Vancouver Heritage Foundation to recognize ANZA Club

A hidden, but not-so-secret fixture of Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood is finally getting its due.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation will recognize The ANZA Club with its 95th “Places That Matter” plaque Thursday.

Originally started as a meeting place for Aussie and Kiwi ex-pats, the space has since broadened its focus to include other communities as well.

Rowan Jang, a member of the ANZA Club’s board of directors, says the space has hosted a variety of events over the years.

“So many different concerts, plays, comedy shows, birthday parties, weddings, funerals, all sorts of things can can be held there,” said Jang.

“In particular, it was known as an indie music venue where a lot of local Vancouver artists had their first shows.”

Jang says it has also had a long-standing reputation as a welcoming space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“There’s drag nights that were held there for a very long time, long before that was kind of popular and, you know, socially welcomed. So, I think it’s meant a lot to a lot of people, and a lot of people from historically marginalized communities, and a lot of artists,” he said.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation launched the “Places That Matter” program back in 2011 to mark the city’s 125th birthday.

Jang says the plaque is a big honour.

“History is not just trade deals… It’s the connections you make meeting people of different walks of life at a concert, or a show for a drink or two. That’s history too. That feeds our culture. So to have an organization like VHF, that’s dedicated to preserving spaces like this, it’s just such a wonderful gift.”

The plaque will be presented to The ANZA club at an event that includes live music performances, beer tastings, hot dogs, and more Thursday night. The doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the festivities begin at 8:00 p.m.