Tag Archives: vancouver
Mike Taylor & Co.
Mike Taylor (as he was known by virtually everyone during his long career in Vancouver), was a jazz musician who played piano, organ, and electronic keyboards here from ca1959 until the early ‘80s. After he left the city for Greater … Continue reading
Posted in jazz/blues, music
Tagged Anna Starr, bc, black lives matter, Brute Force, Commercial Electronics, Gordon Melvin Hoytt (Mike) Taylor, history, Jablu After Hours Club, Joyce Gloria King, Korean War, Linda Dorricott, Long Beach, majestic theatre, Mike Taylor, Neil Whaley, Patricia Ricci Taylor, Portland, Private First Class, Riverqueen, Robert Moen, Rosebud Claussen, The Bunkhouse, vancouver, Why Not Now
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The Incarcerated Ones
This post was inspired by a series of CVA records that share the tag, “Incarcerated Persons”. All of these records are part of the Vancouver Police Department fonds and each consists of a mug shot and the date on which it … Continue reading
Posted in crime and punishment
Tagged bc, Bert Washington, Charles A. Schroeder, Emil Jensen, George Williams, H. J. Dennis, Henry Carter, history, J. W. Darche, John Lyons, Joseph Flynn aka Liverpool Shorty, Joseph Perry, Judge McInnes, Mitchell Doyle, Mrs. Mckenzie, Richard Fleming, Rita King, Rose Gaylord, Susy Denny, Tessie McDonald, Thomas Morrison, vancouver, Walter Bradley
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Chain Gangs in the City
To my surprise, and perhaps to yours, chain gangs were a reality in the City of Vancouver in its early years (roughly from city incorporation in 1886 until 1910). Evidently, in no province except B.C. was prison labour used (World, … Continue reading
Posted in crime and punishment
Tagged bc, Burr, chain gangs, city jail, Clough, Grady, Haywood, history, J. S. Matthews, Leatherdale, vagrancy (homelessness), vags, vancouver, Vancouver Board of Works
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Fred Tibbott, Local Composer
Alfred (Fred) Noel Tibbott was born to David Tibbott (1869-1955) and Kezia Lewis (1868-1936) in 1893. He had two brothers and a sister: A. Victor (1894-?), Leonard (1900-1979) and Thelma (later Hargreaves) (1905-1994). Their parents immigrated to Canada from Wales. … Continue reading
Posted in biography, music
Tagged A. Paul Michelin, A. Victor Tibbott, Alfred (Fred) Noel Tibbott, bc, Calvin Winterr, composers, David & Kezia.Tibbott, Elwood Ward Co., George Rex, great war, history, Le Roy Publishing, Leonard Tibbott, mental illness, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, musician, Printer, Shaughnessy Military Hospital, shell shock, Thelma Tibbott (nee Hargreaves), vancouver, Wales
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Hastings Park Zoo
The Hastings Park Zoo endured at the park for about 30 years, however it is all but ignored in most histories of Vancouver parks and the Exhibition which has called Hastings Park home, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). When the … Continue reading
Posted in Zoo
Tagged animal fair (petting zoo), aquarium, bc, golden pheasant, H. S. Ralston, Hastings Park zoo, history, Mandarin Duck, P. Burns & Co., Pascoe & Co., stanley park zoo, vancouver
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The True Fable of the “Old Safe Block”
I was paging through an early Vancouver directory the other day and stumbled across a building named the “Old Safe block”. (For the uninitiated, “block” is just another word for building). It was common for early Vancouver designers to name … Continue reading
Forgotten Philanthropist
When the subject of Vancouver philanthropists comes up in conversation, the names H. R. MacMillan, Leon Koerner, Jimmy Pattison, Jack Diamond, and David Lam are likely to arise. But the name of Rufus Gibbs is less likely to come up. … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, churches
Tagged anglican churches of bc, bc, Berwick house, British Empire Games, Canadian Arthritis Society, David Lam, eastside boys' club, freedom of vancouver, Gibbs fishing, Gibbs Tool and Stamping Works, good citizen of the year medal, H. R. MacMillan, history, Jack Diamond, Jimmy Pattison, John and Eliza Gibbs, Leon Koerner, Patricia Hotel, Peterborough, rufe Gibbs hall, Rufus Charles Gibbs, Rufus Gibbs lodge, Salvation Army, St. John the Divine (Anglican) Church in Yale, Trent University, vancouver
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Reginald Brock and his Remarkable Funeral Procession
Well, his funeral procession is remarkable to me, at any rate. The photo above has been a source of puzzlement to me since I first laid eyes on it some years ago. I knew in a general way who Brock … Continue reading
Posted in air flights, education
Tagged alta lake, bc, Brock Memorial Hall, Dean of Applied Science, Deeleap, Exclusive ambulance, Frank AB, General Allenby, Girl Guides, great war, history, Horsehoe Bay, Marian Jenkins, Millie Brock, Ocean View Park, Palestine, Pioneer mine, Rev Thomas Brock, RW Brock, St. John's United, vancouver, Vancouver Harbour Commission
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The Padmore
The narrow building adjacent to the St. Francis Hotel on the south side of the 600 block of Cordova (between Granville and Seymour) was built in 1912 and was known as the Padmore Block after its initial owner, F. W. … Continue reading
The Early Vancouver Public Library During the 20-Year Term of Edwin Machin, Librarian
James Edwin Machin, the librarian of Vancouver’s Free Library and Reading Room, later known as Vancouver Public Library, from 1890 – 1910, was not a trained librarian. But he was, along with his wife and daughter, a great lover of … Continue reading
Posted in books/reading, libraries
Tagged 144 Cordova, Alfred J. Morton, bc, borrower's ticket, carnegie library, City Market Hall, cotgreave's indicator, Credit Foncier, Eliza Machin, Elsie Machin, George R Pollay, Hastings at Westminster, history, James Edwin Machin, Original Court House, Pender at Hamilton, Rand Bros, vancouver, wadds bros., YMCA Building
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800 Keefer
The home at 800 Keefer has stood for many years. About 125, in fact! During its time, there have been many occupants of the place: residence dwellers, businesses, and artisans. There have been several owners, and even more tenants over … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, homes/apts/condos
Tagged 800 Keefer, A. Cymbiuk, Adam Jack, bc, Black Cat - Fred Herzog, Captain Paul Zellinsky, Edward Constable, George W Maynard, Hawks, history, J. Johnson, John Waite, Lucien Zanon, Montreal Bakery, Paneficio Group, Pong C. Quan, vancouver, Willibald Tafferner, Willy’s bakery, Yuen Gow
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The Shearman Brothers: Weather Prophets
Between Thomas and Eustace Shearman, these brothers had the weather biz in Vancouver pretty well tied up for the best part of half a century. These were the days before every media outlet had its own meteorologists on staff (preferably, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 9 O'Clock Gun, Arthur Evans Shearman, astronomer, bc, Eustace b. shearman, H. H. Stevens, history, J. S. Plaskett, Jane Rees Shearman, M. B. A. A., meteorologist, telescope, Thomas h. s. shearman, Thomas Stimson Shearman, vancouver, Vancouver Airport, weather, West Fairview, Woodstock College
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The Elcho
The Elcho Apartments (and commercial) building was on the NE corner of Davie and Hornby at 845 Davie Street. The block was built for the Hood Bros. (William B. and Robert A. Hood, real estate brokers) in ca1908. Where does … Continue reading
Posted in apartments
Tagged 845 Davie street, Alfred O. Swanby (and Dorothy), Archibald Strang (and Bertha), bc, Davie Art Shop, Elcho apartment building, Elcho Castle, Ernest A. Dean (and Winona), Frank A. Patrick (and Catherine), history, Hood Bros., James C. McNaughton (and Mary), James Slight (and Mary), Leopold Zoller (and Elizabeth), Lord Elcho, Louise Tremayne, Mitchell TV, Nora Goodalll Antiques, The Landis Hotel and Suites, vancouver, Violet A. Girard (and Romeo)
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Matric Annual for King Ed High School: 1921
In 1921, King Edward High School was just 12 years old. The principal of King Ed, George Fergusson, would live only seven more years, dying suddenly in 1928. And one of the grads would live only to 1925, passing away … Continue reading
Posted in education, schools/colleges/universities
Tagged 12th Avenue and Laurel, Add Summum, Armstrong, bc, bell, blue and white school colors, Cambie Grocery, Chinese-Canadian, Chris Robson, Clarence Domoney, connor, Dorothy Moe, Elizabeth MacKenzie, Everett Lees, Florence Clarke, Frank Leong, George Fergusson, Gordon H. Rae, Gulf Titanium Ltd., hall, Harbour Ferries Ltd., Hazel Brooks, history, Kathleen Ralph, king edward high school, Labour Temple, Lord Beaconsfield School, Lord Kitchener Schoool, Marjorie Thorburn, matric annual, McGill, mcLeish, mcqueen, normal school, ogilvie, prefect, school teacher, Science, tait, Tranquille Sanitorium, UBC, vancouver, vining, W. Clark, woods, yearbook
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Radio FBC
In 1974, under the innovative1 Senior Pastorate of Rev. Dr. Roy Bell (1970-1981), First Baptist Church Vancouver participated for the first time in a radio broadcast of its morning service.2 The radio station – CJVB 1470 – was a relatively … Continue reading
Man Plunges From 15th Floor! (And Other Tales – Thrilling and Banal – at the Standard Bank Building)
Construction started on the “Weart Building” in Spring 1913; it was finished by August 1914. By the time the building opened, it was referred to as the Standard Bank Building as that was the name of the anchor tenant at … Continue reading
Posted in Buildings
Tagged air raid shelter, bc, BC Aquarium Society, Chinese Consul, history, Japanese consul, Li Chao, National Council for Canadian-Soviet Friendship, Richards & Hastings, Sheridan’s Physiotherapy and Slenderizing Salon, Stuart Thomson, Takeshi Yusakawa, Thomas Farmer, vancouver, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Venetian Hair Co., Weart, Ziegler’s Cafe
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A. W. Sullivan: Black Pioneer and Hall-Builder
Arthur Willis Sullivan (1860-1921) was a black pioneer who was very popular in early (and pre-) Vancouver.1 He was born in New Westminster to Philip ( – 1886), who came originally from the West Indies, and Josephine Sullivan (1818-1894), who … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged Amanda, Amanda Hogg, Annie Thomson Sullivan, Arthur Willis Sullivan, bc, Changing Vancouver blog, Cordova near Abbott, Dr. Langis, history, Josephine Sullivan, Moodyville Mill, mulattos, Philip Sullivan, Princess Street Methodist Church, S. S. Beaver, St. James Anglican Church, Sullivan Halls, vancouver, W. M. Carmichael
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The Unusual Life of Ruby Kay, Bookseller
Ruby Ellis was born in Bradford, England to Angus Ellis and Charlotte Emily Hudson in November 1905. There is no record of Charlotte having a career (but it’s likely she stayed at home to raise Ruby and her sister, Beatrice … Continue reading
H. E. Lazarus and the Hotel Vancouver Cigar Stand
Hyman Edward Lazarus (1872-1961) came to Canada from London, England when he was about 30, arriving in Vancouver in about 1902. When he got here, he found work with a tobacco vendor named Solomon Blackson at 506 Granville. Lazarus remained … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alexandra Orphanage, Banff Springs Hotel, bc, C. S. Dixon, connaught bridge, Corona Cigar Box, E. H. Lazarus, history, Hospital for Crippled Children, Hotel Vancouver Cigar Stand, Lake Louise Hotel, Lexington, Millar & Coe, Red Cross, Solomon Blackson, The Embassy Hotel, Tom Carter, vancouver
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The Home of Photographer S. J. Thompson (1275 Haro)
Stephen Joseph Thompson (1864-1929) was a fine early Vancouver photographer – arguably the best early B.C. landscape photographer. Eve Lazarus has written a piece about Thompson’s life and career here. This post is less about Thompson than it is about … Continue reading
Vaughn Moore’s Studio of Terpsichorean Art
For those of you who (like me) are not well-versed in advanced crossword clues, the term “Terpsichorean” pertains to dancing. Vaughn Drier Moore (1894-1965) made a career out of providing dancing instruction in the Pacific Northwest from about 1919 until … Continue reading
Gai Paree Supper Club in South Burnaby
The Gai Paree Supper Club was established in 1947 by the Morin family on Kingsway at Sperling. Anne Marie and R. P. (Rene Pierre) Morin were born in France, later moving to the Channel Islands in the U.K. where they … Continue reading
Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries
Tagged "Pierre", Addison's Disease, Adele, Anne Marie, bc, Bonneville, Diego's, Gai Paree Supper Club, history, Jack Cullen, Maurice Guibord, Morins, Rene, Rene Memorial Playground, Rene Pierre, Rudy, Severin, Severin's, Sperling and Kingsway, vancouver, White Spot
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The Happy Wanderers: Findlater’s Elgar Choir – Updated
Charles E. Findlater (1893-1975) founded and led the Elgar Junior Choir from 1924 until shortly before his death.¹ Until Findlater received permission from English composer Sir Edward Elgar’s daughter in 1932 (there is some disagreement as to the year; in some places, … Continue reading
Posted in music, railways
Tagged Amy Findlater, bc, Charles E. Findlater, Crofton House School, Eldigar Singers, elgar junior choir, Elgar School of Music, Fairfield Building, history, Nancy (Haines) Nelson, Sir Edward Elgar, St. Andrew's-Wesley United, The Happy Wanderer, vancouver, Vancouver College, Wesley Methodist
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Drinking Fountains in the City
Early A very early (if not the first) Vancouver water fountain was situated at the corner which, from the 1930s, was known as Pioneer Place but is better known, today, as Pigeon Park. This piece of real estate was useless … Continue reading
Posted in street scenes, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, bubbler fountain, charles marega, history, James Blomfield, Joe Fortes, King Edward VII Memorial, Kiwassa monument, Maple Tree Monument, memorial fountain, Pauline Johnson, pigeon park, Pioneer Place, public health, Queen Victoria Memorial, Tuberculosis, vancouver
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The Nanaimo Street Foundry
The foundry at 4080 Nanaimo Street, shown above, was Vancouver Pipe and Foundry from ca1913-1919, then Anthes-Tait Foundry (1919-1944) and finally Associated Foundry (1944-69). From 1969 until ca1980, the site was City of Vancouver property. I have been unable to … Continue reading
Union Steam Ship Cutch
Old Cutch1, as she was affectionately referred to in the press in later years, was built in Hull, England in 1884 as a yacht of the British Raj in India but was sold to Captain Webster, the Manager of Vancouver’s … Continue reading
Posted in boats/ships
Tagged Alaska, Astoria, bc, Black Diamond City, Bogata, Captain Clintom, Captain Webster, Coquitlam, Douglas, history, Horseshoe reef, Jessie Banning, Juneau, Nanaimo, Newcombe, Portland, S.S. Cutch, Skagway, Union Steamship Co., vancouver
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Kerrisdale Baptist Church
As is true of most Baptist churches in the Greater Vancouver area, Kerrisdale Baptist Church had quite humble origins.1 Baptists living in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood met, starting ca1913, at the home of Ralph Daggett at 38th and Dunbar (which seems … Continue reading
Posted in churches, Electric Power
Tagged Angus Drive, bc, Bill Reimer, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Scientists, Clark Bentall, Frank McNeill, fraser river, history, John Davidson, Kerrisdale Baptist Church, marpole, Pitt River, Port Coquitlam, The Past is the Prologue, Trinity Baptist Church, vancouver, Vincent Massey What's Past is Prologue, Wilson Road
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B. T. Rogers Family Silent Film
This is an atypical post about an unusual item at the City of Vancouver Archives. The item is a silent film. That in itself is not uncommon among CVA’s holdings – they have several early silent films. But most of … Continue reading
Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged 1928, B. T. Rogers family, Bastard Love, bc, Centennial Theatre, Duncan Bell-Irving, Elspeth Cherniavsky, Ernie Rogers, Favershams, history, Irene Rogers, Isobel Tupper, Jan Cherniavsky, Lila Malkin, Reggie Tupper, Shannon Mansion (57th Ave at Granville), silent film, vancouver
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A Lubritorium at Broadway Auto Dealership!
