The Friends of the Vancouver City Archives have a walking tour coming up in October. The Georgia Viaducts, the only visible reminder of the grander city-wide freeway plan of the 1950s, will soon be a memory with their impending demolition. On this walk we’ll explore their history and development, the freeway fight and explore a… Continue reading The Roads to Nowhere
The 105 Keefer project proposed by the Beedie Group doesn’t work for the location or for Chinatown as a whole. The basic problem is that the developer and the architects still have not taken the time to engage in, and with, the community they want to build in. The starting point should have been, and… Continue reading Re-thinking 105 Keefer… by 50′
The debate over 105 Keefer is an important one, not just because it’s a significant chunk of development on a critical site in Chinatown, but with the reimagined parkland and residential communities that will emerge from the North East False Creek planning program, this site will be a major gateway to the historic quarter.… Continue reading Gone But The Significance Remains…
Today, Vancouver is praised for its record of good planning and livability, but it wasn’t always so. In the 1950s planners and politicians saw the east side neighbourhoods as a threat to the well being of the city and they set out to wipe out the blight. From the 1957 redevelopment report: “…delay is expensive.… Continue reading The Neighbourhood That Saved Vancouver
Chinatown’s boundary has been shaped by many factors beyond the community’s control. Industry on False Creek, rail yards, ship yards crowded the southern edge. In the 1960s the edge is defined by the freeway planning that creates the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts. To the east, urban renewal truncates the neighbourhood at Gore removing businesses, clan associations… Continue reading Considering Chinatown: boundaries, impacts and going slow & messy
A 120 year old house is stripped of its 1960s era stucco. Underneath, original siding with an uncommon profile is revealed and looked to be in great shape. The next day the siding is ripped of the house and tossed. The house is gutted and all of the interior fittings hit the disposal bin. The porch… Continue reading Volumetric Preservation maybe ’cause it sure isn’t heritage or conservation
In December, City Council will receive a report from the Civic Assets Naming Committee recommending that the lane between Harwood and Burnaby streets be named Maxine Lane to honour Maxine MacGilvray an enterprising Vancouver business women. Maxine’s name was chosen because of her strong connection to the West End with her beauty school and salon… Continue reading Maxine Lane, the newest addition to the West End
At their November 29, 2016 meeting City Council approved the recommendations of the Civic Assets Naming Committee to name a new road in the redevelopment of the Arbutus Shopping Centre as Lahb Avenue. Lahb is Chinook for the Arbutus tree. This is the first Chinook word used for a street in Vancouver. This approval continues the… Continue reading The First Chinook Street Name
The poor old former Louvre Hotel. Today a portion of the building is propped up with steel posts, bolts and plywood because of some careless demolition next door. Let’s hope the building survives this latest threat. The Louvre has a fascinating history which I wrote about 5 years ago. Here’s the link.
Declared a provincial historic area in the 1970s and a national historic district in 2011, Chinatown is recognized for its significant contribution to British Columbia and Canada. The Chinatown Gate, spanning Pender west of Carrall Street, welcomes visitors and Vancouverites to the district. The never ending parade of tour busses in the summer months attest… Continue reading Chinatown: the freeway didn’t kill it but the zoning just might…
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 