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flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 9:29 PM
the second hotel vancouver.


it used to stand on the southwest corner of granville and georgia, built 1911-1913 and demolished in 1947 (i think).

profile:

view from the hudson's bay building (vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/2/3/728b6c67bc446a124fa6c7f2e846d.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/2/3/728b6c67bc446a124fa6c7f2e846d.html)
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/View_of_Hotel_Vancouver_2_and_the_Wesley_Methodist_Church_1916.jpg

view from georgia medical & dental building (vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/2/2/a/29a187b9b39b920b9ecd4d6bd329c.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/2/a/29a187b9b39b920b9ecd4d6bd329c.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/3/e/0/a7652b2bb1bd77cc140cb579c0a25.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/3/e/0/a7652b2bb1bd77cc140cb579c0a25.html)

view from robson street (vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/6/f/0/34021dd659c75a0995843f8464400.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/6/f/0/34021dd659c75a0995843f8464400.html)

georgia street driveway entrance (city archives):
http://b.imagehost.org/0320/Driveway_entrance_of_second_Hotel_Vancouver_Georgia_and_Granville_Streets_1910s.jpg

interior (bc archives):

lobbyway
http://pix.nofrag.com/6/e/6/1794dff80b13c99abc740bc9437f9.gif (http://pix.nofrag.com/6/e/6/1794dff80b13c99abc740bc9437f9.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/7/0/87553e1bd1e9ac982ddc89541006a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/7/0/87553e1bd1e9ac982ddc89541006a.html)

entry to the main dining room
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/c/9/ef54fc666d80d46392249057af5c2.gif (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/c/9/ef54fc666d80d46392249057af5c2.html)

inside the "grill room"
http://pix.nofrag.com/0/f/0/81dcbd2d209cde13c701c61269179.gif (http://pix.nofrag.com/0/f/0/81dcbd2d209cde13c701c61269179.html)

billiards room
http://pix.nofrag.com/2/f/5/7d41224a47275bcc7ed99ffd375c7.gif (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/f/5/7d41224a47275bcc7ed99ffd375c7.html)

entryway to the ballroom
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/2/c/4cd21a64cc149aeade6d4bbb37e0e.gif (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/2/c/4cd21a64cc149aeade6d4bbb37e0e.html)

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 9:42 PM
old city hall.

it stood on the corner of northwest corner of main and pender, built around 1890, it served as city hall until the deco building on cambie was finished. not sure of the demolition date, but i'm told it was sometime in the 1960s (all photos from vpl archives).

before the carnegie library was built, there was a public market lot adjacent to city hall:
http://pix.nofrag.com/a/5/d/dfd0bbfcc054e092d85770ed13cf2.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/5/d/dfd0bbfcc054e092d85770ed13cf2.html)

notice the horse troughs and so forth:
http://pix.nofrag.com/b/0/0/0895fbf34d63543140aa10a150194.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/0/0/0895fbf34d63543140aa10a150194.html)

troughs gone, fire escape added:
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/1/7/56f9f8c80687b7f61ff1f6a9a0888.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/1/7/56f9f8c80687b7f61ff1f6a9a0888.html)

addition built below the fire escape:
http://pix.nofrag.com/a/2/3/dc1903ad19f211eefdf6fe9f9153a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/2/3/dc1903ad19f211eefdf6fe9f9153a.html)

beautiful street profile:
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/8/2/2c9398b58176c2b9f1e21dfb98c45.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/8/2/2c9398b58176c2b9f1e21dfb98c45.html)

a mini-civic centre at the edge of the core:
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/f/f/824f316e56db86a6956b0cb2d465a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/f/f/824f316e56db86a6956b0cb2d465a.html)

at the dawn of the automobile era:
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/4/5/baf20fc5eaae3dc96ba896ddd11ed.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/4/5/baf20fc5eaae3dc96ba896ddd11ed.html)

it was damaged some time around 1930 and lost its clock tower:
http://pix.nofrag.com/f/4/8/b4f7b8fdd9d06c141f709d1bd8732.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/4/8/b4f7b8fdd9d06c141f709d1bd8732.html)

and then in the 1940s, a new public market:
http://b.imagehost.org/0320/Old_City_Hall_and_Library_Main_and_Hastings_Sts_1930s.jpg

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 9:52 PM
old vancouver art gallery.

everyone's talking so much about the new vag building, we've forgotten that the current building IS the new vag building (it's only been there since 1983 when erickson finished the new courts complex, freeing up the old one for the gallery). from 1931 to 1983, the vag building was housed in a beautiful example of low rise institutional deco, that sat at 1145 w. georgia, which is just adjacent to the site of the ritz-carlton residences project.

it's a real shame they couldn't save this one.

street profile
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_2.jpg

entrance
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/Entrance_to_Vancouver_Art_Gallery_1145_W_Georgia_Street_1931.jpg

and some lovely interior shots:
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_interior_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_interior_2.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_interior_3.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0323/vag_interior_4.jpg

SpongeG
Mar 23, 2008, 9:55 PM
http://pix.nofrag.com/3/e/0/a7652b2bb1bd77cc140cb579c0a25.jpg

looks like an archway across georgia

vancouver just couldn't leave good enough alone

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 9:58 PM
cpr terminus, vancouver station.

granville square and waterfront station sit of the site of van horne's old cpr terminus, a beautiful, almost story-book gothic building. it was built with the line and demolished when the cpr decided to build the ports and extend granville street, and that generally, vancouver had already outgrown it. a shame they couldn't have repurposed it somehow, as this thing would look amazing at the foot of granville street.

http://pix.nofrag.com/f/f/0/e3d5673de84cb02132cec70233668.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/f/0/e3d5673de84cb02132cec70233668.html)

aerial view
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/c/81c512995b38e215c5cb428da9738.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/c/81c512995b38e215c5cb428da9738.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/b/4/a/9f26a5e4f736deb44d82f97b1b611.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/4/a/9f26a5e4f736deb44d82f97b1b611.html)

street view
http://pix.nofrag.com/8/1/7/a5b3842325ad2f220c4ebf6bad8fa.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/8/1/7/a5b3842325ad2f220c4ebf6bad8fa.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/7/e/d0cb5ea5dbd9507e281fde9625909.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/7/e/d0cb5ea5dbd9507e281fde9625909.html)

rear view (looking south from the tracks)
http://b.imagehost.org/0807/2446.jpg

and check out these remarkable images (1914) of the construction of waterfront station
http://pix.nofrag.com/3/3/6/2311407faba469c2e757dca307da5.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/3/3/6/2311407faba469c2e757dca307da5.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/5/0/5/c9184394d5f92483af265c3f40dcd.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/5/0/5/c9184394d5f92483af265c3f40dcd.html)

Overground
Mar 23, 2008, 10:00 PM
There's parts of that hotel that I like and some I don't. The portico on Georgia is cool though.

