Storyeum facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | 2000-2006 |
|---|---|
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia Gastown's Water Street in Canada. |
Storyeum was a special place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was a tourist attraction in the busy Gastown neighborhood. Storyeum brought British Columbia's history to life with a 65-minute show. Actors, special effects, and interactive displays made history fun!
Storyeum closed its doors on October 17, 2006, because not enough people visited. The building where Storyeum was located is now used for different events. Parts of the space are now a furniture store. Another part is used by W2 Community Media Arts as a large place for conferences and festivals. This area is called W2 Storyeum. It used to have history displays and gift shops for tourists. Now, it has a community media lab, a cafe, an art studio, and meeting rooms.
The large basement area is also used by the Vancouver Film School. Students use it for filming projects, including green screens and live action shots.
Contents
The Story of Storyeum
The idea for Storyeum started in 2000 with its founder, Danny Guillaume, and architect Al Waisman. They created a company called Historical Xperiences Inc. (HXP) to build and run Storyeum. Storyeum officially opened in June 2004. Many local business people and the City of Vancouver invested over CAD $22 million into the project. However, not enough people came to visit, and Storyeum eventually closed.
Amazing Facts About Storyeum
- Storyeum was very big! It was larger than six NHL ice rinks. It covered about 104,000 square feet (9,660 square meters).
- It was one of the biggest new tourist attractions built in Vancouver since EXPO 86.
- The special lifts used in the show were some of the largest in the world.
- These lifts could carry 200 people or 25,000 pounds (11,340 kg) at once.
- Storyeum had a copy of the Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive#374. This was the first train to carry passengers across Canada.
- The entire project cost CAD $22 million and was built in just 6 months.
What Was the Show Like?
The Storyeum show was an exciting adventure that mostly happened underground, beneath the streets of Gastown. The whole show lasted about 65 minutes. Unlike a regular play, guests moved from one set to another. There were eight different sets, including special 360-degree video shows in the two large passenger lifts.
The Storyeum experience began when guests entered the first big lift. It took them down below Gastown. From there, guides led them through each unique set. Here's what guests saw:
Going Underground
This was the first part of the show. It was an introduction with videos about Canada and Vancouver. It showed important moments in Canadian history. These included the Terry Fox run, EXPO 86, and Canada winning Olympic Gold Medals in hockey. It also mentioned Vancouver getting ready to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. This section also gave important safety rules for the show.
Ancient Trails
This was the first real set with actors and special effects. Guests learned about the creation story of people from the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation. This story was set in a rainforest, like the coastal forests of British Columbia.
The Big House
In this set, guests saw a love story about the first people created in the "Ancient Trails" set. This story showed how the "Great Circle of Life" was completed over many years.
New Arrivals
This set had two versions that changed with the seasons. The story was always the same, but the view was different. One version let guests watch a ship arrive in the harbor. This showed the first meeting between Europeans and the Indigenous people. The other version put guests on the ship as it arrived. This set also talked about the start of the Hudson's Bay Company. It mentioned fur trading, the arrival of smallpox, and how sailors kept in touch with their families far away.
Gold Seekers
This part of the show took place around 1862 in Barkerville, British Columbia. It was all about the Gold Rush in the Pacific North-West and how it affected British Columbia. The show also touched on topics like the Royal Decree to unite Canada, the Barkerville fire, and the challenges of law and order in the wild areas of British Columbia.
National Dream
In this set, guests saw how Canada became united by a railway that stretched from one coast to the other. The show also talked about women's right to vote in Canada. It showed the important role Chinese workers played in building the railway and the unfair Head Tax they had to pay.
Last Stop
This set was at a railway station, likely in Vancouver, because it had a copy of the Gastown Steam clock. The story was set around 1944. Guests saw a Canadian soldier waiting to go to Italy to help rebuild after the war. They also saw a wife waiting for her husband, a Canadian Forces soldier, to return from fighting in Europe. A copy of a Canadian Pacific Railway train arrived at the station with the husband. The set ended with a big musical performance that celebrated different cultures and acceptance. This was the last part of the show with live actors and special effects.
BC Spirit
In the final set, guests entered a lift to go back up to street level. As they went up, a visual display celebrated how unique people and society can come together. This presentation marked the official end of the Storyeum experience.
