St. Patrick’s Church on Main Street named one of the ‘top 15 coolest streets’ in North America

VANCOUVER—A survey has confirmed what residents of the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood already know: Main Street is one of the top 15 “cool streets” in North America.

A recent survey by Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate agency, scored the community high on its “hip-o-meter,” a rating based on factors such as livability, retail flavour, amenities, and cost of living.

At the heart of this hip neighbourhood boldly stands the beautiful St. Patrick’s Church.

“The look of the neighbourhood has been changed by the presence of the church building,” said pastor Father James Hughes.

Parishioners and non-parishioners have told him St. Patrick’s, first built in 1910 but rebuilt in 2002, has become a landmark on Main Street.

Father Hughes agrees his community, which scored higher than Gastown in Downtown Vancouver in the survey, is pretty “hip.”

“My second office is across the street, at the Forty Ninth Parallel Cafe,” he said.

The pastor runs a “Coffee with a Priest” program there; he invites anyone to phone him to set up a time to grab a cup of java and ask him about anything.

The parish has also found other ways to connect with its unique community, like setting up a booth at the annual Father’s Day festival on Main Street.

“It’s literally outside our door,” Father Hughes said. One year, the display included an “ask the priest” booth. This year there was an opportunity to sign up for tours of St. Patrick’s Church, and that became popular.

“It helps people connect with the Catholic Church.”

When Father Hughes holds the annual parish festival, with food, live music, vendors, and a beer garden, he invites everyone in the neighbourhood.

The priest has upgraded the parish website to be cool, classy, and hip, and invited local community groups to book parish meeting rooms.

“I think that following the words of Pope Francis: ‘Opening wider the doors of the Church,’ means finding creative means to do that, more intentionally.”

Father Rodney Nootebos, the new archdiocesan vocations director, recently took up residence at St. Patrick’s. One of the first things he did was tour Main Street with Father Hughes.

“The options for good coffee are out of this world!” he said. “I feel hip just being there.”

He’s still new to the area, but sees the church’s presence as a great opportunity to reach out to the crowd of hipsters, young families, artists, and others calling Mount Pleasant home.

Mount Pleasant, an area from Cambie Street to Clark Drive, and from Great Northern Way to 16th Avenue, was one of Vancouver’s first suburban communities.

“Its shift from working class to arts district began roughly 20 years ago,” the survey says. “This transition has been on steroids over the last five years.”

The Top 15 Coolest Streets report says 31.3 per cent of residents are millennials, or 20-34 years old, and the area is full of creative types looking for rents slightly cheaper than other Vancouver neighbourhoods.

According to the City of Vancouver, the area is popular with first-time home buyers, urban professionals, and families.

It’s recognized as a “vibrant and eclectic area known for its unusual stores, heritage buildings, artistic residents, and arts-focused festivals.”