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 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…
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…
On a recent walking tour of the Cedar Cove area of Vancouver (centred around Victoria Dr and Powell Street) we came across this fabulous set of buildings at 2036 Triumph Street. Local lore has it that the house was once on Powell Street at the waterfront and that it was moved to it’s current location.… Continue reading Build House, Move House…
Vancouver World November 30, 1910
Once you get used to the navigation it’s easy to move through the environments and it’s fun poking around parts of the old Hotel Vancouver and Hogan’s Alley. The spirit of both places has been captured well. Objects that glow are tapped to bring up stories, which in a nice touch, are told by etherial… Continue reading 1948, NFB and Stan Douglas’ New App
Digging through the negs I found this image of the mall looking west through the courtyard.
New apartments await buyers at 45th and Tisdall, just behind Oakridge Mall. At the time, without the Strata-Title Act they were sold as ‘self-owned’ apartments. Tisdall is still oiled gravel and the land to the west has yet to be subdivided.
What Floats to the Top of My Desk 