vancouver in the early 90's

[SpongeG]

all taken around 1991 - 1995 ish

various coal harbour shots

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb2.jpg

various downtown

no wall centre!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/downtown1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/ytown1.jpg

from BC place towards the north...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/downtown3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/downtown2.jpg

from QE park just before the trees covered the view

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/qepark.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/chanel.jpg

that building under construction...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/hastst1.jpg

main street station looking south

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/main3.jpg

looking north

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/main2.jpg

and from the ground...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/main1.jpg

the airport

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/airport.jpg

coquitlam

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coq1.jpg

waterfront - notice the canucks ad

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/waterfront.jpg

[Distill3d]

nice...but no pics of the old Virgin Mega Store on Robson??

[204]

nice...but no pics of the old Virgin Mega Store on Robson??

http://www.eyeseavancouver.com/images/dt/DSC00046.jpg

Planet Hollywood... forgot there was one of those!

[Distill3d]

speaking of Planet Hollywood, where was the Hard Rock Cafe?

[officedweller]

On Hastings just east of Birks - the space was subsequently subdivided - the Hard Rock was two levels including a soaring seceond level - not sure what went in there, and the lower level became a nightclub called "Luce". Not sure what is in there now.

[Cypherus]

What was with the Safeway truck-trailer storage on prime coal-harbour land?

[EastVanMark]

On Hastings just east of Birks - the space was subsequently subdivided - the Hard Rock was two levels including a soaring seceond level - not sure what went in there, and the lower level became a nightclub called "Luce". Not sure what is in there now.

The lower level is still a nightclub while the upper level has been turned into an office that houses a call center. Some of the decor from the Hard Rock can still be found on the second floor as the operators of the building were reluctant to get rid of them because the Hard Rock spend so much money on decorating the place. The site was split in the first place because the owners of "Luce" didn't want the heavy rent burden (was just a shade under $30,000) so they worked out a deal to cover up the staircase leading upstairs at their own cost to get just the lower floor at a much more workable rate._

[Coldrsx]

What was with the Safeway truck-trailer storage on prime coal-harbour land?

i recall visiting in 1987/88 and it was brutal how that coal harbour was.

[SpongeG]

What was with the Safeway truck-trailer storage on prime coal-harbour land?

there was some kind of ferry service that docked there i think - i recall seeing trucks being loaded onto it before

the area was just sitting there for so long - it had railway tracks, a service road etc.

I remember a prop from the mr magoo movie sat there for quite a few years too

EDIT: in this pic you can see the ferry that was used for the trucks

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb7.jpg

[Distill3d]

isn't Coal Harbour where the Super Cat Ferry took off from?

[Phil McAvity]

Sponge, thanks so much for these pictures, they brought back some nostalgic feelings i have about the "The Big V" since i lived there right around the time these pictures were taken (1992-1993). When i lived there, the main branch of the library was on it's last legs at Robson and Burrard just before they put in the Virgin megastore and the Planet Hollywood.

The building under construction in this picture (that you refer to as "that building"!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/hastst1.jpg
is the Terminal City Club, and the reason i know that is because i worked there just before they tore it down and rebuilt it with this 30 story tower.

And yes, Coal Harbour was a bit of a mess back then. It is now designed to actually accomodate people rather than just big rigs. A phenomenal improvement.

[Mike K.]

Just a reminder that we require all photographs not taken by the poster to include a reference from where they were borrowed, or linked from, and/or the photographer of the photos. Please read full the rules and regs here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/announcement.php?f=180&a=313). Due to legal issues in the past, we must enforce these rules to keep ourselves out of trouble.

SpongeG, would you happen to have that info available for the photos you posted?

Thanks :)

[1ajs]

looking at the links they apear to be his...

[officedweller]

there was some kind of ferry service that docked there i think - i recall seeing trucks being loaded onto it before

The CP passenger ferry used to run out of Coal Harbour to downtown Nanaimo (to a dock near Cameron Isladn next to the Gabriola Ferry dock). Can't recall exactly, but for the lower deck with cars and trucks, you would load at the rear only and drive a big U to get out (I suppose like the former Sonia/Northern Adventure). For the upper car deck, the ramp was at the middle of one side of the boat and there was basically a big oval inside the ferry that you would drive around.
The rail ferries also ran out of the same dock. The service has since been taken over by Seaspan and runs from Tilbury Island in Delta. i.e. industrial uses fleeing to the suburbs.

[SpongeG]

Just a reminder that we require all photographs not taken by the poster to include a reference from where they were borrowed, or linked from, and/or the photographer of the photos. Please read full the rules and regs here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/announcement.php?f=180&a=313). Due to legal issues in the past, we must enforce these rules to keep ourselves out of trouble.

SpongeG, would you happen to have that info available for the photos you posted?

