The vast majority of homes built in Vancouver and the surrounding municipalities were not the work of local architects but from designs found in plan books. Published in the US and Canada, these books illustrated a variety of designs that were available in plan form from the publisher. Companies such as Radford, Keith, Wilson and others… Continue reading Plan Books and Vancouver
Very pleased that the exhibit is up and looking good (if I may say so myself) in the Hall of One Hundred Rivers at the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
It’s fun to poke around in the background of photographs. This section from a 1913 photo from City of Vancouver Archives shows the view east over downtown towards the False Creek flats. In the enlarged view – checking to see details of a building in the background – I noticed these three ladies with wonderful hats up… Continue reading In the Background: Ladies up High
Looking across False Creek from the West Coast Shipbuilder’s yard to downtown, this is what the shore of the creek looked like in the 1940s. The extraordinary mess on the shoreline, roughly where BC Place is today, is the debris from the Empire Box Company and various sawmill operations. (CVA photo M-7-1)
In 1912, Vancouver welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Connaught with a series of ceremonial arches across streets on the processional route the couple would take on their tour of the city. Chinatown welcomed the visitors with this arch over Pender Street at Carrall. What’s of interest is not the arch itself but what can… Continue reading In the Background, Under the Arch
In our travels the one souvenir I look for is a door knocker, not any old knocker but one in the shape of a hand. The hand is thought to be a representation of the Hamsa, a symbol of God’s hand in the earth. For Muslims, Hamsa is the hand of Fatima and for Jews it is… Continue reading Knocking on Doors
Inserting new structures into older urban environments can be tricky. The rhythm of the street and its storefronts, sidewalk width, building height etc. all play a role in the success of any new building. But then, despite the best of intentions from the planners it fails at a certain level. The Keefer Block at the corner… Continue reading Good Intent & Design Fail in Chinatown
The Holborn Group’s refusal to excise the Trump name from their Georgia Street project is an insult to all residents of Vancouver. Regardless of whether it is private property, that there are contracts or operating agreements in place, Holborn is morally and ethically wrong to continue to promote the name of someone who is openly… Continue reading It’s Quite Simple: Dump Trump
Tom Carter and I are at the Vancouver Historical Society in October
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 