Personally I wish they would have kept the square like this. As you can see from shadows there used to be buildings on the south side of Robson that would have created a traditional, enclosed square. Something this city lacks. With landscaping and or paving the square, I think it would have been better than what we currently have.
http://i32.tinypic.com/2nqv8k2.jpg

pic from VPL

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 10:09 PM
the georgia medical and dental building.

there's a thread on here about the demolition of this one in 1989, and though iit had low ceilings, etc, it's still a shame that it was demolished. personally, i think that what replaced it is an abomination. anyway, nearly every town in north america saw one of these deco medical buildings built, and vancouver's was one of the great ones. all photos from the vpl archives.

profile

looking northwest:
http://pix.nofrag.com/b/8/a/65d2b639754a17678e3e9e92870bf.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/8/a/65d2b639754a17678e3e9e92870bf.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/7/b/b/95062496376f198f45e57b0b9f95a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/b/b/95062496376f198f45e57b0b9f95a.html)

looking east:
http://pix.nofrag.com/e/7/9/68ea20fa997b33e398bec0d3d2107.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/7/9/68ea20fa997b33e398bec0d3d2107.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/d/7/1/72972d26ea68231e3133c3971e14c.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/7/1/72972d26ea68231e3133c3971e14c.html)

street view:
http://pix.nofrag.com/1/c/4/46924ffe8fb5ef1c0f6c6ecfbd8c6.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/1/c/4/46924ffe8fb5ef1c0f6c6ecfbd8c6.html)

interior

lobby and elevators:
http://pix.nofrag.com/a/2/5/5aa5044583a34c56e61ccc79393f9.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/2/5/5aa5044583a34c56e61ccc79393f9.html)

doctor's office waiting rooms:
http://pix.nofrag.com/b/4/1/edeaffbcc883ea595e89a2e0299c2.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/b/4/1/edeaffbcc883ea595e89a2e0299c2.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/f/6/e/0c7e3f23b3cf679bb4d0898e79151.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/6/e/0c7e3f23b3cf679bb4d0898e79151.html)

"macdonald's pharmacy":
http://pix.nofrag.com/7/1/3/01210e89cd24c6791c86909acd9b4.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/1/3/01210e89cd24c6791c86909acd9b4.html)

two views of the beautiful deco auditorium:
http://pix.nofrag.com/3/7/5/e2c92fa7d324641d7e1f5e1a3a674.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/3/7/5/e2c92fa7d324641d7e1f5e1a3a674.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/1/c/5/5ade78bf4bacf4163c9b12e1dcc27.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/1/c/5/5ade78bf4bacf4163c9b12e1dcc27.html)

and vancouver's first underground parking!:
http://pix.nofrag.com/f/7/d/9b09e2cc9856ee8ab71cf1e3c9faa.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/7/d/9b09e2cc9856ee8ab71cf1e3c9faa.html)

Smooth
Mar 23, 2008, 10:21 PM
Thanks for posting all those pics. I've seen many of them but not all in one place. Another gem that was lost is the Birks Building on Georgia and Granville, where the hideous London Drugs sits now.

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 10:23 PM
great northern way station.

completed in 1917 and demolished in 1965, great northern station (colloquially known as union station) once stood adjacent to the pacific central station. it's pretty depressing to think that on the site of the failed tech park/new st. pauls hospital site, this thing once sat.

profile (from vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/3/e063862772bb9553a93c4e0650155.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/3/e063862772bb9553a93c4e0650155.html)
http://e.imagehost.org/0961/Union_Station_Great_Northern_Railway_depot_1922.jpg

profile (from gnw in fraser valley website):
http://pix.nofrag.com/e/c/6/501f45ee4d37aa4bab853d9ccd99a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/c/6/501f45ee4d37aa4bab853d9ccd99a.html)

street view of the facade and some old time buses (from vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/a/e/8/1cfd636165b5f45bcb067bde1ffca.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/e/8/1cfd636165b5f45bcb067bde1ffca.html)

interior, facing toward the street entrance (from gnw in fraser valley website):
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/7/b/0601174cb57487a5b61d37015b364.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/7/b/0601174cb57487a5b61d37015b364.html)

view of the parks and the two stations (from gnw in fraser valley website):
http://pix.nofrag.com/7/e/1/58116a305a09c568fc968e5b1aa65.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/e/1/58116a305a09c568fc968e5b1aa65.html)

wonderful symmetry (from vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/8/5/023ecf1f9b0a78202a3bde03c1ff0.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/8/5/023ecf1f9b0a78202a3bde03c1ff0.html)

you can see where the warehouses along venables close the plaza (from vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/9/d/115c6642e95c8e1f750bbb3ec6144.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/9/d/115c6642e95c8e1f750bbb3ec6144.html)

Rico Rommheim
Mar 23, 2008, 10:26 PM
Vancouver had the nicest skyscrapers and buildings back in the early 20th century! Very striking!

What exactly replaced the Georgia dental?

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 23, 2008, 10:36 PM
birks building.


it used to be that the bay, the hotel vancouver and the birks building anchored vancouverites' sense of place. south along granville was the great white way, west was institutional, north was commercial - and these three buildings sort of functioned as all three. this one was demolished sometime in 1974, though thankfully the adjacent vancouver block survived. another loss for a city with precious little to lose. all photos from the vpl archives.

