Musqueam Territory
The UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
Learn more about Musqueam and UBC
Choosing Point Grey
The Province of British Columbia located UBC in Point Grey in 1910. The site was close to — but not part of — Vancouver, the province’s growing industrial and cultural centre. It offered a unique setting with commanding views over the Strait of Georgia and provided ample land for research. At the time, the Minister of Education said UBC would be: “a small city which is capable of being made one of the most interesting and beautiful in the world.” A 1914 Campus Plan by Sharp and Thompson Architects provided the framework for UBC’s growth.
An Evolving Campus
In 1920, the Province of British Columbia set aside 3,000 acres in Point Grey as the University Endowment Lands, with the plan to fund UBC by developing housing. The campus grew slowly and began accelerating through the 1950s to the 1980s, when UBC built much of its existing academic core. In the late 1980s, two decisions shaped UBC’s future: 1) 2,160 acres of land endowment was protected and Pacific Spirit Regional Park was established, and 2) Hampton Place, the first residential community at UBC, was developed.
Becoming a Complete Community
Since the 1980s, UBC’s academic population has grown rapidly with more than 50,000 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, new facilities, student housing, and six mixed-use campus neighbourhoods.
Pre-Campus
| 1877 Proposal: |
Initial proposal for a provincial university |
| 1907 Funding: |
University Endowment Act provides for the funding of the proposed provincial university |
| 1908 Establishment: |
Provincial legislature passes a new University Act, which formally establishes UBC |
| 1910 Site Selection: |
Point Grey is selected as the most suitable location for a 175-acre university |
| 1914 The Grand Plan: |
Sharp and Thompson Architects win international design competition for the UBC campus at Point Grey |
| 1915 Fairview Shacks: |
UBC opens temporary headquarters at Fairview Shacks during construction at Point Grey |
Early Campus
| 1914 to 1919 WWI: |
Start-up construction on the new university is interrupted by World War I |
| 1922 to 1923 The Great Trek: |
Nearly 1,200 students made their way through downtown Vancouver to the unfinished campus at Point Grey. The protest leads the provincial government to authorize the continuation of construction |
| 1925 Move to Point Grey: |
UBC officially moves from Fairview Shacks to the Point Grey campus |
Mid-Twentieth Century
| 1947 to 1951 Post-WWII Expansion: |
Following the Second World War, academic expansion begins and 20 new buildings are added to campus by 1951 |
| 1960 First Student Residence: |
Place Vanier Residence is constructed to allow students to live on campus |
| 1964 Second Student Residence: |
Totem Park Residence is constructed to provide additional beds for the growing number of students living on campus |
| 1968 The 1968 Master Plan: |
During this era, the planning and design of the campus departed from the original Beaux Arts vison to embrace a Modernist approach |
| 1969 Building Program: |
UBC completes five-year $71 million building program |
| 1972 Walter Gage Residences: |
Construction of Walter Gage Towers provide nearly 1,800 rooms for senior undergraduate students |
Late 20th Century
| 1988 First Campus Neighbourhood: |
Hampton Place is constructed, establishing UBC’s first campus neighbourhood |
| 1992 Main Campus Plan: |
Renewed growth prompts UBC to prepare a plan to guide future development of University land, resulting in the Main Campus Plan |
| 1994 First Community Planning Process: |
A Memorandum of Understanding is established between UBC and Metro Vancouver for UBC to undertake community planning process |
| 1997 Official Community Plan (OCP): |
An OCP bylaw for UBC is approved by Metro Vancouver |
Recent
| 2000 Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP): |
A CCP establishes framework for approving neighbourhood plans |
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2001 First Neighbourhood Plans adopted: |
A satellite campus opens at Robson Square Neighbourhood Plans adopted:
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| 2004 Neighbourhood Plans adopted: |
Neighbourhood Plans adopted:
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2005
Neighbourhood Plans adopted: |
A UBC campus opens in Kelowna in space that had been operated by Okanagan University College |
| 2010 Vancouver Campus Plan: |
UBC Vancouver Campus Plan (VCP) adopted |
| 2015 Vancouver Land Use Plan: |
UBC Land Use Plan (LUP) (formerly OCP) amended |
