Here’s a shot of the corner of Main and Keefer showing the Hotel Mayo. The corner building dates from the 1890s and its neighbour is probably of the same era. This Vancouver Archives photo (CVA 447-308) shows both buildings before they were pretty much demolished and rebuilt as one structure using the original bricks which… Continue reading Hotel Mayo, Keefer and Main
In the background of this photograph of the Glasgow Hotel from the Vancouver Archives (#HOT-P84) taken in1891, is one of the only views of the houses that once lined Pender. Until 1906 this was also part of the city’s restricted district, the polite term for the red light district.
Who knew that after 40 years of suffering from the traffic and noise generated by the Georgia Viaducts, Strathcona loses again since “a direct arterial connection is being proposed that is likely to INCREASE traffic on Prior Street. The City has advised that any consideration of traffic-calming and amenity improvements along Prior Street would not… Continue reading Maybe Keep the Viaducts Up…
Numerous guidebooks, research papers and reports have been written about Chinatown over the years and many of them talk about the buildings that feature the “typical cheater floor” or the “illegal cheater storey” built to “cheat” either the taxman or building inspector. It is inferred that this is something unique to the Chinatowns in Vancouver… Continue reading Cheater floors in Chinatown
My first visit to the Chinese Theatre in Chinatown, Vancouver, was in the winter of 1898. Precisely how we got to it I cannot tell. We turned off Hastings Street and went south on Carrall Street. Then, at some point, we turned into an alley between old wooden buildings. There were no lights. It was… Continue reading A Visit to the Theatre in 1898
“By the 1890s there were more than a thousand people living in Shanghai Alley, a block-long dirt laneway bustling with activity. Restaurants, laundries and stores operated at street level while small apartments were located in the tenements and rooming houses above. One block to the west there was a second short laneway, called Canton Alley.… Continue reading Poking Around Shanghai Alley
We’re half way through the summer walks for the Heritage Foundation and this was our Market Alley tour in July! My thanks to Rebecca Bishop for snapping this.
Spent sometime poking around Tosi’s with John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun. On the top shelf was this plaster plaque for the 1936 Golden Jubilee purchased by Tosi’s father Peter.
If you haven’t checked out Vancouver is Awesome you should. My favourite section is Vancouver Was Awesome, and a recent post from Rhiannon Coppin documents a walking tour I did in January where we looked at the neighbourhood around Franklin and Commercial Drive. Mostly known for its chicken processing plants, this area was once home… Continue reading Vancouver is Awesome
Speaking of walking… In October 2010, I had the privilege of being invited to present two walking tours for the Walking Home project. For the first walk, the focus was on Carrall Street which for me is great fun because the street cuts through three historic neighbourhoods; Gastown, Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside, and touches… Continue reading The Walking Home Project
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 