looking southeast:
http://pix.nofrag.com/2/4/2/f9ddf0896da123939989fe7d6dd0a.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/4/2/f9ddf0896da123939989fe7d6dd0a.html)
http://b.imagehost.org/0320/Birks_Building_southeast_corner_of_Granville_Street_and_West_Georgia_Street_between_1914_and_19.jpg
http://pix.nofrag.com/f/c/2/f2f90d3e056876eeadf45eb2ee636.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/c/2/f2f90d3e056876eeadf45eb2ee636.html)

looking west:
http://pix.nofrag.com/f/0/4/b55fe48fe1ec43e3669f46da9f426.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/0/4/b55fe48fe1ec43e3669f46da9f426.html)

you can get a sense of the scale and impact of this thing by its profile:
http://pix.nofrag.com/9/a/c/5a66677e043835eec160ec73e686f.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/a/c/5a66677e043835eec160ec73e686f.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/6/8/9/80371b9b39904c9c464421213dfff.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/6/8/9/80371b9b39904c9c464421213dfff.html)

street view (incidentally, notice the trolley bus is riding ahead of a tram!):
http://pix.nofrag.com/9/8/f/1a52f40eb3b4c9aade1a142d698a0.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/8/f/1a52f40eb3b4c9aade1a142d698a0.html)

street view (the building on the left - but where's the awning??):
http://pix.nofrag.com/7/5/6/7ef15ffbb4a8774575a2f18228e59.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/7/5/6/7ef15ffbb4a8774575a2f18228e59.html)

deasine
Mar 24, 2008, 12:07 AM
wow Vancouver looked pretty nice back then. It's a shame we didn't keep some of those buildings... and even for those we kept, it's a shame how we don't preserve them.

hollywoodnorth
Mar 24, 2008, 12:51 AM
amazing thanks :)

SpongeG
Mar 24, 2008, 1:26 AM
Vancouver had the nicest skyscrapers and buildings back in the early 20th century! Very striking!

What exactly replaced the Georgia dental?

this one - you know that greeny thing

http://www.cs.ubc.ca/labs/imager/imager-web/Photos/vancouver2.jpg
picture found on google

Overground
Mar 24, 2008, 2:01 AM
looks like an archway across georgia

vancouver just couldn't leave good enough alone

That's a decorative arch built in 1927 for the visit of the Duke of Windsor(future King Edward VIII)...the famous one that abdicated.

Looks like they had a pretty good flag pole back then in front of the Courthouse.

vanhattan
Mar 24, 2008, 2:51 AM
old vancouver art gallery.

everyone's talking so much about the new vag building, we've forgotten that the current building IS the new vag building (it's only been there since 1983 when erickson finished the new courts complex, freeing up the old one for the gallery). from 1931 to 1983, the vag building was house in a beautiful example of low rise institutional deco, adjacent to the site of future ritz-carlton hotel.

it's a shame they couldn't save this one:
http://pix.nofrag.com/5/5/0/1e615b258137cfa2e0dd1e063ec7e.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/5/5/0/1e615b258137cfa2e0dd1e063ec7e.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/9/8/3/88cf770fbc260aa63afbb031a8dc2.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/8/3/88cf770fbc260aa63afbb031a8dc2.html)

some loverly interior shots:
http://pix.nofrag.com/2/5/d/860136ac7fbe3ffa98a3ed2c96d14.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/5/d/860136ac7fbe3ffa98a3ed2c96d14.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/d/8/f/a3fcfac8a1f7738c8d04dd5916164.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/8/f/a3fcfac8a1f7738c8d04dd5916164.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/d/f/f/c9f3c58c1fe41a8d0c989a6ccb48b.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/f/f/c9f3c58c1fe41a8d0c989a6ccb48b.html)
http://pix.nofrag.com/c/9/2/bb41d377f24dacebdaae653d2c3e9.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/c/9/2/bb41d377f24dacebdaae653d2c3e9.html)

OMG, this art gallery was fabulous! Thanks so much for the photos! Since this was the first and there is talk of building another, I vote that this building serve as inspiration for the next. A truely modern classic building would get my vote. Deco influences would also be great, if done properly.

officedweller
Mar 24, 2008, 3:02 AM
Interesting about the trolley bus and tram - I wonder if there were two sets of wires (temporarily) or whether the tram ran off the same live wire as the trolley bus (and the trolley bus had the extra ground wire)


Check out the display windows of The Bay, kinda wish they were restoring it to the full height windows and entrance awnings in the current restoration - but that wouldn't provide much shelter for the bus passengers waiting.

http://pix.nofrag.com/9/a/c/5a66677e043835eec160ec73e686f.jpg

If you check out the 3rd Hotel Vancouver (the present one) in the BC archives, you'll see that it has been redone inside too - originally it was all art moderne / art deco - despite the exterior being chateau style. It was eventually gutted over the years and replaced with a more traditional look. The current interior main lobby dates to the mid-1990s.

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 24, 2008, 5:04 AM
Personally I wish they would have kept the square like this. As you can see from shadows there used to be buildings on the south side of Robson that would have created a traditional, enclosed square. Something this city lacks. With landscaping and or paving the square, I think it would have been better than what we currently have.


agreed.

old robson square.

(all images from vpl archives)

view of the square from east side of howe street, at grade:
http://pix.nofrag.com/d/c/6/fe954d74d9297745cccb60bf04541.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/d/c/6/fe954d74d9297745cccb60bf04541.html)

from south of robson, overhead view:
http://pix.nofrag.com/9/7/c/ffd41475bbdadeb65aa3054970462.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/9/7/c/ffd41475bbdadeb65aa3054970462.html)

so, opposite the square on the northeast corner of howe and robson, you had the york hotel, with retail at the street level:
http://pix.nofrag.com/a/d/a/32812522fcde1814a0bbdc19b739e.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/a/d/a/32812522fcde1814a0bbdc19b739e.html)

then, on the southeast corner of howe and robson, you had the court house block (offices):
http://pix.nofrag.com/2/d/d/0da5fd8409bc832259932e459622c.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/2/d/d/0da5fd8409bc832259932e459622c.html)

across the street, effectively closing the square was the sprott-shaw building on the southwest corner, and the clement block from midblock, which also had some retail at street level:

the best photo i can find of the sprott-shaw building, later ckmo radio building (on the left)
http://pix.nofrag.com/e/8/5/75adebdcd2ba1886f516dcfc45a08.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/e/8/5/75adebdcd2ba1886f516dcfc45a08.html)

clement building (dance school upstairs)
http://pix.nofrag.com/6/f/d/62b77356d3ad21ecb9b7af5eb55b6.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/6/f/d/62b77356d3ad21ecb9b7af5eb55b6.html)

view of the southeast corner of hornby and robson (sprott-shaw at the end), with partial view of the entire block:
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/a/7/45fc7f9e83cc489f335a18f2aec8f.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/a/7/45fc7f9e83cc489f335a18f2aec8f.html)

mr.x
Mar 24, 2008, 5:09 AM
these are awesome! thanks for sharing!