Dueck Chevrolet Oldsmobile established a large, multi-service structure at 1305 West Broadway (just a couple of blocks east of Granville at Hemlock) in 1947. In addition to new cars on display in Dueck’s swanky glass-enclosed showroom, there was a used … Continue reading
Up, Up and Away!
The image above shows the hydrogen-filled* balloon that was featured in the 1956 blockbuster film, Around the World in 80 Days. It was in Vancouver as part of the B.C. International Trade Fair which was held at the PNE grounds … Continue reading
1175 Haro Street
Granville School The building shown above at 1175 Haro Street was built in 1898 for Mlle. Marie-Louise Kern (1861-1951), the principal of Granville School. The school was a private boarding and day school for girls. Granville School was established in … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1021 Melville, 1175 Haro Street, alscace-lorraine, bc, Bookstore, C. Noel Wilde, Caufeild, France, Granville School, history, J. D. A. Tripp, James Thomson, Lynwood, Marie-Louise Kern, Melville Patrick Thomson, Miss Patterson, Oliver, Physical Culture, salome aimee kern, Stationery, vancouver, Villa Esto Apartments, west end
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Pioneer Hotel and Current Bookstore Share Similar Logo Across 135 Years
The Greyhound Hotel (1886-1890) at 232 Water Street and a contemporary bookshop called The Paper Hound at 344 West Pender Street share a strikingly similar logo. I stumbled across the hotel illustration on CVA’s database yesterday. The photo from which … Continue reading
Beatrice Shaw, Vancouver Vaudevillian, Dies on New York Stage
Beatrice Amelia Shaw (1901-1924), daughter of William Arthur Shaw (1866-1923) and Amanda Nelson (1876-1950) died in 1924 in New York City on stage, apparently due to heart disease. She was performing as one of “the Dale Sisters” in the International … Continue reading
Posted in music, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged 71st Regiment atmory, bc, beatrice amelia shaw, cumnock hall school of expression, dale sisters, Duker & Shaw, Gregor Cherniavsky, Helen Leopold, history, International Perfume Exhibition, Margaret Ranelle, new york city, orpheum theatre, Sacred Heart Academy, strand hotel, vancouver, W. A. Shaw
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The DeMuths: Canadian Pacific Steamship Artists
Flora and Martin DeMuth were partners both in marriage and in art on Canadian Pacific Steamships. The pair made their first round-the-world cruise in 1925-26 aboard CP’s Empress of Scotland, a year after their wedding. Martin was a captain in … Continue reading
Posted in art, Illustrations
Tagged Art Students' League, bc, Canadian Pacific Steamships, Connecticut, Flora Nash DeMuth, history, Honolulu, Martin DeMuth, Memogram, vancouver
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Romance in Death Notices?
One doesn’t often find stories of romance in the obits. But in early September 1922, if one looked in the local newspapers, you would certainly have found one. It was the love story told of Captain Murdock & Jessie McLennan, … Continue reading
Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, Batman, this is NUTS!
The life net (or the Browder Life Safety Net) was invented by Thomas Browder in 1847 to assist people who are stuck on the upper story of a building that is on fire. The photo above, notwithstanding, I doubt that … Continue reading
Carter’s Vintage Vancouver Christmas!
I think the Christmas season is now near enough that I can safely notify you of an opportunity for you and/or yours (and, at the same time, to ‘toot the horn’ on behalf of a gifted friend)! Tom Carter is … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged art, bc, history, painting, Tom Carter, vancouver, Vancouver vintage city scnes
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Cora McFarland, Public School Teacher
Very little is known today about Cora Helen McFarland (1878-1966). She was born and raised in New Brunswick by John and Isabella McFarland and attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB). She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the UNB with … Continue reading
‘Oops’ – 501 W. Pender Street
The image above has been on my radar for quite some time. Ever since I first saw it in the City of Vancouver Archives online a few years ago, I have assumed that the address shown for it – 501 … Continue reading
Posted in businesses
Tagged 455 W. Pender, 501 W. Pender, bc, Conference Plaza, Cristall’s appliances, Harvey & Gorrie’s, history, MacLeod’s Books, vancouver
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The Radlett
The rooming house shown above at 862 Homer Street was, early in its existence, called The Radlett. It was built in 1908 for about $3000 by owner, Thomas Foster. Depending who was counting, there were between 18 and 20 rooms … Continue reading
Vancouver’s Zeller’s Ltd.
Walter P. Zeller, the founder of Zeller’s Ltd., was born in Ontario to Swiss parents (Province 13 May 1949). He got his start in business working at Woolworth’s, but by 1931 he had started his own retail shop in Montreal … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, department stores
Tagged "Retailers to thrifty Canadians", bc, BC Electric Showroom, Federal Government, Fields, Granville and Dunsmuir, history, MacMillan Building, Skillet Restaurant, Target, The Bay, vancouver, W. T. Grant, Walmart, Walter P. Zeller, Wartime Prices Board, Woolworth's, Zeller's Ltd.
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Department Store Food Floors
David Spencer Ltd. The food floor at Vancouver’s David Spencer Ltd. was fundamentally different from the other local department stores mentioned in this post. Its name was original: “David Spencer’s Model Food Market”. And it wasn’t located with the other … Continue reading
An Early, Forgotten Hotel: The Cosmo
The Cosmopolitan Hotel [1], or ‘the Cosmo’ as it came to be known, was reputedly one of the first hotels to be opened after the 1886 Great Fire (World 11 Aug 1889). It was, presumably, open for business in 1887. … Continue reading
Space Towers
The Spiro Tower, more commonly known as the Space Tower, on the Playland grounds at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) was Vancouver’s response to Seattle’s Space Needle. [1] The Seattle structure, built for Expo 1962, dwarfed Vancouver’s tower, however (Needle: … Continue reading
The Dramatic Life of Carl Berch
Early Years Carl E. Berch was born ca1866 in Wisconsin. But he wasn’t made for mid-western life. He was made for the stage. Indeed, he seems to have made dramatic gestures throughout his life. Berch first came to the attention … Continue reading
Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged Actor, Alhambra Theatre, bc, Berch School of Dramatic Art, Carl E. Brerch, Carrie Clarke Ward, Edmonton, Fred Dyke, history, Kate Dalton, Katherine Brennan, Mr. Dorr, Mrs. Edna Berch Corbeau, Pantages Theatre, San Francisco eathquake 1906, San Jose, Sullivan & Considine, The Country Girl, The People's Theatre, Theatre Manager, Theatre Royal, vancouver, Vancouver's first Orpheum Theatre, W. H. Lucas, wreck of the Alaska
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Vancouver Bible School
Update The Vancouver Bible Training School (VBTS) was a child of the Vancouver Evangelistic Movement (VEM). Among the goals of VEM was the establishment of a Bible training school. The school was, accordingly, started in 1918. The raison d’etre of … Continue reading
Vancouver Street Fair/Carnival, 1901
A street fair was held in Vancouver August 5-10, 1901 on West Hastings Street between Granville and Burrard (it also included Howe and Hornby between Pender and Hastings). Along much of this stretch, there were booths set up where the … Continue reading
Derril Warren BC Tory Ads from 1972
Encore Post There are a series of television ads on CVA located here¹ (to find the first of the PC ads, go to the 7.08 minute mark in the clip) that represented another in a long series of attempts by BC … Continue reading
BCER Motorman Prevents Grim Scene Becoming Grimmer
The wreckage shown in the photo above shows part of the outcome of school boys playing around with the brakes on a Dominion Creosote boxcar that was parked on Main Street (as part of a reconstruction job going on at … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, BCER, Charles J. Gaell, dominion creosote, history, main street, vancouver, waterworks gang
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“Senator Grill” to White Spot’s “Garden Spot”
The Senator Grill was built in 1947 and opened in the summer of that year. The owners were Joseph W. Brault and John L. Cameron. Brault, a veteran restaurateur, had run an establishment just a few blocks away from where … Continue reading
Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries
Tagged bc, Brault, Cameron, history, Nat Bailey, Peter Toigo, Senator Grill, vancouver, White Spot Garden Spot, White Spot Senator
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Dining Out – 50 Years Ago
I’m indebted to my friend, Rod Clarke, one of the proprietors of The Paper Hound Bookshop, for pointing out the book on which this post is based. It is called Where to Eat in Canada: 1971 and is a guide … Continue reading
Posted in books/reading, cafes/restaurants/eateries, food
Tagged Alex Katz, Anne Hardy, bc, C. C. Sun, history, Hy’s Encore, Hy’s Steakhouse, Iaci’s Casa Capri, Jade. Palace, La Cote d’Azur, Maurice Richez, robson street, robsonstrasse, Rod Clarke, schnitzel house, Sondra Gotlieb, sugar daddy’s discotheque, The Cave nightclub, The Paper Hound Bookwhop, vancouver, Where to Eat in Canada: 1971
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“On With the Show, This is It!” – The McCance Theatre Men
When I began researching this post, I intended to focus exclusively on Gail McCance, set designer for Theatre Under the Stars, the Vancouver Opera Association and other organizations. However, one of the first sources I encountered was a 1919 newspaper … Continue reading
Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged Actor's Equity Association, Adrian Awan, avenue theatre, B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame, bc, British Columbia Institute of Music and Drama (BCIMD), Brockton Poiunt, capitol theatre, CJOR, Deadman's Island, empress theatre, Frank Vyvyan, Gail McCance, Gordon Hilker, history, Island Theatre Summer Stock Company, Larry H. McCance, lyric theatre, Malkin Memorial Bowl, Mary Teresa McHugh, Masquers Guild, Metro Theatre, Old HMCS DIscovery, The Geisha, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Thersa S. Maclagan, vancouver, VAncouver Ballet, Vancouver Little Theatre, vancouver opera house, William Buckingham
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Happy Dominion (er. . . Canada) Day!
Originally posted July 1, 2014. This is a view from 1220 Homer (Yaletown) made by Ernie Reksten on a ‘holiday Monday’, July 3, 1967. The holiday was Dominion Day (known as Canada Day since 1982), and most Canadians should be able … Continue reading
Posted in books/reading, churches, street scenes
Tagged 1967, bc, Canada Day, Dominion Day, downtown, history, vancouver
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The Stock Theatre Companies of George B. Howard
George B. Howard (1868-1921) was a well-known figure in Vancouver in the 19-teens and twenties. He got his start in Vancouver at the Lyric Theatre (Pender at Hamilton), moved on to the Avenue Theatre (Main at Georgia) and finished at … Continue reading
Christian Church (Disciples): 30 Years at Cambie and 13th
The church shown above began its life as Shelton Memorial Christian Church at 505 W 13th Ave (at Cambie Street) in 1927. It was on the site of what today is the former Plaza 500 hotel complex (the lower, four-storey, … Continue reading
Posted in churches
Tagged 505 W 13th, bc, Claude V. Stainsby, Community Christian Church, Dr. A. L. Shelton, ecumenism, Edna MacCullie, First Christian, Frank T. Carter, G. Hayden Stewart, Grace MacInnis, history, Kenneth S. Wills, Shelton Memorial Christian Church, Stone-Campbell Restoration movement, vancouver, William G. Kitchen, Woodland Drive at E 14th
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1927 Beauty Contest a Schmozzle
Popularity Contest? Beauty Contest? Shown in the photo above are some of the contestants in the Canadian Legion Celebration Popularity Contest, gathered around the Auburn vehicle that was promised to the winner of the competition. Although the Legion referred to … Continue reading
Frank Stuart-Whyte: Impressario Extraordinaire
When Frank Stuart-Whyte wrote to the Vancouver Parks Board in 1911 asking for a meeting to discuss whether his “Versatile” players from England could have a license to perform at English Bay in the summer, he almost certainly had no … Continue reading
Posted in beach, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged 1643, Alladin and his wonderful lamp, Babes in the Wood, bc, Cinderella, Dennis William White, Dick Whittington and His Cat, Floradora, Frank Hardwick White, Frank Stuart-Whyte, Geoffrey Hoyland White, Harry Hoyland Young, history, In the Camp-Fire's Glow, Painted Daughters, pierrot, Prince Charming Jr, Red Riding Hood, Robinson Crusoe, San Toy: The Chinese Musical, Sarah Nellie White (Young), Scottie in Japan, Stadacona Park, Sunrise, The Canadian Express, The Geisha, The girl from nowhere, vancouver, vaudeville, Zara Clinton
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A Brief Revealing Tale
I’m reliably informed that this story has been told before, more than once. But it was new to me, and so, working on the assumption that others likewise may be unaware of the tale, I’m sharing it below. The story … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bathhouse, bc, english bay, history, Joe Fortes, Parks Board, Special Constable, vancouver
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A (Forgotten) Dragon Named Sue
Monster Mash The 150-foot dragon (“painted in an Indian motif and floating on oil drums”) was installed in Lost Lagoon by the B.C. Centennial (1858-1958) Committee in June 1958 (Sun 19 June 1958). The Chinese junk, which was to be … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, art, Illustrations
Tagged bc, Bob Banks, Centennial Sue, Centennial Sue the Dragon, Century Sam, Chinese Junk, history, lost lagoon, MOV, Philip B. Stroyan, stanley park, vancouver
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Misspellings of My Surname . . . Let Me Count the Ways!
