The Mau Dan Gardens Co-operative was established in October 1981, the last of five projects initiated by the Strathcona Area Housing society (SAHS) to provide housing for the residents of the Strathcona area whose homes were expropriated and demolished in the urban renewal clearance scheme of 1965.

In 1972, after protest by the local community, the city abandoned its plan to build a municipal fire hall on the vacant site and reserved the property known as site “C & D” for family housing. The land, owned by the City of Vancouver, is now leased to the Mau Dan Gardens Co-operative Housing Association.

This housing co-operative has 128 units. The project was developed by SAHS, designed by Joe Y. Wai and Spaceworks Architects, and built by the Turnbull and Gale construction company. Financial assistance and mortgage assurance were provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), with which the Co-operative has a thirty-five year Operating Agreement. The mortgage is presently held by CMHC.

The founding membership of the Co-operative was predominantly of Chinese ethnicity, but included families of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Japanese and Canadian origin.