VanExPat
Mar 24, 2008, 5:37 AM
birks building.



http://pix.nofrag.com/f/0/4/b55fe48fe1ec43e3669f46da9f426.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/f/0/4/b55fe48fe1ec43e3669f46da9f426.html)


the resemblance between the Strand, and the Metropolitan in winnipeg is astonishing.
http://www.mts.net/~astrang/NEWMET.jpg

**EDIT: I just answered my own question. Both were part of the Allen Theatre Chain, until later renamed. ***

EastVanMark
Mar 24, 2008, 7:49 AM
Vancouver had the nicest skyscrapers and buildings back in the early 20th century! Very striking!

Yes, they most certainly did. Those were the days when Vancouver had vision, ambition, and originality. Even though it got a late start on other Canadian cities, it soared ahead in record time. Held such distinctions as having the tallest building in the British Empire, the largest stage west of Chicago, and (later), second most neon signs in all of the world. Back then, developers of the day traveled to cities like New York to inspire their designs whereas now, Portland :slob: seems to be the inspiration for design. :yuck: Can't believe we traded in spectacular designs like we had back then, for the redundant crap that passes for architecture in this town today.

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 24, 2008, 6:30 PM
That's a decorative arch built in 1927 for the visit of the Duke of Windsor(future King Edward VIII)...the famous one that abdicated.

you got it.

http://b.imagehost.org/0321/Confederation_Arch_at_Hotel_Vancouver_Georgia_and_Granville_Streets_1927.jpg

notice the birks and the second hotel vancouver in the background (pic from city archives).


Looks like they had a pretty good flag pole back then in front of the Courthouse.

yep, enormous. it was in all the papers when it was built, the tallest pole in western canada they said (true). lol (pic from city archives).

http://b.imagehost.org/0321/Court_House_Flag_Pole_July_1_1936.jpg

cc85
Mar 24, 2008, 6:51 PM
Yes, they most certainly did. Those were the days when Vancouver had vision, ambition, and originality. Even though it got a late start on other Canadian cities, it soared ahead in record time. Held such distinctions as having the tallest building in the British Empire, the largest stage west of Chicago, and (later), second most neon signs in all of the world. Back then, developers of the day traveled to cities like New York to inspire their designs whereas now, Portland :slob: seems to be the inspiration for design. :yuck: Can't believe we traded in spectacular designs like we had back then, for the redundant crap that passes for architecture in this town today.


in due time, just wait, it will come.

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 24, 2008, 8:29 PM
coca-cola building.

it's a very basic streamline moderne design for coca-cola's factory/offices, this sat on the southwest corner of burrard and cornwall. well, really on cornwall between chestnut, cyrpess and york streets - bascially bordered by houses on york st, henry hudson school on cypress and a then-wild seaforth park on chestnut. built in 1942, we now have the chemetics international/bc assessment building.

all images from vancouver city archives.

front view, cornwall street:
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/coca_cola_plant_1942.jpg

looking slightly southeast:
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/coca_cola_plant_1942_other_angle.jpg

looking southwest:
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/Coca_Cola_Plant_at_Burrard_and_Cornwall_1942a.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/Coca_Cola_Plant_at_Burrard_and_Cornwall_1942.jpg

looking west:
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/coca_cola_plant_1942_rear_angle.jpg

officedweller
Mar 24, 2008, 8:43 PM
Wow that arch is narrow - as narrow as the Chinatown Gate on Pender.

Those 1940s art moderne styled buildings are an endangered breed in Vancouver - following demolition for the Ritz, Sapphire, Yaletown Park and others.

Nutterbug
Mar 24, 2008, 9:43 PM
anyway, you get the point (which is that the city, the province and the developers utterly ruined the area).

Ruined????

They had to eventually be replaced with bigger, more modern structures.

It's good to preserve a few classic heritage landmark buildings, but for the most part, they have to make room for something newer and better.

Stingray2004
Mar 24, 2008, 11:34 PM
great northern way station.

completed in 1917 and demolished in 1965, great northern station (colloquially known as union station) once stood adjacent to the pacific central station. it's pretty depressing to think that on the site of the failed tech park/new st. pauls hospital site, this thing once sat.

profile (from vpl archives):
http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/3/e063862772bb9553a93c4e0650155.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/4/b/3/e063862772bb9553a93c4e0650155.html)

It's too bad that this structure was demolished in 1965... Was that the city's undertaking?

It seems as if it could have been used on an interim basis, since the mid-1960's, for a hostel perhaps?

Somehow I could foresee it eventually getting refurbished for some higher use down the road in the context of what may eventually happen on the False Creek flats.

BTW, excellent thread!

EastVanMark
Mar 25, 2008, 2:43 AM
in due time, just wait, it will come.

I truly do hope you're right, but judging by the Vancouver's recent history, I'm not holding my breath.

EastVanMark
Mar 25, 2008, 3:02 AM
It's too bad that this structure was demolished in 1965... Was that the city's undertaking?

It seems as if it could have been used on an interim basis, since the mid-1960's, for a hostel perhaps?

Somehow I could foresee it eventually getting refurbished for some higher use down the road in the context of what may eventually happen on the False Creek flats.

BTW, excellent thread!

An excellent thread indeed. The smaller terminal was abandoned because of a tax saving measure whereby the smaller rail company (I believe the Great Northern Railway Company) moved into Canadian National's terminal next door.

The same thing happened with the Second Hotel Vancouver which by most accounts was waaaaay better than the current Hotel Vancouver we have now. It too was torn down and the site remained a parking lot for a quarter century. ( but not b4 it was stripped of anything of value and the items moved to the current Hotel Vancouver).

officedweller
Mar 25, 2008, 6:45 AM
For the second Hotel Vancouver, I seem to recall hearing that there was a restrictive covenent not to operate a hotel that would compete - or it was demolished so it would not compete (as well as reducing the property tax burden)

vanman
Mar 25, 2008, 7:33 AM
Awesome thread!


I truly do hope you're right, but judging by the Vancouver's recent history, I'm not holding my breath.

Vancouver is by no means unique in this regard. All of NA has lost amazing buildings:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=120874

EastVanMark
Mar 25, 2008, 5:01 PM
Awesome thread!




