Seawall

Vancouver’s Seawall began as a stone barrier along Stanley Park’s edge to stop erosion from ship waves, then grew into the waterfront path that became the park’s most important and heavily used feature. Inspired by W. S. Rawlings’s 1918 vision of a combined park and marine walk, construction advanced in stages from 1914 into the early 1970s with federal support, relief labor, and other crews. Master stonemason James “Jimmy” Cunningham became the figure most closely associated with the work. As the route expanded far beyond Stanley Park, disputes over cyclists and pedestrians reshaped its rules, including the one-way bicycle lane established in 1984.

British Columbia · Canada