BC Place Stadium's roof went down Tuesday, but when the building went up in 1983 it marked the beginning of False Creek's transformation.
"It is kind of strange to see the dome gone. Surprisingly for such a non-descript building, the dome actually had quite a visual impact on the city," Vancouver historian John Atkins said.
As recently as the late seventies, False Creek's landscape was a stretch of sawmills.
"To have such a short period of time, from the 80s to today, to have this change and become a desirable place is really quite something," Atkins said.
An alderman in the 1950s was campaigning to have False Creek filled in, saying it was an industrial sewer and should be turned into an expressway.
"Thank god that didn't go through," False Creek condominium marketer Bob Rennie said.
The Olympic athletes village will hit the market next week, and there are plans for a $450-million casino and hotel project for the creek.
False Creek will also see more condos and office towers go up in the final piece of undeveloped property between BC Place and Science World.
"We're arrived at an incredible livable neighborhood that's also transformed the rest of the downtown core," Atkins said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
