessy: Third Shaughnessy sits between North 37th and South 41st Avenues and it come into existence in 1926. Most people consider Third Shaughnessy as second Shaughnessy.