Aurey, Aury, Owrey, and Awray. I have found all of these mis-spellings of the surname of Peter Alpaugh Awrey (1824-1906). (Oddly, his middle name — which seems to me more challenging — was never misspelled in official documents!) The good … Continue reading
Posted in biography, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged 522 Homer, Alexandra Orphanage, bc, Caradoc Evans - first person buried in Mountain View Cemetery, David & Martha Evans, Emerson Manitoba, Farmer, history, Joy Evans, Life Deacon, Ontario, Peter Alpaugh Awrey, Rachel Awrey, vancouver, wooden sidewalks
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The Steno Sisters
In the early years of the twentieth century, it wasn’t often that a young woman started her own small business, much less made a ‘go’ of it for nearly 30 years! But that’s exactly what Catherine Pedden did. With help … Continue reading
Posted in businesses
Tagged bc, Birk's Building, Canadian Credit Men's Trust Association, Catherine Pedden, court stenographer, Crescent Rebekah Lodge, dictaphone, Ellen Pedden, history, Joseph Pedden, Margaret Pedden, Mary Pedden, Middlesex County, Northwest Securities Corp. Building, Ontario, public stenographer, steno pad, Stock Exchange Buildng, vancouver, Vancouver Steno-Typists, Vancouver Stenographers
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Art Glass at First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church is going to be closed to the public for the next two years (2021-ca2023) as it undergoes substantial renovation, seismic upgrading and development. It seems to me appropriate, therefore, to offer a stained glass ‘tour’ of First … Continue reading
Posted in art, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged "FBC Farewell Tour", Alf Wiebe, art glass, bc, carey theological college, christ church cathedral, Christ the Carpenter window, Cross and Crowns (vestry) window, Edna Grenz, Evelyn Loewen, Greg Burke, history, holy rosary cathedral, Jeanette Blackwell, Jim Wolf, John Bunyan window, Joiner memorial window, Kurtis Findlay, marine building, Mark Laughlin, Nesbit memorial window, Regent College, Rev. J. Gordon Jones, Sharon Wiebe, Stan Grenz, The Armour of God window, vancouver, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, William Carey window, Worship Windows (Pinder hall)
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Sir John and Prince Volkonsky
Sir John Martin Harvey had a reputation as a Shakespearean actor on the stage and (later) as a silent film star in the U.K. and in the wider world, not least in Canada (when he was in Vancouver in 1921, … Continue reading
Hornett vs. Solomon
The Process (and Some Findings) A number of VAIW readers have asked me how I get and develop ideas for my posts. This post presents a pretty typical example, so indulge me as I trace the process: I began with … Continue reading
Posted in second hand stores
Tagged 221 Abbott, alberta, bc, Harry Solomon, Hill End, history, Leonard Hornett, Red Deer, vancouver
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Some 19th-Century Lingo Related to Marriage and Singleness
This brief post is a tour of three odd Victorian words and phrases that pertain to marriage and singleness and that were employed in early Vancouver newspapers. Bachelor’s Hall The photo above shows a bachelor’s hall in Vancouver in 1890. … Continue reading
Posted in language
Tagged bachelor's hall, bc, history, Hymeneal altar, Keeping bachelor's hall, vancouver
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Those Musical (and Tragic) Clays
Prof. Milton Clay his wife, Amy and their boys, Percy, Harold, and Reginald made quite a splash during their time in Vancouver. Milton, who was an unabashed promoter of himself and his family, made sure that from their arrival in … Continue reading
Vancouver’s Junkmen of the Thirties
This is an atypical VAIW post. It consists largely of an extended verbatim quotation from a long-forgotten West End Vancouver newspaper, called the West End Breeze. The subject of the quote is the junkmen of the 1930s who, with horse … Continue reading
Posted in journalism
Tagged A. Fagan, bc, Ben Gold, Benny Baltman, E. Schwartz, F. Kurtz, Harry Halpern, history, Joe Sapoznick, Marjorie Lang, Max Hammer, Myrtle Patterson Gregory, Neil Whaley, S. Kurtz, T. Jacobson, vancouver, West End Breeze
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‘Knight of the Brush and Broom’ and Curator of What Would Become MOA
William Tansley (1859-1951) was a UBC janitor starting in September 1916, in the period when the school was located in the Fairview district (at what is today Vancouver General Hospital). When Tansley accepted his position at UBC, it was another … Continue reading
Posted in museum, UBC
Tagged A.M Ross Real Estate, Annie Elizabeth, bc, Bessie C. Tansley, Burnett, Dr. Frank Burnett, fairview, Hanely, history, janitor, Lobb & Muir Blacksmiths, Museum of anthropology (MOA), Stoke-on-Trent, Tupper & Son Insurance Brokers, UBC, vancouver, William Tansley
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Playograph Adds Zing to World Series
The image shown above was encountered by me yesterday when I was researching a forthcoming post. When I saw the photo, I noticed that CVA’s description of the photo’s locale was wrong. It wasn’t “Hastings Street and Beatty Street” as … Continue reading
Posted in sports
Tagged b.c., City Hospital, edgett wing, history, Paul Harvey, playograph, scoreboard, Sun, Tom Carter, vancouver
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‘Brood’ of Seven Baptist Churches
First Baptist Church (FBC) had, as one of its early objectives, the planting of daughter churches in the neighbourhoods of the city as it gradually grew. The focus of this post is on the churches of that ‘brood’ and, specifically, … Continue reading
Posted in churches
Tagged Baptist churches, bc, Broadway West Baptist, Burke Horwood White architects, church plants of First Baptist, East Hastings Baptist, Fairview Baptist, history, Jackson Avenue Baptist Church, Lord's Peace Chapel, Membership transfer, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Mountainview Christian Fellowship, Mt Stephen (Quebec Manor) Block, Rev Elbert Paul, Ruth Morton Memorial Baptist, South Hill Baptist, South Vancouver Municipal Hall, Tudor Revival, vancouver, Vancouver Postcard Club, Ward Memorial Baptist, West Point Grey Baptist, William Carmichael, Zion Baptist
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John Jenkinson: Photographer
John Jenkinson (1871-1936) described himself on his marriage certificate as an electrician. His occupation in the early years of the 20th century was as a lineman for the CPR and later for the BCER (BC Electric Railway). He worked his … Continue reading
Posted in Photographers
Tagged Adolphus Williams, bc, BCER, Christ Church, Copenhagen, Elders, electrician, Ellen Jenkinson, english bay, F. F. Burns, history, John Burns, John Jenkinson, Lancashire, lineman, meter reader, stanley park, vancouver
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Lest We Impress: Georgia Medical-Dental Building
Update It is all too easy to impress the present onto the past. Especially in cases where there has been an attempt made by contemporary architects to ‘nod’ to a prior building that once occupied a lot (which I consider praise-worthy). … Continue reading
Dominic Charlie
I didn’t know who Dominic Charlie was when I came across these photos of him in the “incarcerated persons” section of CVA’s files. Here, he was a man in his mid-20s who had been nabbed by the local constabulary. He … Continue reading
Jean Campbell Haynes (nee Archibald)
I came across Jean Archibald yesterday when I was at The Paper Hound Bookshop. Not in person, mind you. She died in 1974. But I encountered her through her bookplate on a book that I purchased. Kim Koch, one of … Continue reading
Posted in biography, books/reading
Tagged Arthur George Archibald, Baker Street Irregulars, bc, Blaine, bookplate, Bowman Storage, calgary, Co-operative Society for the Visually Handicapped, Colin Haynes, detection, Ex Libris, gold medal, history, Jean Campbell Haynes (nee Archibald), Kim Koch, Muriel Mae Archibald, Parkinson & Archibald, The Paper Hound Bookshop, True crime, vancouver
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A Few Photos Showing Changes to Our Urban Landscape Over the Past Decade
Happy New Year! I’m not going to devote much text to this post; it is a slideshow, for the most part. The photos are my own made in Greater Vancouver over the past ten years. The photos have a story … Continue reading
Posted in street scenes
Tagged bc, changes, history, re-development, urban landscape, vancouver
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The Shack
There was a time, evidently, in Vancouver’s distant past, when office space wasn’t at a premium in the downtown core. The building shown above was developed by and named in honour of A. G. Ferguson in late 1888. When I … Continue reading
Posted in Charles S. Bailey, homes/apts/condos
Tagged 1889, 419 Richards, A. G. Ferguson buiding, bc, history, The Shack, vancouver
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Vancouver’s David Spencer Department Store
This post is about David Spencer, Ltd. This was a now-long-gone but once much-loved B.C. department store chain with a store located in downtown Vancouver, which most residents of the city today know as the locations of Harbour Centre tower and … Continue reading
Yaletown’s Grocery Hall of Fame
In 1979, a Grocery Hall of Fame was established in Yaletown at 1241 Homer Street. The founder was Bill Spaner. He was then (and, evidently, still is) a food broker with a business called Tempo Sales. The Curator of the … Continue reading
The First VAIW Post (February 2014): 1885 Brockton View
This photograph (CVA Wat P38) was the work of Lauchlan A. Hamilton. In my judgement, it is one of the most attractive early images available from the digital collection of the City of Vancouver Archives (CVA). Mr Hamilton lived in … Continue reading
Posted in biography, boats/ships
Tagged bc, Burrard inlet, Deadman's Island, history, Lauchlan Hamilton, stanley park, vancouver
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What Do CNR Depot and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden Have in Common?
The Chinese Tennis Club was at both locations! A brief chronology of the Chinese Tennis Club: 1936: Chinese Tennis Club was established. The Club was affiliated with the B.C. Lawn and Tennis Association. The Club played other clubs in that … Continue reading
Posted in chinatown
Tagged 550 Carrall, B.C. Lawn and Tennis Association, bc, Charles E. Louie, Chinese Tennis Club, CNR Depot, Diamond Jubilee, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, history, Hon. Li Chao, Mayor Jack Cornett, Pacific Central Depot, Pacific Coast Chinese Tennis Championships, Peter Pan Ballroom, vancouver, White Rose Ballroom
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Ernest Augustus Muling, French Chef
Update November 2, 2022 Ernest Augustus Muling (1861-1949) was a Frenchman by birth (in Blumenau), an Englishman by nationality, and a chef by profession. He came to Vancouver from Brisbane, Australia where he seems to have spent his twenties and … Continue reading
Kolster’s Radio Musicians
The eight-person musical group shown above is Kolster’s Musicians. They were a group of Vancouver people who were assembled to play music on CKWX Radio (Vancouver) for their principal sponsor, Kolster Radios. Kolster was a U.S. brand radio, distributed in … Continue reading
Ancient Mariners of Carrall Street
It is an ancient Mariner,And he stoppeth one of three‘By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,Now wherefore stopp’st thou me? The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. First stanza. Text of 1834. As far as I know, … Continue reading
Posted in boats/ships
Tagged 225 Carrall Street, Ancient Mariner Rope and Canvas, bc, Captain Dan J. McDonald, Captain R. G. Lawson, gastown, history, James Harvey Palmer, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Steve Roper, The Rim of the Ancient Mariner, vancouver, William H. S. Wilson, William M. Seivewright
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Civil Defence Training HQ on Granville Street
The property identified in the image above as Vancouver’s Civil Defence Training HQ was originally occupied by NeoLite — a neon sign company. [1] The space was only a temporary site for the civil defence HQ from 1951-1953 mainly because … Continue reading
Rev. Arthur J. Hadley: “Let’s Go!”
Update My very good friend, Art Hadley, died on Christmas Day, 2016. He had a special connection with Vancouver, although he and his wife, Edna, spent relatively little time in the Greater Vancouver area, recently. In their retirement, they settled in … Continue reading
Change and the UBC War Memorial Gym
The War Memorial Gym is one of the few buildings on UBC’s campus that has withstood the plans of developers and administrators to demolish and replace structures that show the least age. As you will see in the photos below, … Continue reading
Posted in remembrance day, UBC
Tagged bc, General Services Administration building, history, UBC Visitors' Day, vancouver, War Memorial Gym
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CONSECRATION Day?!
August 4, 1915 was declared by Vancouver’s civic authorities to be Consecration Day. It would commemorate the one-year anniversary of Canada declaring war against Germany and thereby entering the Great War. In the words of those who were contemporary to … Continue reading
Posted in parades
Tagged August 4 1915, bc, blessing, cambie street grounds, Charles Hibbert Tupper, Consecration day, history, Japanese Consul Abe, vancouver
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Vancouver’s Hippodrome Pipe Dream
The drawing above is of the planned Vancouver Hippodrome. [1] It was to have been located on the SE corner of Granville and Pacific at the north end of the Granville Bridge #2 (see image near the end of this … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, British-Canadian Amusement Co., Canadian Hippodromes Ltd., Captain Montague Yates, Cyril Maude, De H. Duval, Fred Terry, granville and pacific, Granville Bridge, hippodrome, history, Laurence Irving, Martin Harvey, Mary Forbes, Sir George Alexander, Sir Herbert Tree, vancouver, William Holles
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Professor Garnett Sedgewick: To the Fourth Power
Update In these times when the dollar is king, the norm in development circles is that he/she/they who donates the largest wad of cash to the construction of a building gets it named after him/her/them. This appears not to have … Continue reading
J. W. Freeston, Photographer
Update The panorama image shown above was made by B.C. professional photographer, John W. Freeston (1887-1923) in 1919. He married Florence Mary Hall (ca1874-1944) ca1904 in England. He and Florence had two daughters (Elsie May and Kathleen Mary) and one … Continue reading
Posted in J. W. Freeston, USA
Tagged annual outing, bc, California, history, New Westminster Hospital for the Insane, shoe company, Southwest U.S., vancouver, Woodlands
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Crèches (1912-1932)
Crèche is an old-fashioned term that referred — in the early years of the 20th century — to a day nursery for the kids of working moms. [1] Typical husbands were assumed to be in the workforce and women to … Continue reading
The Beers
William James Beer and Fannie Philips lived at 623 Richards Street — across Richards from the Holy Rosary (Roman Catholic) Church (as it then was), roughly on the land occupied later by the Dunsmuir Hotel. The neighbourhood was a ‘churchy’ … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1560 Comox Street, 623 Richards St, A. H. Thatcher, bc, fannie beer, history, Ian Jones, jitney, Leland Harold Beer, Louise Elizabeth Beers, Lyle Beer, Neville Clegg Jones, Owen Jones, Pacific Ave., R. W. McClellan, University of Oregon, vancouver, Western Machine Works, William James Beer
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The Wild West: Early Shooting Galleries
A shooting gallery in late 19th and early 20th century Vancouver was a quite different place than is conjured by that term 100 years later. A shooting gallery in early Vancouver had nothing to do with illicit drugs. It was … Continue reading
Wilson’s 1907 Cadillac
Dr. Thomas Haddow Wilson was the first owner of the 1907 Cadillac which I was privileged to view, recently. Wilson was born in Kitchener, ON in 1869. He graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 1897 and … Continue reading
Posted in Artray, automobiles, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged "Rev. J. S. Henderson", 1142 Chilco Street (Chula Vista), 1907 Cadillac, 1949 PNE, bc, David McAdam, Dr. Thomas Haddow Wilson, history, Hotel Vancouver II demolition, Patricia Hotel, peter findlay, Quinton McAdam, Rev. J. J. Ross, Rev. W. T. Stackhouse, Terminal City Garage, vancouver, Vancouver Auto and Cycle
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Mistaken Assumption . . .
There’s a building on West Hastings near Hamilton about which I’ve had a long-standing misconception. It’s sweeping facade reminded me so much of a 1940s-style movie theatre that I’ve always assumed that that was the original occupant. [1] But I … Continue reading
Fowler’s Rose
This carving of a Tudor Rose was taken from the tomb of the Duke of York, Tewkesbury Abbey, England, in the year of 1881 when repairs were being made to the tomb. The same year it was given to Major … Continue reading
Posted in architects, art
Tagged bc, Duke of York, Gordon Poppy, Grandview Drill Hall, harding memorial, history, Major C. B. Fowler, R. T. Perry, Tewkesbury Abbey, Tudor Rose, vancouver, William Clark, york hotel
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Smoking Prohibited at this Smoker!
This is a very brief post to point out a couple of interesting aspects of this WWII-era “Smoker” (a social gathering that typically included tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking) of the 201st Battery, held in downtown Vancouver. First, I should … Continue reading
Posted in Don Coltman, war
Tagged 201st Battery, 535 Homer Street, bc, Belkin House, commodore lanes, history, Salvation Army, Smoker, vancouver, Victory Hall, WWII
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The Mysterious Joseph Langer
Update (June 2020) Information on [J. F.] Langer is . . . difficult to find. There’s nothing on him in the City of Vancouver Archives, nothing in the Special Collections Division of the Vancouver Public Library, precious little elsewhere. — … Continue reading
Posted in biography, businesses, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged 3290 Granville, bc, Chuck Davis, gold cyanidation, gold mining, Henrietta Maria (Hattie) Langer, history, Ivan Ackery, Jennie Louise Langer, Joseph Francis Langer, orpheum theatre, Salvador, Suburban Theatres, Townsend & Townsend, vancouver, westendvancouver.wordpress.com, Woodland Drive
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Analog Craig’s List, 1967
Given that Ron Morrier is best remembered today as the host of All-Star Wrestling, it may be a bit surprising to watch him hosting this 15-minute program. He comes across as a calm, well-spoken, and good-humoured gent. Joseph Roland DeLorme … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Al Pollard, All-Star Wrestling, bc, BCTV, CHAN-TV, CJAD 800 Montreal, CKLG 730 Vancouver, history, Jean White Morrier, Kit Morrier, Michelle Morrier, radio, Ron Morrier, Ron Morrier Radio-Television, television, The Morrier the Merrier, The Trading Post, vancouver
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Dr. Ray Starr Goodwin
According to handwritten information on the back of this photo, it is an image of First Baptist Church young people on an outing to Deep Cove ca1904-05. The only person named is “Ray Starr Goodwin”, but he isn’t identified except … Continue reading
Posted in biography, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, politics
Tagged bc, C. H. Goodwin, Deep Cove, Emma Augusta Goodwin, Fairview Baptist Church, Flora Goodwin Green, history, Howard Charles Green, John diefenbaker, North Pacific College of Pharmacy and Dentistry, Ray Starr Goodwin, Robert F. Green, Sarah Goodwin, vancouver, VW&Y railroad
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Granville Street on the Verge
I was trolling through CVA’s online photographic holdings this morning when I came across this image. It wasn’t the first time. Once again, I was struck by how much it appeals to me. The appeal of this northward shot of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, Granville St Bridge (1955), granville street, history, neon, service stations, vancouver
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A Variant of Vancouver’s SECOND Coat of Arms?