Vancouver is by no means unique in this regard. All of NA has lost amazing buildings:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=120874

Thanks for the link.
The difference between Vancouver and most of those cities is that in other cities, they replaced older buildings with larger, more modern ones whereas with Vancouver, they tore the buildings down, and the sites they sat on remained empty for years, some, like the second train terminal STILL having nothing on them.

EastVanMark
Mar 25, 2008, 5:20 PM
For the second Hotel Vancouver, I seem to recall hearing that there was a restrictive covenent not to operate a hotel that would compete - or it was demolished so it would not compete (as well as reducing the property tax burden)

Ya, CN and the CPR entered into an agreement not to run 2 large hotels that would compete with each other. They instead chose to jointly operate one. :(

(the deal was incredibly near sighted and Vancouver lost an incredible building which remained as a parking lot till the late 60's). The deal between the 2 rail companies also didn't last.

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 26, 2008, 1:27 AM
the arches of 1912.

back in the day, backwater cities in the empire and the dominion used to celebrate important (read royal) visits by erecting arches to decorate the route of the royal procession (think of it as an early expo or olympics). on the occasion of the 1912 visit of prince arthur, duke of connaught and governor general of canada, twelve arches were built. (all pictures from the city archives).


here are ten, in order of the parade route from vancouver station:

1. the city of vancouver arch, at hastings and granville.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/City_of_Vancouver_arch_at_Hastings_and_Granville_Streets_erected_for_visit_of_Duke_and_Duchess_.jpg


2. the canadian northern railway arch, on hastings at seymour.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Canadian_Northern_Railway_arch_at_Hastings_and_Seymour_Streets_erected_for_visit_of_Duke_and_Du.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Canadian_Northern_arch_on_Hastings_Street_for_the_visit_of_the_Duke_of_Connaught_1912.jpg


3. the italian colony arch, on hastings at homer.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Italian_arch_at_Hastings_and_Homer_Streets_erected_for_visit_of_Duke_and_Duchess_of_Connaught_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Italian_colony_arch_on_Hastings_Street_for_the_visit_of_the_Duke_of_Connaught_1912.jpg


4. the great northern railway arch, on hastings at hamilton.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Great_Northern_Railway_arch_at_Hastings_Street_between_Hamilton_and_Homer_Street_erected_for_vi.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Prince_Arthur_of_Connaught_visit_Canadian_Northern_R_R_arch_1912.jpg


5. the japanese arch, at hasting and main.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Duke_of_Connaught_s_visit_Japanese_Arch_1912.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Japanese_Arch_at_Hastings_and_Main_Street_Sept_18_1912.jpg


6. the chinese arch, on pender at carrall.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Chinese_Arch_1912_Vancouver_1912.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Chinese_arch_at_Pender_and_Carrall_Streets_erected_for_visit_of_the_Duke_and_Duchess_of_Connaug.jpg


7. the lumberman's arch, on pender at hamilton (incredible!).
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Lumbermans_Arch_at_Pender_and_Hamilton_for_the_visit_by_the_Duke_of_Connaught_18_Sept_1912.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Lumbermen_s_Arch_at_Pender_and_Hamilton_Streets_Sept_1912.jpg


8. the progress club arch, on granville at dunsmuir.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Progress_Club_arch_at_Granville_and_Dunsmuir_Streets_erected_for_visit_of_Duke_and_Duchess_of_C.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/The_Duke_passing_Progress_Arch_1912.jpg


9. the german, austrian and swiss society arch, at granville and georgia.
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/Arch_at_Georgia_and_Granville_Street_for_the_visit_of_the_Duke_of_Connaught_18_Sept_1912.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0329/German_Swiss_and_Austrian_Societies_arch_on_Granville_Street_for_the_1912.jpg


10. the stanley park arch, at the foot of georgia (now this thing is just embarrassing).
http://b.imagehost.org/0330/stanley_park_arch.jpg


interesting note: most of these lasted a year or two, but the lumberman's arch was moved to stanley park (at broughton point) and it stood there until 1947, so for nearly four decades. during these years, it was symbolic of vancouver in the world's eyes, sort of like how the totem poles are now. in case the photos don't show it, the lumberman's arch was completely constructed from wood.

deasine
Mar 26, 2008, 1:43 AM
did we destroy those?!!!!! HOW COULD WE?!!!! They need to resurrect the Downtown East side and include new arches that replicate those. Hopefully if Vancouver concentrates their attention on the downtown east side, it could be a great new hub of cultures.

entheosfog
Mar 26, 2008, 1:50 AM
Thanks for the link.
The difference between Vancouver and most of those cities is that in other cities, they replaced older buildings with larger, more modern ones whereas with Vancouver, they tore the buildings down, and the sites they sat on remained empty for years, some, like the second train terminal STILL having nothing on them.

Not Calgary. There's a ton of empty lots that are now just starting to see action after decades of nothing.
I've always been impressed with the stock of old buildings in Vancouver.

officedweller
Mar 26, 2008, 3:29 AM
Thanks for the pics of the arches!

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 26, 2008, 4:16 AM
Ruined????

They had to eventually be replaced with bigger, more modern structures.

It's good to preserve a few classic heritage landmark buildings, but for the most part, they have to make room for something newer and better.

well, yes and no.

it's true that valuing "heritage" is a fairly modern development, and obviously, folks in the 1950s/1960s attached prestige to novelty and modernity. and it's true that it's important for cities to evolve. but most of these structures were not replaced with anything "newer and better". demolishing an old brick low-rise to build a tower is one thing, demolishing the birks building for a parking lot or a mall is something altogether different. and the story of the second hotel vancouver is just shameful.

and you know, it wasn't just "a few classic heritage landmark buildings" in the courthouse square area. we saw the demolitions of the hotel vancouver, the lowrise retail annex adjacent to it on howe street, the york hotel, the court house block, the sprott-shaw building, the clement block, and most important of all, the square itself! contrast the public square of 1940 - anchored by the courthouse, hotels and retail - with the abominable robson square of today. honestly, the only way that thing works is for ubc conferences - it's conveniently located and it's comfortably removed from streetlevel, but it's emphatically not a public space (and we'll see how future developments affect that).

you know, during that "clamshell" debate, at some conference here, this architects association rep called it 'vancouver's beloved robson square' and i fought hard to hold back an explosion of uncontrolled laughter. beloved! the courthouse steps are 'beloved', the courthouse square they should've just left alone. imo.

EastVanMark
Mar 26, 2008, 5:45 AM
Not Calgary. There's a ton of empty lots that are now just starting to see action after decades of nothing.
I've always been impressed with the stock of old buildings in Vancouver.

