Stanley Park's 17-mile seawall was built entirely by hand over the course of 63 years.

The Stanley Park Seawall is a monumental engineering feat designed to combat the intense tidal erosion from the First Narrows and Burrard Inlet. Construction officially started in 1917 under the direction of the Vancouver Park Board. The primary goal was to prevent the waves from washing away the park's soft sandstone cliffs and delicate 1,000-acre ecosystem.James Cunningham, a master stonemason from Scotland, was appointed to oversee the project in 1931. He became so dedicated to the wall that he continued to supervise its construction even after his official retirement. Cunningham worked on the wall for 32 years until he passed away in 1963, just before the final sections were finished.The wall was built using granite blocks and cement, all laid by hand without the use of heavy modern machinery. While the main loop around Stanley Park was declared finished in 1971, the entire path system extending to False Creek was not fully completed until 1980. Today, the 28-kilometer (17-mile) continuous path is the longest uninterrupted waterfront walkway in the world.Geological studies show that without this barrier, significant portions of the park would have been lost to the sea decades ago. The wall serves as a critical defense against rising sea levels and storm surges that frequently hit the Pacific Northwest. It remains a primary example of how historical masonry can provide long-term environmental protection for urban green spaces.