This brief post is just to notify my readers that I have stumbled across what may be a hitherto unknown variant of Vancouver’s second coat of arms (1903-1969). For a history of the city’s three coats, see here and here. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, coat of arms, fisherman, history, Illustrated Vancouver, logger, motto, vancouver
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Ladybug Tours
By Maurice Guibord, Guest Blogger Years ago, I came across this postcard (above) and then a pamphlet (below) touting “Ladybug Tours” offered in Stanley Park. I got the two pieces years apart, so it was nice to put them together. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged AAA Horse and Carriage, Albert Edward Portman, Art Shannon, bc, Crowe & Salisbury, Fred Rexstrew, history, Joe Reynolds, Ladybug Tours, Len P. Mason, Norman D. McConnell, Prospect Point, stanley park, Steve White, Tally-Ho, vancouver, Vancouver Transfer Company, Verne Christian
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John A. Radford: ‘Artistic Dean’ . . . Who?
When John Radford died, the Vancouver Sun hailed him as “dean of Vancouver artists and famous throughout Canada as an architect, water-colorist and art critic”. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in Vancouver (even in art or local … Continue reading
Vancouver’s Monarchs of the Bronze
In 1932 the Vancouver Sun newspaper teamed up with a number of suburban Famous Players theatres, as well as a few ‘country’ theatres across the interior of B.C. to have a “Sun Tan Contest”. [1] The ‘contest’ would actually consist … Continue reading
Posted in Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), stuart thomson
Tagged 1932, Associated Dairies, bc, Calvin Winter, Dr. E. H. Funk, Henry Lund, history, Home Gas Orchestra, Iris Palethorpe, J. K. Matheson, Jack Devaney, Jantzen, New York Fur Co., Piggly Wiggly, seal fur, Suburban Theatres, Sun Tan King, Sun Tan Queen, Swift Canadian, vancouver, Walter Leek
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Maison Henri: Vancouver’s Forgotten Parisian Hairdresser
Henri Gautschi’s Vancouver hairdressing business, Maison Henri, lasted for over 35 years. But today the business and its proprietor are generally unknown. Henri Edward Gautshci (whose surname sounded Italian) was born in 1875 in Paris, France. His father came from Switzerland. … Continue reading
Fun Facts: The Signal Station Atop Lions Gate Bridge
The signal station that serviced Burrard Inlet before the bridge was built was the Prospect Point station (1893-1939); the old signal station was located atop the cliff above the Prospect Point lighthouse. Lions Gate bridge station (formally known as “First … Continue reading
The Age of the Searchlight
The late 1920s and 1930s was the age of the searchlight in Vancouver. Searchlights were not a new thing. They had been in use in 19th century Europe. Indeed, they were not new to Vancouver, either. Searchlight technology was in … Continue reading
Posted in Art Grice, Art Jones, Jack Lindsay, stuart thomson
Tagged 20th Century Studios, advertising, art deco, bc, Beacon Theatre, Canadian Diamond Jubilee, Grouse Mountain, history, HMCS Patriciam, lighthouses, Rev. Duncan McDougall, Rev. Elbert Paul, shaughnessy heights, Style Moderne, vancouver
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A South Richards Street Survivor
The very solid brick structure shown above was at 1339 Richards Street and seems to have been built circa 1914. To my surprise, given Vancouver’s record of demo-ing most buildings that stand for more than 50 years, this structure endured … Continue reading
Ted Lefebure’s ‘Voice’ (in the absence of a photo)
The germ of this post (if one may use such a word these virus-centric days) came from local music/theatre expert, Tom Carter. He found the correspondence that is at the post’s heart in a Gastown antique shop years ago and … Continue reading
Posted in music
Tagged "Doc", bc, Edouard Lefebure, Edward Stewart Lefebure, Grace Lefebure, history, india, Madras, merry-makers, old-timers, Phyllis Irene LeFebure, Tom Carter, vancouver, violin
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When the ‘King of Swing’ was Here
Benny Goodman (1909-1986) was my musical hero during my high school years. No, those years were not for me the 1930s or 1940s. They were the late 1970s! Yes, I was and am, perhaps, a bit odd. I was turned … Continue reading
Posted in music
Tagged bc, Benny Goodman, buddy tate, Connie Kay, Eddie Duran, history, Hugh Pickett, Mike Moore, Paris. Listen to the Magic (1967), Peter Appleyard, Sextet, Tom Fay, vancouver, Warren Vache
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1948 Exterior Views of Vancouver’s Grand Old Lady
This is a pictorial post of crops based on some terrific images made of the Old Hotel Vancouver (1916) by Don Coltman in April 1948. Judging from the titles given the original images, I take it that these were commissioned … Continue reading
Posted in Don Coltman, hotels/motels/inns
Tagged bc, Eaton's, history, old hotel vancouver (1916), sears, vancouver
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William Fowler: Early Orchestra Leader in an Innocent Age
William Fowler (1875-1936) was the leader of Fowler’s Orchestra from ca1902 to ca1915. He was the eldest son of James Fowler and Jane Youngson. His sole sibling was his younger brother, Peter. The Fowlers came to Vancouver from England in … Continue reading
Former U.S. President Tours Vancouver…in About 30 Minutes
When former U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, came to Vancouver on July 18, 1915, he was in town for about half an hour. The Roosevelt party, according to press accounts, consisted of three people: Colonel Teddy Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt (Edith Kermit … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson, USA
Tagged bc, Colonel Worsnop, history, L D Taylor, stanley park, Theodore Roosevelt, vancouver, W J McGrath
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Avon Theatrical Productions: A Checklist
The Avon Theatre was originally known as the Pantages, from its opening with that name as a vaudeville house in 1908 (on south side of East Hastings between Columbia and Main). It was identified less formally as the ‘old Pantages’ … Continue reading
Stauffer’s and Mitten’s Arctic Club
The Arctic Club was one of several cocktail and supper clubs in Vancouver in the ’30s, 40s, and ’50s (including the Quadra, the World, and Jean Fuller’s). According to recollections of the Arctic Club at the Vancouver Jazz Forum, it was a … Continue reading
Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, interiors, people
Tagged 718 W Pender, Arctic Brotherhood Club, Arctic Club, Bob Mitten, Chris Gage, F. A. Menzies, history, Ken Stauffer, leonard's cafe, liberal party, Lulubelle, Quadra Club, Robert White, Rolph Harris, Stan Grozina, The Cave, Tom Carter, vancouver, Vancouver Jazz Forum, World Club
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Vending Before Food Trucks
Posted in Al Ingram, people, street scenes, yesterday & today
Tagged bc, beatty street drill hall, Canadian Youth Hostel Bike Hike, commodore lanes, english bay, european-style wieners, expo 86, food vendors, granville street, history, hot dog stand, hudson's bay company, japadog, lemon soda, Pineapple Vending Machine, popcorn stand, Sea Festival, stanley park, vancouver
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When Flying Was Still Exotic
Update This image is one of several available online at VPL showing Clancy’s Sky Diner Cafe. This unusual cafe took clever advantage of the long, narrow interior space to create the impression of a DC-3 aircraft fuselage. The Sky Diner … Continue reading
Getting Nowhere – Fast – in 1901
This seemed like an apt image to post in this season of broken fitness resolutions. The image was made, according to the City of Vancouver Archives, about 120 years ago. My two questions, regarding the photo: (1) Where was it … Continue reading
Archives Image Corrected by Horizontal Flip
Update It can be disorienting when a historical image’s negative is printed from the wrong side. By viewing the image to the right, you can see the way the image appears on CVA as of mid-February, 2017. (That the image … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, cafes/restaurants/eateries, churches, Ernie Reksten, hotels/motels/inns
Tagged Arthur Erickson, bc, bc hydro building, block 61, clements block, comfort stations, courthouse, Danceland, Elektra, history, Johann Strauss Hotel, Law Courts Complex, Mayfair Hotel, public washrooms, robson street, Sheraton Wall Centre, Sir William Dawson School, St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, vancouver
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Remembrance Services Past at First Baptist Church
Update I was browsing through images in the Vancouver Public Library historical photos database this morning; I saw the image above and almost immediately recognized it for what it was (and what had, apparently, been forgotten or mislaid in the … Continue reading
Behind This Wall at Hotel Vancouver…
Update Behind the wall shown above, in the elevator court of the third (1939) Hotel Vancouver, lies, quite possibly, Ascension, a work of bas-relief sculpture created by Beatrice Lennie (1904-1987) a renowned and very able good sculptor. Doris Munroe, in … Continue reading
The Shop at Sich’s Corner
Sich’s Corner was the name of an early Vancouver tobacconist’s shop located on the southwest corner of Cambie at Cordova. The person who named it and for whom it was named remained at the corner and, indeed, in Vancouver, for … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, street scenes
Tagged bc, buxton & rodney, cambie, cordova, England, history, hops farming, j.g.v. field-johnson, realtor, retail, Thomas Thrale Sich, tobacco, vancouver
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One of the Largest Organs West of Winnipeg
Updated I purchased this photo at The History Store. Since then, I’ve been on a quest to know which church it is/was that housed the amazing-looking pipe organ. What I Knew (or Thought I Knew) The clues I had to … Continue reading
Forgotten Purcell Hall
Purcell Hall and the B.C. School of Church Music (the two were ‘tied at the hip’ for most of their lives) came into being in 1936 at the SW corner of Georgia at Denman Streets (1808 W Georgia), adjacent to … Continue reading
First Baptist Church’s Iron Fence/Notice Board Memorials
Judging from what I’ve heard and what appears to be the ‘vision’ of the current First Baptist Church building project, upon its completion, there will no longer be an iron fence surrounding the garden near the tower entry. That is, … Continue reading
H.M.S. New Zealand at Vancouver, 1913
This post will showcase a few of the photos made by Vancouver photographer, Stuart Thomson, in 1913 on the occasion of a visit to the city of H.M.S. New Zealand. The ship had been funded by New Zealand as a … Continue reading
Adult Ed in Technical Subjects in 1930s Vancouver
This post focusses on a series of photographs made in about 1937 by the great pro photographer, Stuart Thomson, of what appears to be adult education going on in a variety of technical subjects. The photo above, it may be … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson, W J Moore
Tagged adult ed, bc, history, morse code, shorthand, spark tester, stenography, typing, underwood typewriters, vancouver, vancouver technical secondary school, vsb, welding
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Sea of Hats
Updated This is a somewhat unusual view of the Cambie Street Recreation Grounds (for ome later years, the site of the long-distance bus station, later still – optimistically – dubbed Larwill Park and serving as a City car park with … Continue reading
Posted in people, sport, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, bus station, cambie street recreation grounds, hats, head wear, history, larwill park, men's hats, vancouver
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Prof. Ludwig Zimmer, Herbalist . . . and Zimmerton’s Namesake
Ludwig (“Louis”) Zimmer (1838-1895) was born in Grunberg, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, but left his homeland when a young man. He settled in Guelph, ON in 1861. In 1867, he married Salome (b1829), who was also born in Germany. His business … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, medical matters
Tagged bc, Boulder Island, Germany, Guelph, history, Ludwig Zimmer, Seymour Creek, vancouver, Waterton, Winnipeg, Zimmerton
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Cleve’s Win Impacts at Least a Couple of Vancouver Residents
Who are the principal figures in this image? What is the context? And where is this bunch of early Vancouverites gathered on this occasion? This brief article in the Vancouver Daily World is helpful: Fulfilled the Wager At 2:30 this … Continue reading
Who IS this Woman?
Who was this attractive woman with such a determined countenance¹? If you were to ask this question at the City of Vancouver Archives — where this photograph has resided, probably, for most of its life — staff there might, quite … Continue reading
The McIntosh Girls in Tent Town
I’m not sure what it is about this image that I find compelling. It is a well-made photograph, to be sure; the exposure and composition are flawless. But I don’t think the technical competence of the photographer is what draws … Continue reading
International Harvester BC/Yukon HQ
The demolition of The Party Bazaar building this week, after 7 years at its Station Street location, made me wonder what other businesses had been in that building over the years. In fact, few. In 1950, the heavy truck manufacturing … Continue reading
Posted in businesses
Tagged 1296 Station Street, bc, CN Rail Depot, history, International Harvester of Canada, The Party Bazaar, vancouver
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Connaught Beach Club
By Neil Whaley, Guest Blogger English Bay’s Crystal Swimming Pool had its beginnings in a 1926 proposal for a private luxury facility called the Connaught Beach Club. That club was to have a pool, tennis courts, separate Turkish baths for … Continue reading
Posted in sport
Tagged Aquatic Centre, bc, Beach Avenue, connaught beach club, Crystal Pool, drownings, english bay, Frank Begg, history, Jantzen Swimwear, John Oliver, L. D. Taylor, Lyle Telford, McCarter & Nairne, Nicola, Park Board, R. J. Cromie, R. Rowe Holland, Robert McKechnie, vancouver, Walter F. Evans
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J. C. Rowley: Painter, Decorator and (Gasp!) Debt Absconder
John Capper Rowley (1844-1941) was a real character who was a resident in Vancouver during its pioneering period! Born in Staffordshire, England, he was the son of a coach shop owner. He began a lifetime of wandering when in 1861 … Continue reading
B.C. Lions SNORED in ’54!
This post is a fun excuse to show off a few of Gordon Poppy’s photos of a window display he helped set up for the Vancouver flagship store of T. Eaton Company (at the time, from 1949-1973, in the former … Continue reading
Posted in sport
Tagged 1954, Annis Stukos, B.C. Lions, bc, British Empire Games Stadium, Dal Richards, Eaton's, fight song, Gordon Poppy, history, Roar You Lions Roar, Spenser's, vancouver, Vic Spenser
2 Comments
Comfort’s 1954 Portraits at UBC
This is just a line to accompany the images of the portraits shown above. It was learned this week that these six images of UBC faculty and officials (which had been shown in UBC’s Archival Collections as painted by “unknown” … Continue reading
Posted in art
Tagged 1954, artist, bc, charles comfort, Harry t. Logan, hector j. macleod, henry f. angus, history, lemuel f. robertson, oil paints, Otis J. Todd, Sherwood Lett, UBC Archives, University of Toronto, vancouver
2 Comments
Tag Days
— By Neil Whaley, Guest Blogger ‘Tag days’ were one-day fundraisers held in Vancouver before, during and after WW1. Volunteers canvassed on street corners for a particular cause, and donors received a tag on a string they could wear … Continue reading
Posted in Charity, war
Tagged Alexandra Orphanage, Army Chaplain's Emergency Fund, bc, Belgium Relief, Canadian Legion, Catholic Children's Aid, Central City Mission, fundraising, great war, history, Italia, Jewish War Sufferers, Kinsmen, Lions Club, MAMWSS, Neil Whaley, Nicholson Printers, Our Blinded Heroes, Overseas Nurses Fund, Prisoners of War, Red Cross, Returned Soldiers Club, Save the Babies, Serbia, Shell Shock Installation (Hydro-Therapy) at VGH, SPCA, st paul's hospital, Union Jack, United Auxiliaries, vancouver, Vancouver BC Children's Home, VGH Infants Hospital, Victoria Order of Nurses (VON), Vive La France, Women's Patriotic Guild Sock Fund, world war 1, YMCA Military Department
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A ‘Whisper Off Granville’: Delmonico Cafe
Like me, you may never have heard of the Delmonico Cafe. It was on the south side of Robson Street ‘just a whisper [west of] Granville’ (to borrow from one of their slogans) for scarcely six years. In its brief … Continue reading
Where Was This Photo Made?