My point wasn't about empty lots, rather the decision to tear down great, historic, structurally sound buildings, and replaced them with a lesser structure or nothing at all.

A quick comparison:

Let see, the second hotel Vancouver and the Palliser Hotel in Calgary were built months apart by the same company. The Palliser still serves the city of Calgary today while Vancouver's was torn down in the 40's. Calgary's old city hall, still around for people to visit today while Vancouver's from the same era; not so much. The Canadian Life Assurance building in Calgary and the Birks Building in Vancouver; buildings that were separated at birth (also built 1 year apart). Today, Calgary's lives on (albeit in a different form) at the base of the Bankers Hall complex, while ours was replaced by a 2 story 70's inspired piece of crap.

When it comes to the loss of important, landmark buildings,(without replacing them with something bigger or better) Vancouver's dubious record is tough to beat.

entheosfog
Mar 26, 2008, 6:34 AM
My point wasn't about empty lots, rather the decision to tear down great, historic, structurally sound buildings, and replaced them with a lesser structure or nothing at all.

A quick comparison:

Let see, the second hotel Vancouver and the Palliser Hotel in Calgary were built months apart by the same company. The Palliser still serves the city of Calgary today while Vancouver's was torn down in the 40's. Calgary's old city hall, still around for people to visit today while Vancouver's from the same era; not so much. The Canadian Life Assurance building in Calgary and the Birks Building in Vancouver; buildings that were separated at birth (also built 1 year apart). Today, Calgary's lives on (albeit in a different form) at the base of the Bankers Hall complex, while ours was replaced by a 2 story 70's inspired piece of crap.

When it comes to the loss of important, landmark buildings,(without replacing them with something bigger or better) Vancouver's dubious record is tough to beat.

Okay, some of Calgary's important landmarks have been saved but there seemed to have been more 'grandiose' buildings built in Vancouver during the early years.
I guess one thing I did notice when comparing the two cities is the sheer amount of heritage buildings left in Vancouver and the number that are designated sites. That to me is impressive. Too bad many of the above mentioned buildings were lost before the value of them was realized.

hollywoodnorth
Mar 26, 2008, 9:58 AM
thanks flight_from_kamakura you rock :)

SpongeG
Mar 26, 2008, 9:37 PM
the funny thing is the city realized it lost so many of its old buildings that it put in strict new laws and a lot of ugly stuff is now protected

vanman
Mar 27, 2008, 3:44 AM
^So true!

flight_from_kamakura
Mar 29, 2008, 9:19 PM
first avenue viaduct.

vancouver wasn't always vancouver, and back in the day, grandview-woodlands was a quiet community rather distant from vancouver's commercial areas. in 1937, the city constructed a viaduct over the railways' berths and other badlands, to connect grandview more directly with the heart of things. all images from the city archives.

pre-construction, northeast view, from the roof a railcar, not too far from glen/clark station. we're seeing the intersection of clark and first ave (or the head of first ave, as it was then):
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/Viaduct_1st_Ave_being_prepared_for_construction_Mar_10_1937.jpg

two views at the same stage of construction:
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_Viaduct_Dominion_Construction_Company_Limited_Contractors_Apr_28_1937.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_Viaduct_Dominion_Construction_Company_Limited_Contractors_May_4_1937.jpg

they don't make them like this anymore:
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_Viaduct_Dominion_Construction_Company_Limited_Contractors_June_24_1937.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_viaduct_July_1_1938.jpg

completed october 1938:
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_Viaduct_Dominion_Construction_Company_Limited_Contractors_Oct_21_1937.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_viaduct_under_construction_1938.jpg

the long view:
http://b.imagehost.org/0354/First_Avenue_Viaduct_Dominion_Construction_Company_Limited_Contractors_Oct_22_1937.jpg

Jacques
Mar 29, 2008, 10:29 PM
WOW nice photos and history
thank you

hollywoodnorth
Mar 29, 2008, 11:35 PM
flight_from_kamakura you fucking rule! more baby more :P GIVE IT TO ME :P

SpongeG
Mar 30, 2008, 3:25 AM
they had dominion cobnstruction way back than - wow

Holden West
Apr 1, 2008, 5:55 AM
Great old home movie of a plane trip to Vancouver in 1971 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxbKBJWDMhg).

Can you spot the highlights? I see the Qube (Westcoast Transmission Tower) at around the 4 minute mark.

flight_from_kamakura
Apr 24, 2008, 4:55 AM
unrealised plan for the university of british columbia campus.

there have been several plans for ubc over the years, i think this one my friend passed along to me is by far the grandest. alas, what might have been. from 1914, photo source: ubc archives.

http://b.imagehost.org/0601/UBC_Campus_1914_b.jpg

flight_from_kamakura
Apr 24, 2008, 5:22 AM
the intersection of georgia and howe streets, 1930s.

looking northwest from the hotel vancouver: the georgia hotel, devonshire hotel and georgia medical & dental buildings.
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/Georgia_Medical-Dental_Building_Under_Construction_With_View_of_Devonshire_and_Georgia_Hotels_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/med-den_devonshire_georgia_hotel.jpg

looking northwest from the hotel vancouver: the georgia hotel and mcluckie buildings.
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/corners_of_howe_and_georgia_1935.jpg

looking northeast from the grouds of the courthouse: the mcluckie building.
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/georgia_northside_between_howe_and_granville_1939.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/McLuckie_Building_at_North_East_Georgia_Street_and_Howe_Street_1932.jpg

looking south west from the mcluckie building: the courthouse, its grounds, and a bit of both hotels vancouver.
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/Court_House_From_South_West_Georgia_and_Howe_Streets_1933.jpg

looking southeast from near horby street: a view of the west wing of the hotel vancouver and the courthouse and its grounds.
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/Hotel_Vancouver_1923.jpg

Jacques
Apr 24, 2008, 6:59 AM
if the last photos is where the TD and Sears stand now, its truly beyond comprehension that they went and demolished such a jewel, I realize now that Vancouver is finally waking up about historic property to be saved, they are so few left, I love Montreal and Quebec city even Toronto has some neat old buulding well renovated .
WE can only hope what is left be saved.
thanks for the awesome photos

204
Apr 24, 2008, 7:37 PM
if the last photos is where the TD and Sears stand now, its truly beyond comprehension that they went and demolished such a jewel, I realize now that Vancouver is finally waking up about historic property to be saved, they are so few left, I love Montreal and Quebec city even Toronto has some neat old buulding well renovated .
WE can only hope what is left be saved.
thanks for the awesome photos

It truly is beyond comprehension to us today!