Thanks :)


sorry - i took them all myself

[Pinion]

edit: nm

[SpongeG]

i scanned in some more... all taken by me I have a lot more to come but photobucket is really friggin slow whenever they got i will add them &^&**(^%%

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van9-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/burn1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/rich2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/newwest3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/newwest1.jpg

[SpongeG]

the last few (the ones with the tall ships are more recent)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van10.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/rich3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/rich1.jpg
coquitlam - condos are now all over the right/nroth side of this road
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/coq1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/newwest2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van12.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van14.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van13.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van8.jpg

[Locked In]

Cool thread! I didn't know this one existed. Is there any chance the Vogue sign will be restored to retro pink? That's wild!

Someone in my family took this pic a few years earlier.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9FW9P3-u1EI/SveYmcfE5-I/AAAAAAAABP0/Ol9baXAstYI/s800/IMG_8216.JPG

[zivan56]

Nice! Thanks...keep them coming!

[raggedy13]

main street station looking south
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/main3.jpg

A lot of change to this view
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2815863217_8c0006d8ef.jpg
my pic - don't have a more recent one from this angle unfortunately

[Vancity]

Wow. Hard to imagine that's what the city looked like, seeing what the city's like right now. We've come a long way in a short period of time. The future's looking bright, if there is continued wise planning for the city.

[Vancity]

A lot of change to this view
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2815863217_8c0006d8ef.jpg
my pic - don't have a more recent one from this angle unfortunately

That's pretty crazy, how much that area of main has changed. Some parts of the city are almost unrecognizable with the change that's occured.

[Distill3d]

So, this is going to make me feel old (but only cause I'm the kid in the picture)...

Lafarge Lake, Coquitlam 1988(ish)

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j155/starfcuk/LaFargeLake.jpg

[wrenegade]

The Voque was PINK? Wow. That one I didn't know. I do remember how much of a hole Coal Harbour was. Lots of train tracks, more of a real working harbour. We kept our boat at RVYC and spent a lot of time down there. I used to love the 4 gas docks as a kid. Chevron is so lonely now.

[djmk]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/old%20vancouver/van7.jpg


i live two houses up from this park on Capitol Hill. On a nice day, the view is incredible of downtown and beyond.

but what is that huge building in the lower right corner? was this part of chevron's refinery?

[DavidKuitunen]

before and after pics?

[Zassk]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/spongeg/coalharb4.jpg

Wow - look at the SkyTrain tunnel and track at Waterfront fully exposed! Sponge, you should put this shot on the wikipedia SkyTrain article or something, nobody will ever see it this way again.

[flight_from_kamakura]

wow, that's change. and just imagine, in another 10 we'll have the last of the expo lands built out, some good development on main between first and 10th, another 20-30 towers on the peninsula, a dtes we can be proud of, and maybe a new super hospital, a new vag, a new city hall annex, and a new skytrain line going out to ubc. wild.

[SpongeG]

just a few more - all by me...

YVR
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/9552/vancouve2.jpg

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/139/vancouver1.jpg

http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3111/vancouver3.jpg

looking north on main
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6683/vancouver4.jpg

[ckkelley]

Harbour Green early 2002
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6048/6281729114_8a9c02dd13_b.jpg
Picture by me.

[trofirhen]

Somewhere, some time back, in the press, Vancouver earned the epithet "Canada's Precocious Child." It's not hard to see why.

[giallo]

Wow - look at the SkyTrain tunnel and track at Waterfront fully exposed! Sponge, you should put this shot on the wikipedia SkyTrain article or something, nobody will ever see it this way again.

I remember that exposed track like it was yesterday. We used to use the parking lot adjacent to the tracks a lot when filming movies. I'd spend hours watching the train pass by. The transformation of Coal Harbour is nothing short of amazing. And in such a short time too.

[jsbertram]

I remember that exposed track like it was yesterday. We used to use the parking lot adjacent to the tracks a lot when filming movies. I'd spend hours watching the train pass by. The transformation of Coal Harbour is nothing short of amazing. And in such a short time too.

I noticed on the right edge of the picture the trailers lined up getting ready to be loaded on the CPR barge to be sent to the Island.

Our office used to be in Guinness Tower with a northern view, so much time was lost watching the ships and trains and float-planes below. When the new Shaw Tower was announced, the boss was p!ssed that our views would be lost without a reduction in the rent, so the company moved to Waterfront Centre because nothing could be built on the water side & block our views again.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Harbour Green early 2002

oh yeah I remember those days.


Here's a pic of Wall Centre U/C in July 2000.

http://gingert.net/images/vancouver-1wallcenter02-07.07.2000.jpg


Concord Pacific Place from Science World, 1996.

http://gingert.net/images/vancouver-falsecreek-1996.jpg


http://gingert.net/images/9EUBMJ3D1NPKPGN4FXFZ.jpg


http://gingert.net/images/vanpam2.jpg


All my pix :)

[Vancity]

the city has come a long way!

future looks promising with wise decisions..

[s211]

future looks promising with wise decisions..

Sounds like a fortune cookie.