I’ve intentionally not shown a caption description of the location of the above image. I’d like you to study the photo and take your best guess as to which block is shown here. Okay, ready? It is the east side … Continue reading
In Love . . . with a Photograph
I think this is a superb post-war image of a Vancouver intersection. What do I love about it? First and foremost, I love that it is not a standard Vancouver view. This is not an intersection that was often photographed and, … Continue reading
The Grand Union Hotel: Moving Around
When it occurred to me, recently, to research the history of the still-standing Grand Union Hotel (on unit block West Hastings), it seemed to me that it should be a fairly straightforward task. How mistaken I was. It turned out … Continue reading
700 Seymour in ’47
The three images featured in this post of the 700 block of Seymour Street are among the finest available of the block from CVA online. Professional photographer, Don Coltman, was commissioned to make the images for Shell Oil, Co. in … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, Don Coltman, Uncategorized
Tagged 700 Seymour, bc, BC Telephone Co. (Telus), birks, Blackburn's auto sales, Code's Parking, Finch Garage, Fire Hall No. 2, Girvan's Arts and Crafts Studio, history, Hudson Bay Co., John Girvan, Quadra Club, Rose Cowan & Latta Printers, Royal Parking, scotia tower, Shell Oil, Smith's button works, Strand (Allen) Theatre, Technocracy, vancouver, vancouver block, Vancouver Centre Mall, Yorkshire Building
11 Comments
WHAT-ithumpians?!
What on earth is a “calithumpian” and what is its relevance in a blog about how Vancouver once was? An article in the Woodstock (Ontario) Sentinel-Review, had this to say: According to the Thamesford [Ontario] Calithumpian website, the word Calithumpian … Continue reading
Posted in parades, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, calithumpians, Dominion Day, history, jantzen swim wear, labor day, public executions, vancouver
9 Comments
Spider and the Fly: Personality Politics at First Baptist in 1905
Context It was the spring of 1905. First Baptist Church was still worshipping in the modest wooden building on Hamilton and Dunsmuir, but they had purchased the lot on Burrard and Nelson and were beginning to raise funds to build … Continue reading
Missing?: Monument to First City Survey Stake
This monument was created in 1952 to honour the driving of the first survey stake by CPR Land Commissioner, L. A. Hamilton (sometimes referred to as the “Godfather of Vancouver”), at the site (300 Hastings Street; SW corner of Hamilton and … Continue reading
‘Bailey Bridge’ in Downtown Vancouver, 1944
Updated (First Published August 2015) This photograph shows a 240-foot Bailey Bridge (1 of 2 by Don Coltman; the other image appears below) spanning Georgia Street at Howe Street in 1944. Zooming on the image reveals a sign on the structure … Continue reading
First Baptist’s “Living Room” to be Demolished
Update (first posted October, 2018) “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing … Continue reading
MIA: The Loss of a 20-foot Painting (Rolph Blakstad: Part I)
This is a tale of discovery. Of learning what a painting was called, who created it, and, perhaps, what became of it. The story began with the photo shown below. I have a peculiar passion for Fred Sunday’s panoramic images. … Continue reading
Posted in art, UBC
Tagged (fred) sunday photos, AMS, bc, Belkin Gallery, Blakstad Design Consultants, brock hall, CBU TV (CBC Station), congress of corrections, Erwin Wodarczak, history, Ibiza, Jana Tyner, June Binkert, Rolf (Rolph) Blakstad, Tessa Grogan, UBC Archives, UBC Reports, vancouver, vancouver art gallery
3 Comments
Park Lane
Park Lane was one of the early residential districts in Vancouver; it later was a proposed ‘red light’ district; the homes of the Lane were destroyed to help make way for the Union railway depot; the depot ultimately also succumbed … Continue reading
Turn On Your Headlights for Car Service
Update This is an unusual photo. I’ve seen other photos taken from Smithe or thereabouts on Burrard Street (such as the one that appears below) with the White Spot neon signage displayed. But this is the only image I’ve seen … Continue reading
Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, Werner Lenggenhager
Tagged bc, bc hydro, burrard, Elektra, history, smithe, vancouver, White Spot
11 Comments
Professor Alan C. Cairns
The fact that Professor Alan Cairns was on the faculty of UBC’s Political Science Department was one of the principal reasons that I came to Vancouver and UBC to do my M.A. And so it is with sadness that I … Continue reading
Alfred Lafond
Alfred Lafond was born in Quebec to Joseph and Genevieve on March 1, 1849. Alfred married Azilda (b. 1863). In 1883, a daughter was born to the couple. They named her Lodivine. A son, Albert, was born in 1896. Alfred … Continue reading
1930s View Down Richards Street
Images 2592/3 present unusual northward views of Richards Street. They show a commercial strip in the early 1930s that was ignored by many photographers. Who do we have to thank for these atypical views? Photographer, Stuart Thomson? Well, not really. … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson
Tagged bc, BC Stamp Ltd, Dunsmuir Hotel, Excelsior Laundry, Gordon Craig Radios, history, Kingsley Rooms, Love's Furniture, Lumberman's (North West) Building, Marble Arch (Canada) Hotel, richards street, Shirley Rooms, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, St. Clair Rooms (Hostel), Tait Pipe Co., telephone poles, vancouver, vancouver bindery, Weart Building, Western Trophies building
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500th Post: A Case of Mistaken Identity
I purchased the framed image above (complete with functioning thermometer!) at an antique shop when I was in Lethbridge, AB, recently. The label of “Stanley Park” on the photo bothered me from the outset. But I bought it anyway (for … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, Butchart Gardens, history, Little Mountain, Neil Whaley, quarry, Queen Elizabeth Park, stanley park, vancouver
10 Comments
How Victory Square and Its Cenotaph Came to Be
From the vantage of 2018, it is all too easy to look at Victory Square and assume that one or two sentences can amply sum up the history of the place. One might say, for instance, that Victory Square was … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson
Tagged "Art historical and Scientific Society, 1909 plebiscite, 99-year lease, bc, Chapel with chimes, city hall, courthouse (1890-1913), history, Memorial Square, Premier Richard McBride, R Mackay Fripp, T. Eaton, UBC, vancouver, victory square, William Bowser
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Speculations on a Black ‘House of Ill Fame’
When I was browsing through a fascinating, very early fire insurance map book of Vancouver in UBC’s rare book room, recently, I noticed a label that took me aback: “Negro Ill Fame”. I knew what “ill fame” denoted (a ‘house … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bc, carrall, Chinese Theatre, Columbia, false creek, fire insurance map, GNR, history, hogan's alley, house of ill fame, Keefer, pender, prostitution, Sun-Yat-Sen Gardens, UBC, vancouver
2 Comments
Bully Off!* Very Early Ladies’ Grass Hockey
The photo shown above is of the Vancouver Ladies Grass Hockey team as it was in December 1900. The photo is from the album of William A. Bauer, a brother of one of the players, Maud Bauer.¹ This is among … Continue reading
Three Early Seafood Nosheries
Once upon a time in the City of Vancouver there were three major seafood restaurants in the vicinity of Hastings and Carrall Streets. Yes, I said three not only the Only – which was one of the three and certainly … Continue reading
Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, stuart thomson, W. E. Frost
Tagged bc, Bert Love, Desrosiers Block, George Clayton Leonard, Gust Tohodar, history, Holden Building, hotel pennsylvania, J. S. johnston, leonard's cafe, lone star hotel, love's cafe and grill, Nick Thodos, No. 1 Coney Island Seafood Restaurant, old country fish & chips, Only Seafood, Oyster Bay Cafe, seahorse sign, vancouver, woods hotel
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Charles Schooley: City Paymaster and Prominent Baptist
Update (Originally posted August 2014): Charles Abraham Schooley (1850-1931) was born in Port Colborne, Ontario. He studied law for a couple of years but ultimately withdrew from that course of study due to illness. He then was one of the … Continue reading
Victorian Picnic Images of the 1890s
For a summer project, I’ve been systematically viewing all photos available online from the City of Vancouver Archives – starting with the earliest images and gradually working my way forward in time. (This is no small project; the total CVA … Continue reading
Arcadians’ One-Hit Wonder?
The ‘Arcadians’ mentioned in the headline do not refer to a 1920s family of cooking ranges, nor to residents of a region of Greece, nor indeed to an obscure race created from the imaginations of the writers of Star Trek.¹ Our … Continue reading
Zion’s Friend and Rebel
John Alexander Dowie’s divine healing movement had a connection with Vancouver’s Baptists, briefly, in the person of Rev. George Armour Fair, the pastor of Jackson Avenue Baptist Church (aka “Zion Baptist”) in 1898. George Fair was born in March, 1866 … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, USA
Tagged bc, Christian Catholic Church, history, International Divine Healing Association, Jackson Avenue Baptist Church, John Alexander Dowie, Rev. George Armour Fair, Royal Theatre, vancouver, Ward Memorial Baptist Church, Wilbur Voliva, Zion Baptist Church
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Flirtation by Postcard?
I purchased this postcard from a dealer, recently. It was not an expensive card, but the view of the (then-new) World Building, the long-gone water tank on the extant warehouse structure behind the World, the view along West Pender … Continue reading
“Old Books” Seller
I am a sucker for antiquarian and used book stores. And so, when I stumbled upon this, to me, hitherto unknown bookshop, I naturally investigated to learn as much as I could about the seller. There wasn’t much to learn, … Continue reading
Transition
I ran across this photo amid the holdings of New Westminster’s Archives when I was researching another subject. The image struck me as worthy of attention for a couple of reasons: First, it was unlike any photo I’d seen of … Continue reading
Posted in new westminster, Norman Caple, yesterday & today
Tagged 440 Cambie, Architectural Institute of B. C., bc, Buscombe Importing, carter-cotton block, construction, demolition, Edgett block, first courthouse, history, New Westminster Archives, news-advertiser, Pappas Furs, pender, salvage, vancouver, victory square
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The Age of Aquaria
You may have been under the impression (as was I) that the only location of Vancouver’s Aquarium has been where it is today: at Stanley Park. This misapprehension is abetted by the current aquarium’s lack of acknowledgement of its forbears on … Continue reading
Posted in aquarium, Dominion Photo, Don Coltman
Tagged bathhouse, bc, english bay, fisheries building, Hastings Park, history, Ivar Haglund, Lipsett Collection, Museum of Vancouver, Neil Whaley, stanley park, vancouver, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Parks Board, West End Community Centre, William Knight
2 Comments
Not ‘Cricket’ (Nor True to the Story)!
The Vancouver firm best known for producing neon signs in the city is Neon Products. But when I was flipping through a 1948 Sun business directory yesterday, I came across another firm that was active in the city: David Neon … Continue reading
Posted in neon, parades, PNE, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, David and Goliath, David Neon, history, Neon Products, vancouver, Victor David
2 Comments
Menacing Mollusks Munch Maritime Piles
The beastie shown above has been known as a “teredo,” sometimes with an additional descriptor — “worm” — tacked on at the end. They aren’t worms, although they do bear a striking resemblance; they are mollusks. Technically, they are called Teredo … Continue reading
Posted in boats/ships, critters, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, calcium, history, piles, saline, shipworms, temperate, teredo-proofing, teredos, toredos, tunnelling, vancouver, wood.
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Re-Inventing CPR/Waterfront Station
Fastening a ‘historic site’ plaque to a building doesn’t ensure that everything about the site will be preserved as it was. It is vanity to assume that we, with our contemporary sophistication, are able to still the hands of time … Continue reading
Early ‘Brief Lives’ of Richmond Apts
This post offers brief glimpses into the lives of a few early tenants who lived in Richmond Apartments at the NW corner of Robson and Hornby streets.∞ The Richmond block was built in 1910 (ready for occupation in 1911), just … Continue reading
Posted in homes/apts/condos
Tagged 777 Hornby, Aubrey's 'Brief Lives', bc, Canadian Pacific Steamships, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Eldon Sidney Hilliard Winn, Eugene Wideman, Fred James, George H. Hill, Henri Aubeneau, history, Hotel Vancouver, Lucien Draize, manhattan apartments, Old Age Pensions Act, richmond apartments, robson and hornby, Social Welfare Commission, vancouver, WCB, William Alvin Randle
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A Look Back to a Look Ahead to the 1960s
North Vancouver: ‘1963’ In 1913, B.C. Hilliam was working for the North Shore News and trying to launch a future career as a professional musician/composer and (ultimately) as a notable comedian. Hilliam was still a relative unknown in North Van and, … Continue reading
Bridge Tender’s Nightmare Made Worse?
Bridge Tenders There were, once upon a time in early Vancouver, many bridge tenders. Who was a bridge tender? He (I’ve never heard of a female bridge tender in Greater Vancouver) was the person responsible for swinging the span on … Continue reading
Posted in bridges/viaducts, railways, W J Moore, water scene
Tagged bc, bridge tender, Doris Baker, Frank Varrell, GNR Trestle, great northern railway, history, railway, The Province, vancouver, Vancouver World
4 Comments
The Remarkable Images of the Springer Album
The image shown above is a fine example of what seem to me to be the quite ‘modern’ images that comprise the Springer family album that is part of UBC’s Uno Langmann Collection. The photograph above, which probably was taken … Continue reading
Posted in Eric A. Hegg, Gidley Studio, Harry E. Bullen, J. A. Brock, Photographers, UBC, Uno Langmann Collection
Tagged bc, Benjamin Springer, David Mattison, Eva Springer, Fannie Nias, Henry Babington Cambie, history, Mabel Springer, Ruby Maud Eliza Springer, vancouver, William Alfred Bauer
6 Comments
Views of CPR Right of Way: Before and After 1932
Re-Posted February 2018 (First Posted Jan. 2016) I was recently struck (again) by what excellent images these two are of 1930s Vancouver. How exemplary of how I often have thought of the ’30s in this city, and how great an … Continue reading
NOT a K-Tel Record(*)!
I recently picked up this recording** made by Social Credit, Vancouver Centre MLAs, Herb Capozzi (1925-2011) and Evan Wolfe (1922-2009) as part of their joint campaign¹ for the 1969 General Election. The recording was cleverly called The Record of [fill-in-the-blank]. The candidates … Continue reading
Grace & Claire Corbould
I recently came across the cabinet card of Grace Milwood Corbould (1886-1969) at Vancouver’s History Store. A week later, upon returning to the shop, I found the smaller card of her elder sister, (Marion) Claire Corbould (1884-1966).¹ These girls were two … Continue reading
Posted in Photographers
Tagged Arabella Almond Down Corbould, bc, Charles Edward B. Corbould, Frederic William Anderson, Gordon Bruce Corbould, Gordon Edward Corbould, Grace Corbould Brimacombe, history, Jim Wolf, Lillie May Corbould, Marion Claire Courbould Anderson, Paul L. Okamura, vancouver, Vyvyan Chard Brimacombe
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Historical Corner: Terminal & Main
I encountered this image in CVA’s online holdings a couple of months ago. I was initially puzzled as to where this service station was located; but it didn’t take too long for me to realize that this was the SE … Continue reading
B. C. Hilliam, Music Man
B. C. Hilliam immigrated to Canada in 1911 from England, with his mother, when he was 21. Although they initially stopped in Calgary, they moved quickly from there, briefly to Fernie, and finally settled in North Vancouver. Hilliam had some … Continue reading
A. E. Beck, Pioneer Lawyer
I recently added these two portrait photos to my collection. When I saw them at the vendor’s shop, I thought that the handwriting on the backs of each looked the same; and I was pretty sure that the surnames scrawled … Continue reading
Alan Beech’s Final Illusion
Update: December 13, 2017 Alan Beech was a photographer and photo finisher for Spencer’s and (after Spencer’s sold up) for T. Eaton’s Co. department stores in Vancouver. He was also an amateur magician. Alan was in Eaton’s Advertising and Sales … Continue reading
B.C. Maternity Hospital
I’ve recently made the acquaintance of Gordon Poppy. He is 89 years old and he shared with me that he was born at the B.C. Maternity Hospital in the community of Cedar Cottage (in what was then within the Municipality … Continue reading
Posted in hospitals/health care
Tagged 4430 Beatrice Street, bc, BC Maternity Hospital, history, Lily Wedgbury, Mrs Mary Ann Butters, vancouver
18 Comments
Fuel-Based Buses
The buses shown above and below¹ are some very early examples of transit that was powered by fuel (rather than electricity, as with the electric railway or trolleys). According to Kelly & Francis in Transit in British Columbia: The First … Continue reading
Posted in Don Coltman, public transit, Uncategorized
Tagged ads, bc, BCER, Buses, history, posters, vancouver
5 Comments
Cenotaph Before Victory Square
Update: This was initially posted October 27, 2017 This makeshift-looking, wooden cenotaph was located at the South Vancouver Municipal Hall – formerly SW corner of Fraser St. at 41st Ave.; across from Mountain View Cemetery; today, it is the site … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged apocrypha, bc, cenotaph, history, Memorial Park South, mountain view cemetery, Sirach, vancouver, victory square, world war I
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Annotated Georgia at Hornby (and Environs)
Posted in churches, hotels/motels/inns, timms
Tagged bc, Burrard Sanitorium, christ church cathedral, court house, georgia medical-dental building, Glencoe Lodge, history, Hotel Belfred, Hotel Vancouver, Kyle Grocery, Palomar Supper Club, Shaw Tower at Cathedral Place, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Timms Art Shop, vancouver, wesley methodist church
3 Comments
Maple Leaf Flying in Vancouver Nearly 40 Years Before Becoming National Flag!