It's not just here, you should see the gorgeous victorian city hall they demolished in Winnipeg:

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/pageant/22/winnipegcityhalls2.jpg
Manitoba Historical Society

To be replaced with:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/1290116291_fec9f2801c_d.jpg
Flickr image

flight_from_kamakura
Apr 24, 2008, 8:26 PM
jacques - yeah, check the very first post in this thread, that's the one alright. utterly appalling.

Cypherus
Apr 25, 2008, 3:59 AM
It's just crazy how so many architecturally-inpsiring buildings were knocked down in the past, only to now have City Hall preserve derelict buildings and houses that would serve as ghetto headquarters.

Phil McAvity
Apr 25, 2008, 5:24 AM
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r147/lmalcolm/Downtown%20Vancouver/Vancouver%20Art%20Gallery/100_1239.jpg

flight from kamakura, you think this is an abomination?

flight_from_kamakura
May 1, 2008, 11:31 PM
^ indeed i do. it's awful, inside and out. (but the sakura are nice).

flight_from_kamakura
May 1, 2008, 11:46 PM
cpr piers b and c, or pier b-c.

with all the talk of the cpr tracks and kerfoot and the new transit hub, it's cool to recall how things were when this was full-fledged port turf. before it was canada place, it was the cpr's iconic piers b and c.

front view, two slightly different shots
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/piers_b_and_c_1930s.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/C_P_R_Pier_B-C_Under_Construction_1927.jpg

what an entrance
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/Front_Entrance_to_the_C_P_R_Pier_B-C_1927.jpg

water view (notice the water facade matched the street facade)
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/New_C_P_R_Piers_from_the_waterMar_1927.jpg

back when men were men and buildings were buildings.
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/Plaque_erected_at_C_P_R_pier_B-C_19927.jpg

you can see pier d to the west, now the site of the convention centre expansion
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/View_of_C_P_R_Pier_B_and_Pier_C_from_the_top_of_the_Royal_Bank_building_1937.jpg

a black and white shot (~1979), from the roof of the marine building, of the demolition of the piers.
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/Rooftop_view_of_Pier_B-C_demolition_1980.jpg

bonus:

recall that waterfront road (the road from which one accessed the piers) was linked to the downtown via the granville street viaduct, which looks to be mostly restored in the new transit hub plan (piers b-c are the ones on the right)
http://b.imagehost.org/0638/granville_viaduct_to_waterfront_1930.jpg

Architype
May 2, 2008, 2:55 AM
While I find the old hotel really interesting and impressive, I've never understood why that part in the middle looks so unfinshed?
http://b.imagehost.org/0601/Hotel_Vancouver_1923.jpg

flight_from_kamakura
May 5, 2008, 9:16 PM
vancouver public library, kitsilano branch.

built in 1927, kitsilano branch was the vpl's first permanent branch, and the first public library in what is now vancouver's west side. located at 2375 west fourth avenue, it was callously demolished sometime in the 1970s and replaced with a beautiful parking lot for the architectural gem that is the fourth avenue safeway.

parimonious, moorish/mission inspired design
http://b.imagehost.org/0697/Kitsilano_Branch_VPL_1932_10.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0697/kits_public_library_1932.jpg

opening day, staff assembled
http://b.imagehost.org/0697/kits_public_library_2375_W_4th_ave_1928.jpg

interior, photograph taken from a perch along the (south) western wall
http://b.imagehost.org/0697/Interior_of_Kitsilano_Library_1928.jpg

rear area, note the rare books collection cases against the back walls, and the skylights
http://b.imagehost.org/0697/Kitsilano_Branch_VPL_1932.jpg

officedweller
May 5, 2008, 9:27 PM
That bonus shot of the Granville viaduct is nice.
Thansk.

Nutterbug
May 5, 2008, 9:28 PM
vancouver public library, kitsilano branch.

built in 1927, kitsilano branch was the vpl's first permanent branch, and the first public library in what is now vancouver's west side. located at 2375 west fourth avenue, it was callously demolished sometime in the 1970s and replaced with a beautiful parking lot for the architectural gem that is the fourth avenue safeway.

They do have a newer and better library somewhere in the Kitsilano neighbourhood, right? Better than keeping and maintaining a creeky and crumbling old building, no?

flight_from_kamakura
May 6, 2008, 12:02 AM
^ dude, i can almost hear you drooling.

flight_from_kamakura
May 12, 2008, 3:47 PM
the courthouse flagpole.

during that era when western frontier towns did all they could to attract attention in the eastern presses, vancouver developed a series of interesting landmarks. among them was the courthouse flagpole, said to be the tallest flagpole in canada. erected in a single day in august of 1913. (aside from the postcard, all images are from the city archives)

a typical postcard
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/coiurthouse_flagpole_postcard.jpg

erection of the flagpole
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/Erection_of_Court_House_flagpole_Aug_29_1913_part_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/Erection_of_Court_House_flagpole_Aug_29_1913_part_1_2.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/Erection_of_Court_House_flagpole_Aug_29_1913_part_1_5.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/Erection_of_Court_House_flagpole_Aug_29_1913_part_2.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/Erection_of_Court_House_flagpole_Aug_29_1913_part_3.jpg

behold! the flagpole, in all its glory!
http://b.imagehost.org/0786/courthouse_flagpole.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0321/Court_House_Flag_Pole_July_1_1936.jpg

flight_from_kamakura
May 12, 2008, 7:43 PM
wesley methodist church.

located on the southwest corner of georgia and burrard, the wesley methodist church was built right at the turn of the century, with construction completed early in 1901. the wesley church merged with the st. andrews church in 1925, and the combined church moved to a new building in 1933 (which was one of the first buildings on vancouver's municipal heritage registar). unfortunately, this little bit of stone and bare neo-gothic whimsy sat vacant for some time, and as best i can tell, was demolished some time in the 1940s or 1950s. (images from city archives)

three images from the same view (looking southwest)
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/Wesley_Methodist_Church_under_construction_at_the_south_west_corner_of_Georgia_and_Burrard_Stre_1.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/Wesley_Methodist_Church_1900s.jpg
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/Wesley_Methodist_Church_conference_week_1928.jpg

rear view, looking east (and slightly north) along alberni street
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/Rear_view_of_Wesley_Church_Burrard_and_Georgia_Streets_Apr_29_1934.jpg

street view, looking south up burrard street
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/View_of_Burrard_Street_showing_Wesley_Methodist_Church_1916.jpg

profile, looking north along burrard street
http://b.imagehost.org/0788/wesley_methodist_1920s.jpg

