Maybe Martians should land more often in this city. I like this proposed tower. Positioned on the edge of Gastown where Cordova Street bends as the original townsite grid meets the downtown grid, the tower sits between two very strong heritage buildings which can certainly hold their own against the new comer. In this situation,… Continue reading More Martians Needed
Somethings never change… In 1906 rising property values in Chinatown were forcing smaller businesses out and the community began to think about purchasing property elsewhere in the city to move the Chinese business district to. Here’s the 1906 article.
The former Bank of Nova Scotia at 424 West Hastings is an attractive little building. Built in 1904 and designed by the firm of Dalton & Eveleigh this was the bank’s head office until their new office tower was constructed at the corner of Seymour and Hastings in 1910. At some point the… Continue reading Lost and Found
In this shot from the 1970s looking south from the corner of 5th Avenue and Burrard there is a billboard for the product that altered the look of thousands of older homes across the city.
By 1910, Vancouver had three public restrooms available to those in need (earlier facilities were pretty basic public urinals for men) and while an editorial in the Vancouver World lauded the city for its progress and development, it complained that it lacked the necessary number of public conveniences for a city growing at such “an… Continue reading Lost Urban Objects 2
In the 1960s Vancouver embarked on a number of civic improvements including its street furniture and one of the items was this forlorn looking object seen here in this 1978 photo. What is it? It’s a newspaper kiosk for that long lost profession of the corner newspaper vendor. When papers published more than one edition… Continue reading Forgotten Urban Objects
So nice to see Shelly Fralic’s column in the December 24th edition of the Vancouver Sun (page A15) debunking the silly rumours that surround Gabriola, the Roger’s mansion on Davie Street. It’s surprising what a little bit of research, fact checking and common sense can turn up. And nice to see Brian Rogers interviewed too.… Continue reading No Tunnels, damn…
At the foot of Keefer Street in 1913 you would have been confronted with the smell, dirt and dust of the Vancouver Gas Company’s coal gas plant. The street was nothing more than a dirt track from Main Street to the edge of False Creek. There was no Columbia Street south of Pender Street, just… Continue reading Oh, Just A Little Bit of Change…
This image has bugged me for some time. It is a Vancouver Archives photo (CVA 371-2061) showing the Bijou Theatre. But it’s not the Vancouver Bijou which was on Carrall near Hastings facing what is now Pigeon Park. Looking at the image, which shows the aftermath of a flood, you can see a sign for… Continue reading When the Bijou is not the Bijou…
There are so many examples of cities using light in interesting ways. Imagine if Chinatown in Vancouver hosted a lighting festival… This is from Frame Magazine. It may not be as drastic as in some parts of the world, but the Netherlands gets dark pretty darn early during winter. To break the blackness, Amsterdam Light Festivalilluminates… Continue reading Let There Be Light…
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 