The screen grabs that appear above are taken from this film. CVA describes part of the film as showing “the Georgia Hotel, the Court House (now Vancouver Art Gallery), a parade in downtown Vancouver, [and] various scenes with automobiles…”¹ The … Continue reading
Posted in Illustrations, politics, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, Canada, cannabis plant, coat of arms, devonshire hotel, flag, great flag debate, history, maple leaf, marijuana leaf, vancouver
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J. H. Carlisle: A Man of Firsts
Update First Posted July 2015 J. H. Carlisle (1857-1941) accomplished several “firsts”. He was the first Sunday School Superintendent of First Baptist Church (FBC), before it was formally organized; his name was the first listed among the charter members of FBC when the … Continue reading
The First First
A couple of posts ago, I presented an artist’s sketch by Reginald Blunden of the first permanent structure of First Baptist Church. But I didn’t say very much about that structure, how it came to be, where it was located, nor … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, cpr, first building, Goad's 1897 Map, history, J. S. Matthews, Lewis & Sills hardware, Malvina Coudron hardware, McPherson & Sons Gents Furnishings, Reginald Blunden, Rev. P. C. Parker, vancouver, Westminster Ave. (Main St), Yick Co.Produce
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The Cowboy Evangelist
Rev. James B. Kennedy, the minister at First Baptist Church, invited self-styled Cowboy Evangelist, George W. Rasure, to preach at the evening service on Sunday, November 18, 1888.¹ He preached at FBC every evening for at least two weeks; perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in churches, Cowboys, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, carrall, George W. Rasure, Helena Ehlester, history, Joanna Pierson, Kansas, Kentucky, limestone, Merilda McReynolds, Methodist Episcopal, Port Moody, powell, Rev. James B. Kennedy, Tifflin's Mill, vancouver
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W. J. Cavanagh: Acquitted of Bigamy
Early Years William James Cavanagh (c1862-1915) was a complex man with a complicated life. He was born in Leeds County, ON (near Brockville). He left there for Western Canada by about 1887. He stayed in Manitoba for a number of … Continue reading
Forgotten Maestro: George P. Hicks
A Funny Thing Happened . . . A funny thing happened at a pizza party I held recently for some of my friends (whom I’ve taken to referring to, collectively, as the History Five). Neil brought with him a gift … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, music, Uncategorized
Tagged A. E. Rigg, Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, bc, George Peake Hicks, Gideon Hicks, history, Mayor Gale, Olga McAlpine, Rudiments of Music (1877), vancouver, Vancouver Choral Society, Vancouver Festival Choirk, Vancouver Musical Society, Vancouver School Board
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Oops! NOT Vancouver’s Greyhound Depot
I ran across this photo at a flea market about 6 months ago. I bought it because it looked to me to be an image of the Vancouver downtown Greyhound Bus depot when it was located at the current parking … Continue reading
Sheila Buchanan’s Little Known Career
Sheila Buchanan (1917-2009) was known to the congregation at First Baptist Church as an 18-year veteran missionary to Bolivia; as the Church librarian for a number of years; and as a regular volunteer in the church office. But what wasn’t … Continue reading
Oddball in Buckram (Part the Third)
In this post and the next, I’ll reveal some of the characters associated with The Book of Roberts and, especially, those whose signatures appear on the little pamphlet that was tucked into my copy. Alfred M. Pound: An Important Character … Continue reading
Oddball in Buckram (Part the Second)
In Which I Read the Book of Roberts It has been a couple of days since I updated this blog on the volume picked up at The Paper Hound bookshop, recently. It seemed fitting that I ought to attempt to … Continue reading
Posted in books/reading
Tagged aide memoire, bc, history, Kingscroft, Lloyd Roberts, The Book of Roberts, The Paper Hound, vancouver
4 Comments
Magnifying BC Hotelmen
I bought the snapshot shown above at a flea market a few months ago. It isn’t a great photo; it was taken at a rakish angle that is suggestive that the photographer had been sampling a bit too liberally from … Continue reading
Posted in hotels/motels/inns, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, BC Hotelman, BCHA, British Columbia Hotel Association, history, Hotel Vancouver, vancouver
4 Comments
‘Zip Line’ to Wreck Beach for Construction of Early UBC Buildings?
When I first saw this image, my initial thought was “Gee, did they build a ‘zip line’ at the Point Grey campus as early as 1923?”. Then common sense kicked in. There was precious little development at Point Grey, then. … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson, UBC
Tagged aerial tramway, bc, history, Nelson Island, point grey campus, Sharp & Thompson architects, temporary rail system, vancouver, Wreck Beach
2 Comments
Ernst’s Cello (NOT Piano) Fingers
Any piano student who has ‘short finger syndrome’ can spot a fellow-sufferer in an instant. So one look at the photo above was all it took for me to realize that this chap with stubby fingers could not have earned … Continue reading
Posted in Eagland, Deni, music, UBC
Tagged Austria, bc, cello, Cello Concerto, classical music, Ernst Friedlander, history, jewish, Marie Friedlander, Minnelied, Nazi regime, Paul Helmer, piano, Pro Arte Quartet, vancouver, Vienna
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Southern View (Pender at Seymour), 1892
This view of Vancouver as it appeared to early Vancouver photographer, Charles S. Bailey just six years after incorporation as a city has appealed to me since I first clapped eyes on it a couple of years ago. Vancouver may … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, street scenes
Tagged bc, congregational church, Cosman & Son, empire building, Father Patrick Fay, Father Patrick Fey, First Baptist Church, history, Holy Rosary Church, Homer Street Methodist Church, Lady Superior Mary Alexander, Mary Casher grocer, Ontario House, pender street, Rev. E. D. McLaren, Rev. James W. Pedley, Rev. K. K. Maitland, Rev. W. C. Weir, Sacred Heart Academy, seymour street, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, vancouver, Walter Middleton grocer
9 Comments
The New Democracy of William Herridge
William Duncan Herridge (1886-1961) neither lived in Vancouver nor worked here. In fact, he admits in the speech he delivered here on May 3, 1939 that it had “not been my good fortune often to visit British Columbia.”¹ But, for … Continue reading
The Yoshio Hinatsu Mystery
I purchased the little pamphlet history shown above at a recent paper ephemera fair. I was taken with the art deco illustrations on the cover and on interior pages and wondered who was Yoshio Hinatsu, the illustrator, and what became of … Continue reading
Up Granville from Hastings, 1909
This is another outstanding scene by early Vancouver photographer, P. T. Timms. Timms would have been standing with his back to the second C.P.R. station (1898-1914; Edward Maxwell, architect) at Granville and Cordova. His camera was pointing up Granville from the … Continue reading
Posted in P. T. Timms, street scenes
Tagged bc, Birk's Jewelers, C. D. Rand Real Estate, canadian bank of commerce, fairfield block, history, Iroqouis Seattle steamship, James A.McIntyre, McIntyre's Cafe, O. B. Allan Jewelers, Post Office, Purdy's Chocolate, Roger's Building, Second CPR Station, vancouver
2 Comments
W Marks the Spot
This was originally posted July 2015. Updated on April 28, 2017.
Posted in art, businesses
Tagged bc, beacon, eiffel tower replica, history, vancouver, W, woodward's department stores
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Orange Meat?!
I came upon this advertisement when looking for something else in a 1904 edition of the Vancouver Daily World. The very peculiar product name compelled me to drop what I was looking for and read the rest of the ad. The ad … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, food
Tagged bc, breakfast cereal, Canada, cereal, classical rhetorical appeals, cleanliness, ethos, Frontenac Cereal Company, grocery, H. A. Edgett Co., history, logos, manufacturing, Orange Meat, pathos, vancouver
5 Comments
Church Membership Transfers
Membership transfers (or “letters of dismissal/admission”) were an important aspect of early 20th century protestant churches. This post will explore some of the features of membership transfers, using First Baptist Church, Vancouver as a case study. I will present scans of actual membership … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged bc, church clerk, church membership, dismission, history, incorporation, letters, transfer forms, vancouver
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Bolivia Bound: The Story of Howard & Mary Plummer
Howard’s Early Years Arthur Howard Plummer (1900-1970) had his first taste of a mission career when he was 8 years old. In 1908, he accompanied his parents from their home in England to Wenchow, China, where his father, Dr. William … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, USA
Tagged Arthur Howard Plummer, Baptist Young People's Union, bc, BC Faculty of Agriculture, Caroline Lodge, Dr. William Edwin Plummer, Hastings East Baptist Sunday School, history, Lulu Helen Plummer, Mary Evangeline Pattullo Plummer, Neil Whaley, Rev. D. G. McDonald, Rev. Dr. J. Willard Litch, Rev. W. M. Robertson, Rothesay, Strathmore Lodge, Theodore Plummer, vancouver, Wenchow
12 Comments
A Peculiar Notion: Foot Bridge Across First Narrows, 1909
The plan above appears to have been one of the first proposals for a crossing of the Burrard Inlet at First Narrows (preceding the very different Lion’s Gate Bridge by about 30 years). It was the brain child of William Thomas … Continue reading
Posted in bridges/viaducts
Tagged bc, Burrard inlet, F J L Trytler, first narrows, history, pedestrians, suspension bridge, toll, vancouver, W T Farrell
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Nina Raginsky’s ‘LIP Grant’ Images
I have recently been introduced to British Columbia photographer, Nina Raginsky. How I have managed to live this long without being aware of her amazing photographic skill and talent, I don’t know! Raginsky makes her home on Salt Spring Island … Continue reading
Posted in Nina Raginsky, street scenes
Tagged bc, black and white, portraits, vancouver
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Norris Sculpture a Viaduct Memory
George Norris (1928-2013) was a Vancouver artist whose sculptures adorn many city spaces. Doubtless the best known is his award-winning Crab at the entry to the Museum of Vancouver. Another one is Mother and Child at UBC near the Irving K. … Continue reading
Posted in art, Bailey & Neelands, politics
Tagged bc, crab, george norris, georgia/dunsmuir viaducts, history, hogan's alley, mcharg viaduct, mother and child, prism, sculptor, tom "terrific" campbell, vancouver
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First Baptist Church in Disguise?
Update: February 10, 2017 This postcard of mis-identification was presented to me about a year ago as a gift by JMV of Illustrated Vancouver. The image appears to have been made between 1911 (when construction of FBC at Nelson & Burrard was completed) … Continue reading
The Drifting Mizonys
The original photo from which the above crop was made is the one featured at this recent post. I was zooming into the original shot, during the time that I was writing that post, when I noticed the sign atop … Continue reading
The Hastings MEATS Puzzle
The first time I laid eyes on this photo, I saw the prominently displayed “MEATS” sign and immediately assumed I was looking at an early version of the Save On Meats sign – where it is today on the north side … Continue reading
The Vancouver Vagabonds
The Vancouver Vagabonds was a men’s club. It didn’t last long (1914-1928), but it was fondly remembered by former members long after it had ceased to exist.(1) The Vagabonds are generally believed to have been the creation of J. Francis Bursill (1848-1928). Bursill, … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson
Tagged bc, Comrades in Arts Club, Garrick Club, history, J. Francis Bursill, Jacqueline Hooper, John Ridington, Koerner Foundation, Lambs Club, Lionel Haweis, men's club, Renfrew-Collingwood newsletter, Rosetti Photographic Studio, Savage Club, Shakespeare Garden, Vagabonds Club, vancouver
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Freeze, Varmint! (Or ‘Vacant Lot as Window to the Past’)
This very early Vancouver image by pioneer photographic professional, Charles Bailey, makes me chuckle. Not only is it a clear and sharp photograph of a time in Vancouver which would be nearly inconceivable today, without such images, but it shows … Continue reading
Polar Pan?
Here are Royal Lifesaving Society members, Peter Pantages and Miss E. Robinson. (Sadly, we don’t know Miss Robinson’s first name; she looks like she was quite a character. Although Peter and Miss Robinson appear in the photo to be friendly, … Continue reading
Posted in stuart thomson
Tagged bc, E. Robinson, english bay, history, Pete Pantages, Peter Pan Cafe, Peter Pan Hall, Polar Bear Club, Royal Lifesaving Society, vancouver
5 Comments
Pet/Person Fountain . . . Gone.
On October 1, 1986 – in Vancouver’s centennial year – this fountain was established on the north side of Robson street, a half-block east of Burrard (in front of the retail space that at that time housed the main store of … Continue reading
Posted in people
Tagged bc, history, robson and hornby streets, theresa galloway, vancouver, vancouver centennial, water fountain
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Fate’s Temptress
Mary Warburton (ca1871-1931) was a Vancouver nurse with a penchant for walking where she needed to go, regardless of distance or season. Two of her trips were reported in the news – one from Hope to Princeton in 1926; the … Continue reading
Posted in biography, hospitals/health care
Tagged bc, Constable Daugherty, Constable W. Gill, history, Hope, Jack Haysburg, Mary Warburton, Michael Kluckner, nurse, Podunk Davis, princeton, Squamish, vancouver
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Unsung Local Artist: Hans Lankau
Updated: November 22, 2016 The image from 1972 was added. Hans Gottfried Edita Lankau (1897-1971) was born and raised in Germany. He immigrated to post-war Canada in 1951 when he was in his mid-50s, settling in West Vancouver. His principal work in … Continue reading
Posted in art
Tagged bc, birks, canadian bank of commerce, coats of arms, Hans Lankau, history, relief sculpture, vancouver
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Lads and Strays BENEATH the Platform, Please!
The photo above was made in 1943 on the occasion of (among other things, perhaps) the crowning of the Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.), District 16 “Queen” Viola Balzer from among other contenders for the crown (some of whom, I assume, … Continue reading
Posted in Don Coltman, parks, people
Tagged A.R.P., Air Raid Precautions, amputee, bc, boys, East Indian ancestry, girls, history, Queen, vancouver, Viola Balzer, world war 2
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Pacific Centre Rotunda to be Demolished for Denser Commercial Space? REALLY?
In the nearly 450 posts I’ve produced for VanAsItWas over the past two years, I’ve typically focussed on Vancouver’s past. I will continue that practice. But today I will pause to reflect and comment on a news item which I … Continue reading
John Goss: Baritone, Art Advocate, Politician, and Marxist
John Goss (1894-1953) was an Englishman by birth, but for most of his later years, he made Vancouver his home. In the 1920s and ’30s, Goss toured in the U.K., the U.S. and Canada as a recital singer, gradually building a … Continue reading
English Bay Theatre
Players When I happened upon the photo shown above in CVA’s collection I said to myself, “That looks like a theatrical company in costume for Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado!” I could find no mention in local newspapers in 1912 for any … Continue reading
Posted in music, stuart thomson, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged bc, Corinthians, cpr, DeWolf Hopper, empress theatre, english bay theatre, Ernest Ramsay Ricketts, Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Company, Gilbert and Sullivan, history, imperial theatre, sullivan and considine, The Mikado, vancouver, vancouver opera house
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1912
1912 was a significant year in the development of Vancouver’s skyline. Among the structures under construction that year were: Birk’s Building (destroyed 1974); Sun Tower (visible at extreme left of “Vancouver Today” image above); Third CPR Railway Depot (now Waterfront Station). This isn’t visible … Continue reading
Where W.E.C. Shopped?
