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 Vancouver Heritage Foundation and the DVBIA unveiled the latest set of Places That Matter plaques on June 26, 2015. It was a great celebration. The five plaques focus on various aspects of the role West Hastings Street has played in the development of the city; finance, the port, parades, tourism and the early residents.… Continue reading Old Landmarks Going….
Exploring The Other Waterfront: The River District The North Arm of the Fraser River is the city’s other, and unappreciated, waterfront. Industry still occupies much of the shoreline and log booms, barges and tugs make for a fascinating and changing parade of activity. At the foot of Kerr Street, the view was once dominated by… Continue reading New Sunday Walking Tour
Happy New Year from all of us at Old Hastings Mill Store Museum! We hope that you are having an enjoyable winter, wherever you happen to be! It promises to be an exciting year at the museum! 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Captain Edward Stamp’s Burrard Inlet arrival on a point of land just west of the… Continue reading Get your History Fix At The Hastings Mill
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
From Chief James Hobart, Spuzzum First Nation Dear Friend in Heritage Tourism: The Spuzzum First Nation on behalf of the Alexandra Bridge Project Partners invites you to join their petition drive to restore the historic 1926 Alexandra Bridge. MLA Laurie Throness has promised to personally deliver this petition asking Transportation Minister Todd Stone to show leadership in… Continue reading The Alexandra Bridge Needs Your Help
If you’ve walked through Mount Pleasant, you’ve probably seen and read many of these history plaques set around the neighbourhood. It’s interesting how short the corporate memory can be. A while back the City’s engineering department was busy digging up Alberta Street and lifted the bricks, carefully stacked them on pallets and carted them away.… Continue reading Where Did The All The Bricks Go?
From the Montreal Herald’s Dominion edition 1889
The July 17th., 1883 issue of the Mainland Guardian reported that the town of Granville (Vancouver in three years) was becoming a noted resort for “pleasure seekers” since it “seems that no longer is the delightful and invigorating summer breeze which constantly blows o’er the dark waters of Coal Harbour on sunny afternoons, impregnated by… Continue reading Noted Resort
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 