The Pacific Central Station is a City of Vancouver Heritage Building designed by architects Pratt and Ross.
Erected between 1917-1919, this station was built as the western terminus for the Canadian Northern Railway. It is an excellent example of Neoclassical Revival Style design which was popular for train stations. The monumental central archway with an original steel frame canopy separates the symmetrical wings, ornamented with engaged columns and pilasters and a bracketed cornice. The station was built on reclaimed land that was originally part of False Creek. In 1993, the building was converted to a multi-modal transportation facility to accommodate both passenger railway and intercity bus travel. In addition a new bus concourse was built to the east of the station.
2019 marked the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Pacific Central Station. On display inside the station is a building replica constructed entirely from LEGO, made by local Vancouver resident, Johnathon Vaughn Strebly.
LEGO REPLICA OF THE STATION:
Johnathon Vaugn Strebly is a graphic designer by profession, born and raised in the East End of Vancouver.
One of Johnathon's hobbies is building miniature Lego models of Vancouver landmarks. His Pacific Central Station replica took roughly 36 hours to complete and is comprised of approximately 5,500 pieces of Lego. Johnathon has graciously donated the Lego replica to VIA Rail in celebration of the Station's 100th Anniversary.
To log this virtual cache you are required to go inside the station during opening hours, find the Lego model display, and take a photo that clearly shows your geocaching user name with the Lego model in the background as proof of your visit. Post the photo inside your log. You do not need to post a photo of yourself, but you are more than welcome to do so, as long as you also show your geocaching name in your photo with the Lego display. Logs without a photo or without meeting the assignment being met will be removed. (You don't need anything fancy - your geocaching name handwritten on a piece of paper will nicely suffice as long as it's visible in the photo). Enjoy your visit.
Pacific Central Station's posted opening hours are 5:30am until 12:30am. It is closed overnight between 12:30am to 5:30am.
Please note that although there is parking outside the station, it is heavily monitored. It is NOT recommended to park in the pay parking stalls to quickly go in the station without paying for the parking. Even sitting in your parked vehicle in a pay spot, without paying, can trigger a parking ticket. There is some parking on adjacent side streets, although this can be difficult to find on most days. The best way to get to the station is by public transit on Skytrain, since the Main Street/Science World station is only a few minutes walk away. Alternatively, another option is to ride your bike and leave it parked outside in a designated bike lock spot. For those geocachers arriving to the station by train or bus, I hope you had a pleasant journey to Vancouver and enjoy your stay.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