Updated October, 2016 This image appears to have been made sometime in the 1970s; right around the same period when the hapless Wile E. Coyote was entertaining fantasies of terrorizing the nameless Roadrunner using machines built from products made by Acme. The company portrayed in the image, … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, automobiles, street scenes, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged acme novelty, bc, burnaby, history, looney tunes, Roadrunnner, vancouver, warner brothers, Wile E. Coyote
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A Bunch of Characters
These newsboys are a charming lot. The very few adults in the frame are in the background and in most cases, largely obscured by the boys. I spot only one boy who is a visible minority – the black boy apparently resting one … Continue reading
Posted in newspapers
Tagged Architecture Centre, bc, Carter-Cotton, Daily Province, Edgett, history, newsboys, Pacific Press, Sun, vancouver
3 Comments
Use Your Head (With IBM)
Updated September, 2016 This is an exterior shot of IBM’s Vancouver presence on Georgia Street (on north side, between Seymour and Richards Street) in 1936 (there is another image showing the building and NCR’s office in context with St. Andrew’s … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, georgia street, history, IBM, vancouver
5 Comments
Department Store Dining
Updated September, 2016 Woodward’s This is an early Vancouver interior shot of the Woodward’s dining room in what is today East Vancouver, but at the time was considered by most residents to be ‘downtown’. The Bay (Hudson’s Bay Company) This … Continue reading
Elva Selman Drowns at 2nd Beach
Elva Selman, a 24-year-old member of First Baptist Church, died in the waters off Second Beach on Friday, August 21, 1908 at around 11am. She was the daughter of Samuel and Clara Selman. Samuel was a realtor in the City … Continue reading
T. T. Shields ‘Second Fiddle’ to A. E. Greenlaw… Who?
This article appeared in the Vancouver Daily World on August 17, 1908. An intriguing aspect of the piece, to me, was that Shields, who was near the beginning of his career as an Ontario Baptist preacher of note (later, pastor at Jarvis Street Baptist … Continue reading
“What the…?”
I think this is a terrific shot made by some (today unknown) soul with enough spunk to see the potential of the shot and to just shoot it (in a day when camera technology didn’t often reward such spontaneity)! A … Continue reading
Salvation Army Service at First Baptist Church
The image above and the two below were taken by photographer, Jack Lindsay, of a Salvation Army service held in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Vancouver. According to City of Vancouver archivists, these were made sometime in the period between … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Jack Lindsay
Tagged bc, First Baptist Church, history, Salvation Army, vancouver, worship service
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‘That Old [Herzogian] Feeling’
This image is a powerful reminder, to me at any rate, of a Fred Herzog image. I make no claim at all that this is a Herzog photo (it isn’t; it is one taken for the Vancouver Planning Department by a photographer … Continue reading
Posted in city, Electric Power, yesterday & today
Tagged bc, downtown residential, Fred Herzog, helmcken street, history, vancouver
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The Gasoline ‘Strike’ of April ’40
The week-long, so-called ‘gasoline strike’ of April 1940 should probably more accurately be called an embargo or boycott. This wasn’t a withdrawal of labour, thus inconveniencing management and pressuring the latter to negotiate with labour’s trade union representatives (the common meaning … Continue reading
An Audi Baritone: Update
Originally published October 2014. Who is the apparent rock star above? A fellow who, in his day, was a household word: American opera baritone, John Charles Thomas. Today, his vocal stylings are not quite forgotten (although his name is all … Continue reading
Posted in biography, music, people
Tagged bc, history, john charles thomas, kellys appliances, photography, vancouver
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Classic Images: Update
These two images are, in my judgement, outstanding examples of pictorial photography (or camera work as art). Both were made by Vancouver photographers: Harold Mortimer-Lamb was an amateur; John Vanderpant a professional. But when looking at these two lovely images, such labels … Continue reading
Posted in Harold Mortimer-Lamb, John Vanderpant, Photographers
Tagged bc, history, Mines, street scenes, vancouver
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The ‘Heebie Jeebies’
When I first ran across this image in the City of Vancouver Archive online images, I was inclined to be scornful. Until I remembered some of the ads I’ve seen in recent years for so-called ‘body sculpting solutions’ and a wide … Continue reading
Posted in Artray, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, people
Tagged bc, glamour, history, nelson street, retail, slenderizing, vancouver
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Frank Hart’s Harangue
The photo was made to commemorate the Maple Tree Monument at the corner of Carrall and Water streets. The monument was created by prolific Vancouver sculptor, Charles Marega, originally as part of a drinking fountain in 1925. In 1986, with … Continue reading
Posted in art, pioneers
Tagged bc, Charles Gardner Johnson, Frank W. Hart, history, Kalman Silverman, Pete Larson, pioneers, vancouver
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Mr. Rockefeller Regrets
This letter was written by John D. Rockefeller’s attorney, Starr J. Murphy (1860-1921), in response to a now-lost letter sent by Dr. L. N. MacKechnie (1864-1926) of First Baptist Church (Vancouver). It seems reasonable to conclude from the context that the … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged bc, Cleveland, history, John D. Rockefeller, L. N. MacKechnie, Standard Oil, Starr J. Murphy, USA, vancouver
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A Five-Hour Tour
87 years ago this month, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester,** came to Vancouver for a few days of R & R (or, rather, G & P . . . Golf and Polo) before a planned itinerary that was to include a stop … Continue reading
Posted in people, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, British Royal Family, Duke of Gloucester, history, Prince Henry, Tour, vancouver
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Designated Alien Landing Zones?
Real estate in Vancouver is at a premium. That is a truism. It has nearly always been the case in this city. Sure, there have been periodic and relatively short-lived dips. But only rarely has the real estate market here been … Continue reading
Posted in Opinion, street scenes
Tagged 181 W Pender, Avalon, bc, cambie, history, pender, real estate, vancouver
2 Comments
The Lumberman and His Boy
This is one of my favourite early photographs of Vancouver, the condition of the negative, notwithstanding. I love it for the usual reason for love . . . just because! But also for compositional and historical reasons. It seems to … Continue reading
Posted in J. D. Hall, people, street scenes
Tagged bc, cambie, flack block, hastings, history, inns of court, news-advertiser, vancouver, victory square
2 Comments
“Canada Can if Canada Will”?
This is a view of the south side of the 400-block of W. Pender St. as it was during the 1935 federal election campaign (the vote was held on October 14). This shows the HQ of the Reconstruction Party, a new party … Continue reading
Cecil Akrigg and Stan Lowe Go for a Climb
Cecil Akrigg and Stan Lowe were in their 20s when they made these images to remember their adventures in and around the Lion’s Gate Bridge ca 1939. No mention is made as to whether their climb up the bridge tower (of … Continue reading
Posted in biography, bridges/viaducts, people
Tagged bc, history, lions gate bridge, photography, vancouver
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Not-So-Terrifically Respectful
Vancouver’s 31st mayor (1967-72), Tom Campbell, was a pro-development, shoot-from-the-lip civic leader. Campbell is best known to Vancouver heritage advocates and to the communities of Chinatown and Strathcona, as one of the most vocal proponents of the proposed downtown freeway system. … Continue reading
Charles S. Price: Healing in Vancouver?
For three weeks in May 1923, Rev. Charles S. Price (1887-1947) held daily (and often twice daily) evangelistic meetings and faith healing services in Vancouver. Price had been in Victoria for several days in April 1923 before coming to … Continue reading
Fine Work by Unknown Artist
I find lithographs such as this one (from a volume in the Uno Langmann Collection entitled Views of British Columbia and Akaska) to be very appealing. Vancouver Art historian, Gary Sim, has pointed out that that the first image (from the source hard copy of the book; the … Continue reading
Posted in art, Uno Langmann Collection
Tagged Alaska, bc, engravings, history, M. W. Waitt & Co. Booksellers, UBC's Uno Langman Collection, vancouver, Victoria
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Canada’s First Drive-In Theatre
The Cascade Drive-In in Burnaby was B.C.’s and Canada’s first¹ drive-in theatre. It was started by George and William Steel and Joe and Art Johnson (Steel-Johnson Amusements, Ltd.) in 1946, opening in August of that year. The theatre was built along Grandview … Continue reading
Posted in Artray, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas
Tagged 1, bc, burnaby, Cascade Drive-In, Cascades Village, history, Steel-Johnson Amusements Ltd., vancouver
8 Comments
Vancouver Arts & Crafts Association
The Arts & Crafts Association came into being in April, 1900 and lasted little more than a couple of years.* It had as its “chief aim . . . to encourage artistic feeling and knowledge and to bring the designer … Continue reading
“What Food These Morsels Be”
This sign was painted on the side of a building on Prior Street many years ago. A friend, who is in his 70s, claims not to remember a time when the advertisement wasn’t there. W. T. Money established W. T. … Continue reading
Risky Swinging in the ’20s
This couple appear pretty relaxed, given that they are suspended by a none-too-sturdy-looking cable over what I believe (but cannot prove) is Seymour Creek in North Vancouver. I’m led to conclude that it is probably Seymour Creek mainly from context. There are a … Continue reading
Posted in parks, people, Uno Langmann Collection
Tagged bc, cable tram, history, north vancouver, vancouver
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Ye Little Brown Inn
Yesterday, I was looking at a printout of Sheet 16 of Goad’s Fire Insurance Atlas of Vancouver (March 1920) when I noticed the name of a business that was new to me: “Little Brown Inn”. What could that be, I … Continue reading
Posted in biography, cafes/restaurants/eateries
Tagged 606 Granville, 745 Dunsmuir, bc, history, Log Cabin Lunch, vancouver, white lunch, Ye LIttle Brown Inn
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A. J. Davis, Vancouver Painter
The painting above was purchased by my good friend, Wes, at a thrift store, recently. He didn’t know who the artist was nor anything of his story. He just liked the painted rendering of the portrait. A bit of digging online revealed that the painting … Continue reading
Another Controversial Subject: Vancouver Housing
Traffic congestion and inadequate housing are subjects which are revisited regularly in Vancouver. The previous post was a look at how the City tried to persuade residents not to be ‘Traffic Peakers’ in the 1940s. This post is a reproduction of … Continue reading
“Traffic Peaker” vs “Polar Cap Melter”?
This 1940s ad, which I’m assuming was a production of the City of Vancouver, makes use of all three of the classical rhetorical appeals. There is ethos in the use of statistics, figures, and a chart to persuade the audience … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, automobiles
Tagged 'traffic peaker', automobile congestion, bc, history, rush-hour, vancouver
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Mudge the Poultry Man
William Mudge’s business was known in early Vancouver as Mudge & Son and (probably better) as Mudge the Poultry Man. As indicated in the latter name, he specialized in providing chicken products to hard-working, hungry Vancouverites. He hung his shingle … Continue reading
Posted in biography, businesses, P. T. Timms, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, City Market, cobble hill, history, poultry, seed potatoes, vancouver, William Mudge
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Val Quan
Late-breaking information on Val Quan (June 13, 2016): See comment from Bonnie, Val’s grand-daughter. She kindly provided some additional details. The information she supplied has been incorporated below. Val Quan (sometimes spelled Quon), his second wife, Pauline, and their family … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, people
Tagged bc, history, Pauline Quan, Val Quan, vancouver
3 Comments
The Lesters and their Dance Schools/Halls
It’s Hazy in Detroit There isn’t a lot known about the proprietress of M. Lester Dancing Academy. Maud was an Ontario girl (although exactly where in Ontario she was born and raised or what her maiden name was isn’t clear to … Continue reading
Posted in A. L. Yates, businesses, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged AOUW Hall, bc, burrard, Davie, Driard Hotel, Embassy Ballroom, granville, history, Lester Court, Lester Hall, M. Lester Dance Acadamy, vancouver, Victoria
13 Comments
J. Q. A. Henry Declines FBC Vancouver’s Call
This post is a footnote to the history of First Baptist Church, Vancouver. Neither These Sixty Years (1947) by W. A. Carmichael nor Our First Century (1986) by Leslie J. Cummings (the two official histories of the church) makes mention of a call from … Continue reading
Fairview/Roxy Theatre
There isn’t much known about the Fairview Theatre (1912-38), later called the Roxy Theatre (1939-55?). In fact, I have never before seen a photograph of the theatre. According to the building permit for the Fairview (which appears in the permit database … Continue reading
Belmont Grocery and Quality Gifts
These are two separate images of adjacent shops made at the corner of Granville & Nelson in 1969. Left image: CVA 780-26 – Belmont Grocery, Theatre Row, [at 999 Granville Street] 1969. Right image: CVA 780-24 – [View of a] … Continue reading
Posted in street scenes
Tagged bc, belmont grocery, granville, history, nelson, quality gifts, vancouver
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Victory on 500 Block of West Hastings
This is a very nice image made by Jack Lindsay, probably on VE or VJ Day.* The photographer was on ground level for this shot, standing in a vacant parking spot in front of the Bank of Toronto building (later, the … Continue reading
PNE Rocket Science
This photo shows the 1958 Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) feature celebrating British Columbia’s centennial year.* Project X “was kept secret until the eve of the fair, when it was revealed that the attraction was a display of modern rocketry. The … Continue reading
Posted in PNE, Science
Tagged B.C. centennial, bc, history, Project X, rocketry, vancouver, Vancouver's Fair
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The Foot of Main Street
Posted in automobiles, street scenes, W. E. Frost
Tagged alexander street, bc, burrard iron works, CN Steamships wharf, history, main street, vancouver
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Lost? Found: Pendrell Street Grounds
This photo shows a ‘park’ in Vancouver’s West End that seems to have been all but forgotten. It was located on Pendrell Street (D.L. 185, Block 70, Lot 31); an empty lot at the time the image was made. It was two … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, parks, sport
Tagged A. W. Given, bc, empty lot, Gilford Street, history, John Morton, Pendrell Street Grounds, vancouver
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John Morton
CVA 677-509 – [Studio portrait of John] Morton and second wife Ruth Morton 190- John Morton (1834-1912) was one of the first residents – arguably the first resident, although others have laid claim to the distinction – of modern-day Vancouver. … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, people
Tagged bc, Bruce A. Woods, Convention Baptists, Donald O. Anderson, Fellowship Baptists, history, John Morton, Mountainview Christian Fellowship, Regular Baptists, Robert K. Burkinshaw, Ruth Morton Memorial Baptist Church, Ruth Mount Morton, vancouver
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1936 Commissioned Image of Granville
I very much enjoy the image above, made by one of my favourite local photographers, Stuart Thomson. I like the gentle blur of the strolling crowd. And I especially like the lady caught in profile looking into Saba Bros. Silk … Continue reading
The Old Cecil
I refer in this post to the “old” Cecil Hotel (on the north side of 100 block West Hastings Street) to help distinguish it from the newer Cecil Hotel with which most Vancouver contemporaries are probably more aware – the one on Granville near … Continue reading
Posted in hotels/motels/inns, street scenes
Tagged "Old" Cecil Hotel, abbott street, bc, cambie street, hastings street, history, The Southern Hotel, vancouver, ymca
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Sir Charles Tupper the Object of ‘Fearless Loathing’!
In one of the early posts to this site (May 2014), I remarked on what now seems to be a companion photo of the one above*. The City Archives (the source of both images) do not identify the central male, adult, figure … Continue reading
Posted in politics, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, Girl Guides, history, Nova Scotia, P. B. Waite, Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, stanley park, vancouver
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Butter Packing ’40s-Style
It is mildly shocking to our (or, perhaps more accurately, my) contemporary sensibilities to see butter being cut by patently non-antiseptic metal machinery and handled by people without any gloves. Ah well, the folks who consumed the butter were doubtless glad … Continue reading
Posted in interiors, Jack Lindsay, technology
Tagged bc, co-operatives, dairy, history, Saskatchewan butter, vancouver
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Rev. Dr. Elbert Paul, First Baptist Pastor
This is an image of a Senior Minister of First Baptist Church, Elbert Paul (1902-1985). He served the church for nineteen years (1932-51), the longest period to date. He took on the pastorship in a time of significant challenge: it … Continue reading
Happiness Cafe and Neighbours
I love this Walter Frost image for several reasons. But my three principal reasons appear below. First of all it shows a city block that was on the cusp of huge change. Within a few years of the making of this photo, this … Continue reading
Two Toots for Terminal City Cycling Club!
These folks are seated near the Stanley Park reservoir which, for many years, supplied water to the city. According to J. S. Matthews’* notes which accompany this image, the two buglers shown in the middle of the shot used their instruments … Continue reading
Posted in parks, sport, war
Tagged bc, F. R. Begg, history, Prospect Point, reservoir, stanley park, terminal city cycling club, vancouver, William M. Stark
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South Granville’s Mid-Century Office Building
The Block Building (CBK Van Norman) stands at the corner of (South) Granville and 11th Ave. It was built in 1965, I believe. The art work over the main door is a work by Lionel and Patricia Thomas and is called … Continue reading
Early Development of 1000 Block Georgia Street
A Very Modest Undertaking (Telfords) A building permit was issued to the Telford brothers in 1912 to build an apartment block at 1018 Georgia Street (architect was W. M. Dodd & Co.). According to the permit, it would be a 10-storey structure made … Continue reading
Posted in aerial photo, churches, homes/apts/condos, stuart thomson
Tagged Georgia Court, history, ritz hotel, St Julien Apartment-Hotel, Telford, vancouver
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Vancouver DIDN’T Need Vander Zalm, as it Turned Out.
This image is from one of three Non-Partisan Association TV advertisements made for Vancouver mayoral candidate in 1984, Bill Vander Zalm, and the other NPA candidates for City Council that year. You may well have forgotten (or not realized) that ‘the … Continue reading
Posted in biography, people, politics
Tagged bc, Bill Vander Zalm, Don Bellamy, George Puil, Gordon Campbell, history, Mike Harcourt, Philip Owen, vancouver
2 Comments
PNE Multiplex vs. BC Place
According to a very good history of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Vancouver’s Fair, a Multiplex was formally endorsed by the association in 1978 as a way of overhauling the PNE physical plant in Hastings Park. It was proposed that the Multiplex … Continue reading
Posted in people, PNE, politics, Robert Dibble, sport
Tagged B-C Pier, bc, BC Place Stadium, Bill Bennett, Breen & Coates, Canada Place, Erwin Swangard, history, Multiplex, vancouver, Vancouver's Fair
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Concert Pianist, Conductor, Theatre Manager…
Maynard Joiner lived a long and fruitful life. He was born on one coast of North America (in Boston) in 1894 and died on another (in Vancouver) in 1990. By the time he was 10, he was considered a child prodigy. His forté was as … Continue reading
When a “Shooting Gallery” Was Where Guns Were Fired
Posted in businesses, interiors, Wadds Bros.
Tagged bc, blassing, cordova, hindenburg club, history, shooting gallery, vancouver
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“Not the Symbol, but the Living Presence…”
These images marked the first visit to Vancouver by a reigning Canadian monarch just a few months before the declaration of war with Germany by both Canada and Britain. There is an episode of CBC Radio’s Rewind which is a sort of … Continue reading
Dr. Telford
There were, in fact, three men known as “Dr. Telford” in early Vancouver and the three were brothers – dentist George (1876-1920); James Lyle (1889-1960), an M.D. who was CCF MLA for Vancouver East and later became the 24th mayor … Continue reading
Granville Bridge by Landauer
This is an outstanding image made of what today we typically refer to as “the Granville Bridge” (left), but which is in fact the third and unquestionably the most massive of the three False Creek crossings at roughly this location. The image was made … Continue reading
Posted in bridges/viaducts, Otto F. Landauer
Tagged bc, granville, granville island, history, vancouver
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George Marsden, Early Photographer
George Marsden was a young Vancouver photographer with his own local business, for a brief time. There are just two images in the City of Vancouver Archives online collection (none in Vancouver Public Library’s historical photos) that are attributed to him, … Continue reading
Nominee for Silliest Pioneer Surname…
While I was riding a city bus across Greater Vancouver this afternoon, I was looking for inspiration for this post from a PDF copy of the ca1908 Elite Directory of Vancouver. Among the items I spotted is my nominee for one of the … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, biography, businesses
Tagged bc, BC Assay and Chemical Supply Co., Cave & Co., Cave-Browne-Cave, history, vancouver
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Shack to ‘Monument’
The shack-like home of Hopps Sign (and everything else on this block – residential and commercial) is where, today, the International-style, monumental structure dedicated for many years to the sorting of mail is located. We are looking north on Homer Street up … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, businesses, hotels/motels/inns, Otto F. Landauer
Tagged Alcazar Hotel, bc, bc hydro, dunsmuir, georgia street, history, homer, Hopps Signs, vancouver
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The Gifted Mr. Bradbury
A real pleasure for me in this photo-historical adventure I’ve called VanAsItWas is in discovering and re-discovering crisp, well-exposed images that speak of an attention to detail and a real concern (whether consciously or not) for issues that would ultimately be … Continue reading
Reg Rose
Reg Rose was born in England in 1901 and came to Canada in 1912. After serving in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Reserves, 1916-19, and taking several short-term jobs, he began working for the YMCA, serving in Calgary, Lethbridge and Edmonton as the Secretary of that organization. In … Continue reading
Scenic Subterranean Studio 20
The above portrait is of gently eccentric Jurgen Gothe (1944-2015), during his years as CBC Radio’s host of DiscDrive. He died in April. DiscDrive was produced from what Gothe regularly referred to on-air as “Scenic Subterranean Studio 20” in Vancouver’s CBC building at … Continue reading
Posted in broadcasting, music, people
Tagged bc, cbc, DiscDrive, history, Jurgen Gothe, Michael Enright, radio, Rewind, vancouver
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Congregational Church Picnic?
The image below is an early one from the City of Vancouver Archives (CVA). On the glass positive of the image, there are notes; these are difficult to make out, but I’m pretty sure it reads as follows, starting at the … Continue reading
Granville Bowling Before Commodore: LaSalle Recreations
These gents, who appear to be pretty pleased with themselves, were apparently in a bowling tournament held in 1929 at LaSalle Recreations at 945 Granville St. This was a year before Commodore Lanes came along (on the other side of … Continue reading
Posted in bowling, businesses, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, granville street, history, lasalle recreations, nelson street, smithe street, vancouver, west side
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Funland Amusement Arcade (The Orillia)
This is an inspired image by Otto F Landauer of part of The Orillia block (SW corner Robson and Seymour) in its full colour (in every way!) in contrast with the duotones of the new RBC building on Robson at Granville. For … Continue reading
Canterbury Coffee Shop
This photo makes me smile. It shows one of my favourite things (a coffee shop) on one of my most frequented walking streets (Burrard) and features a marching band, to boot! The band appears to be on one of the … Continue reading
Early Vancouver Art Gallery
This is an early incarnation of the Vancouver Art Gallery (which was housed at this time in the same building as the City Museum (the ancestor of the Museum of Vancouver) and the Vancouver Public Library. All three were in … Continue reading
Posted in art, libraries, P. T. Timms
Tagged art gallery, bc, carnegie library, city museum, hastings street, history, main street, vancouver
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A 1977 View from Harbour Centre
This is a very different view from the comparable one you would see today from atop Vancouver’s Harbour Centre. This image appears to have been made a few months after the building opened in June, 1977. The sprawling downtown Woodward’s department store complex has, of … Continue reading
Posted in advertising, aerial photo, city views, Ernie Reksten
Tagged bc, history, vancouver
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The Robert Marrion Family
I find the photograph above to be a very charming early Vancouver vignette. It was made, according to City of Vancouver archivists, in 1897 at Greer’s Beach – which today is known as Kitsilano Beach – and shows (among others) … Continue reading
Posted in people
Tagged bc, cornwall avenue, Greer's Beach, history, John McLaren, Kitsilano Beach, vancouver, Yew Street
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An All But Unknown Burrard Street
This is a northward view along Burrard Street from near Melville Street (the street that today is adjacent to the Burrard St. Skytrain Station). The most striking aspect of this image to me is that the only building I recognize … Continue reading
Posted in Don Coltman, street scenes
Tagged bc, burrard street, history, melville street, vancouver
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A Man of Influence from UBC
The undergraduate pictured third from the left in the UBC photo above would become an Ottawa ‘mandarin’ within a few years of the date this exposure was made. In 1929, Norman Robertson joined the Department of External Affairs in Ottawa, and by 1941 … Continue reading
Posted in biography, people, politics
Tagged bc, department of external affairs, history, jack granatstein, mandarins, norman a. robertson, ottawa, vancouver
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‘Tame’ Big Band
I have been a big fan of the ‘big band’ music genre for many years (when friends were wild about KISS in the 1970s, I was nuts for Benny Goodman), but Wayne King was not a band leader with whose … Continue reading
Posted in broadcasting, Jack Lindsay, music
Tagged american, bc, ckwx, history, vancouver, wayne king orchestra
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Fur Vault
The first and second image in this post were apparently commissioned by Nelson’s Laundry to local pro photographer Jack Lindsay to demonstrate the secure fur coat storage service offered by the launderer. It is difficult to recall/conceive in this day when fur … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, Jack Lindsay, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, cambie street, fur coats, history, nelson's laundry, vancouver, vaults
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China Creek Cycle Oval
This cycling oval was originally built for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver in 1954. After the Games were over, it became known as China Creek Cycle Oval. The oval seems to have been located just east of where … Continue reading
Handsome Garage
Ah, these were good days; when architects and automotive dealers/mechanics cared enough to make even a garage appear as though it were a work of art! This was one of two Fred Cheeseman garages in Vancouver at this time. This one was … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged Auburn Auto Sales, bc, Fred Cheeseman Garage, history, howe street, vancouver
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Photographers of the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver
With panorama images of this sort (of which W J Moore was an acknowledged local professional specialist), I like to use the magnifying icon to inspect individual faces and speculate on what each person may have been thinking at the time … Continue reading
Posted in people, Photographers, W J Moore
Tagged 1920s, bc, history, pacific northwest, photographers, vancouver
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Which of These Things Doesn’t Belong (Today)?
Posted in hospitals/health care, L. F. Sheraton, people
Tagged 1959, ashtrays, bc, Centennial Pavillion, history, smoking, vancouver, Vancouver General Hospital
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Gift of the Gods
This image of a PNE float is, in my judgement, one of the most outrageous of those I have seen. It was a bit of a puzzle, at first, as to just what was being advertised. The central figure – … Continue reading
Posted in L. F. Sheraton, people, PNE
Tagged apple blossom festival, bc, gift of the gods, history, vancouver, Washington state, wenatchee, women
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27,000 Miles Through Space!
The programming available in 1978 from Jerold Cable Converters seems uninspiring, but perhaps that’s just me. Maybe there was more of an audience at that time for House of Commons TV, the CBC Northern Service (in both official languages, no … Continue reading
Forgotten Chinatown Playground
The newly-opened playground (in 1928) which is shown in Photos A and B was, according to CVA’s notes, somewhere near the intersection of Carrall and Pender Streets in Chinatown. But where exactly the playground was located is a bit of … Continue reading
Posted in P. T. Timms, people, sport
Tagged bc, carrall street, chinatown, Chinese Freemasons, Chinese Times, history, Peking Chop Suey House, pender street, Sam Kee, vancouver
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Richard “The Troll” – Former Rhino Leader – Missed in 2015
Canadians are in the midst of a tedious federal election campaign with no truly interesting leaders nor stimulating platforms. I for one am missing Richard “The Troll” Schaller, of North Vancouver, the former western caucus chairman of the Rhinoceros Party (their ‘prime directive’: … Continue reading
Posted in people, politics
Tagged bc, federal elections, fringe parties, history, north vancouver, Rhinoceros Party, Richard "The Troll" Schaller, vancouver
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Early Tech for “Readin’, ‘Ritin’ and ‘Rithmetic”
Most of the school supplies in this office building are recognizable to me. The 1930s version of the Remington typewriter, of course (with that almost unheard of technology, carbon paper inserted), variations on early document copiers (which I’m tempted to refer … Continue reading
80 Years
There are differences that leap to my attention when I consider these two images together. A principal one is how much more clothing we Vancouverites wore 80 years ago as against today (although it must be admitted that the seasons shown are … Continue reading
Posted in P. T. Timms, people, street scenes
Tagged bc, dunsumir, granville, history, pender, vancouver
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Jubilee Methodist Men in Drag
This amusing photo may be one of the final images made (and certainly one of the last professional photos made) at Jubilee Methodist Church in Burnaby before it became Jubilee United Church later in 1925. Jubilee Church was located on Kingsway near Imperial … Continue reading
The Grants
This wedding party photo is important, in my opinion, for a couple of reasons. It is one of the first records of an outdoor wedding in the Lower Mainland, to the best of my knowledge. And it is the last photograph … Continue reading
PNE Parade on East Hastings
The scene above captures well the enthusiasm of PNE Parade spectators at East Hastings and Princess Street in the mid-1950s. There would be parades to kick off the Pacific National Exhibition each year for another 40 years (ending in 1995). … Continue reading
Posted in parades, people, street scenes
Tagged 1957, bc, east hastings, history, PNE, princess street, vancouver
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Marine Chain Manufacturing
My friend, Wes, has knowledge on a wide range of topics – from cars to aircraft to, evidently, welding processes. I asked him today if he had any idea what the manufacturing steps were that were illustrated in these Vancouver … Continue reading
Posted in boats/ships, businesses, Don Coltman
Tagged a bridge of ships, bc, chain manufacturing, history, james pritchard, merchant shipping, vancouver, WWII
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Pre-Expo ’86 Perspective
The man in the image is standing on what will become Skytrain’s elevated concrete guideway near what will be the Main Street/Science World Station. The worker seems to be looking toward the Pacific Central Station (VIA Rail’s local railway station and the long-distance bus terminal). There … Continue reading
Posted in Al Ingram, public transit, sport
Tagged bc, bc place, Billy Graham, expo 86, Expo Centre, GM Place, history, main street/science world station, monorail, pacific coliseum, Pope John Paul II, Rogers Arena, science world, skytrain, vancouver, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Grizzlies
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Welding Vancouver Streetcar Track
There was something about the image above that bothered me. Something that didn’t look safe. Then it struck me. The fellow standing next to the wagon with the warning: “Danger: 500 Volts. Do not touch machine or watch flame” had … Continue reading
Posted in public transit, street scenes
Tagged bc, BC Electric Railway, BCER, downtown, history, railways, streetcars, vancouver, welders
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Robson Square Ice Rink Formerly Public W.C.
If you are a Vancouver resident or have visited the city, you will probably know that these apparently quite handsome public washrooms are no longer here (there are two remaining sets of these relics, neither in the downtown core and … Continue reading
Whetham Block/CP Telecom Building
The City of Vancouver Archives claims in the Scope and Content section of the record for this photo that it “shows the Wetham Block”. This is a typographical error; it should read “Whetham Block”, named after Dr. James Whetham. There is … Continue reading
Waterfront Station: Howe Street Entry
Posted in public transit, yesterday & today
Tagged 200 Granville St, bc, history, Howe and Cordova, vancouver, waterfront station
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The Quadra Club
I like this image. It shows a Seymour Street that has largely disappeared. It also shows (just barely) a sign of one of Vancouver’s enduring clubs that had a couple of locations before this address (724 Seymour). I’m referring to the Quadra … Continue reading
Brutalism on Broadway
I have mentioned this building elsewhere in VAIW, but was prompted to show it again this morning upon seeing that this image hasn’t been identified by CVA. It is Broadway Centre (1974) at 805 West Broadway, a fine example of Brutalist … Continue reading
Posted in Al Ingram, architects
Tagged alberta, bc, broadway centre, brutalist architecture, history, lethbridge, university hall, university of lethbridge, vancouver
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Vancouver As It Was: A Photo-Historical Journey 