David
May 13, 2008, 2:21 AM
Wow, it is so hard to imagine Burrard and Georgia looking so tranquil! Thanks for sharing that

flight_from_kamakura
May 29, 2008, 11:38 PM
vancouver public library

the first truly 'central branch', the vancouver public library building at robson and burrard was constructed in 1956 and massively repurposed (ie. mostly demolished and rebuilt) in 1995 as the bctv/virgin building. for all its 'international style' soullessness, it's nonetheless noteworthy, if only because it brought tens of thousands of culture patrons to this most commercial of intersections.

http://b.imagehost.org/0886/Vancouver_Public_Library_Central_Branch_750_burrard_1959.jpg

officedweller
May 29, 2008, 11:53 PM
Now that HMV has replaced Virgin, the walls that were blocking the huge glass walls fronting the corner have been removed - restoring the original intent of the design.

flight_from_kamakura
Nov 14, 2008, 1:45 AM
saint ann's academy.

built in or around 1900, adjacent to the holy rosary cathdral (then not yet a cathedral) on the southwest corner of homer and dunsmuir streets, st. ann's was a parish school, vancouver's first catholic school. for a time, it was apparently considered vancouver's finest, but as with all things it declined. demolished sometime in the 1960s, the site is currently occupied by an office tower block.

http://d.imagehost.org/0632/st_anns_1907.jpg

from the opposite corner 1900s
http://d.imagehost.org/0855/1907_again.jpg
http://d.imagehost.org/0531/st_ann_s_1900s.jpg

looking west down dunsmuir, you can almost smell the fir trees
http://d.imagehost.org/0739/looking_west_down_dunsmuir_from_homer_1919.jpg

and a nice context shot, abutting the cathedral, with the birks building, the bay building, both hotels vancouver and the georgia hotel in the arriere-plan
http://d.imagehost.org/0442/View_of_South_West_Dunsmuir_and_Homer_1932.jpg

Distill3d
Nov 14, 2008, 4:00 AM
are there any pictures of the Denman Arena on the corner of Denman and Georgia?

johnjimbc
Dec 2, 2008, 8:10 AM
I saw the movie "Changeling" this past weekend and was really surprised that it included a Vancouver scene - circa 1930. I was pretty impressed.

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/8603/file2004tq3.jpg
Changeling © 2008 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Images courtesy of CIS Vancouver

Here is the website link: http://www.renderocity.com/news.php?viewStory=14329

I was quite impressed with the CGI work, mostly in LA where the bulk of the story and scenes take place. But the Vancouver shot was really unexpected and cool. I recognized the mountains immediately.

Anyway, just thought it was cool.

someone123
Dec 2, 2008, 8:34 AM
Very interesting.

Definitely there are a few examples of buildings that should have been preserved, like the Birks Building. In many other cases it wouldn't have made much sense because of how quickly the city was growing. Practically everything built to suit Vancouver in the 1910s was hugely out of step with land values, etc. in the 1970s. In a city like Winnipeg or in most older cities this effect wasn't as strong.

Another thing to be aware of is that these photos can be a bit misleading. Those arches were almost certainly temporary, for example. They look wooden.

Vancouver still has some nice old buildings worth preserving but in general I like the fact that it's a modern city with a bright future ahead of it, rather than a city that is scrambling to figure out what to do with relics of a more prosperous era. The Rustbelt US cities have tons of great old buildings but they can be eerie places.

hollywoodnorth
Dec 2, 2008, 12:47 PM
are there any pictures of the Denman Arena on the corner of Denman and Georgia?

i would love to see that area also......especially old DENMAN ARENA....I dont think I have ever seen a photo of it......

Spork
Dec 2, 2008, 7:03 PM
i would love to see that area also......especially old DENMAN ARENA....I dont think I have ever seen a photo of it......

Go to Library Square. The top floor, I think, has a huge collection of old Vancouver photos sorted by neighbourhood. Quite interesting.

LeftCoaster
Dec 2, 2008, 7:10 PM
Really? Thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to check that out.

Off topic: Johnjim how did you find Changeling? I heard it was pretty good.

johnjimbc
Dec 2, 2008, 8:18 PM
I liked it! The settings were really captivating. It was nice to see a movie in which CGI was used to create a depiction of a real past setting (aside from Pyramids, that is). The story was quite good as well, although I have to say I didn't know the whole true back-story, which is very very dark and violent actually.

If you're going to go see it, don't wikipedia the real-life events or you may find it disappointing (because you'll know too much). But I just hadn't realized how dark the actual story was.

It did seem to go on for a bit, though, mainly because the real-life events did as well. But you sort of had to see the whole thing through to appreciate the real-life events. In other words, the story goes on for a few scenes beyond the main climac events so it is not as "neatly tied up" as a movie story is because they wanted to stay true to the actual events.

So, anyway, thumbs up from me. 3 1/2 stars (our of 4 ; ).

Of course, I liked Twilight as well, which is getting much more mixed reviews ; ).

Dave2
Dec 2, 2008, 11:41 PM
i would love to see that area also......especially old DENMAN ARENA....I dont think I have ever seen a photo of it......

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Denman+Arena&gbv=2

Metro-One
Dec 3, 2008, 12:01 AM
So a scene in the movie actually took place in Vancouver (where a tittle comes up and says Vancouver, Canada) or was it just filmed in Vancouver like so many others and said to be LA, Seattle, etc...

johnjimbc
Dec 3, 2008, 1:24 AM
Sorry, I wasn't completely clear on that in my first comment.

There is a scene in the movie that is supposed to take place in Vancouver - as itself! (which was part of the surprise) - circa 1930.

It is just one short scene, but the live (i.e. CGI) imagery includes the image I posted, with a little blurb that reads, "Vancouver, BC 1930" (or whatever year it was, it might have been 1929 or 1931).

hollywoodnorth
Dec 3, 2008, 2:35 AM
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Denman+Arena&gbv=2

cool! thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss604/304510483/in/photostream/

I didn't know Boeing has a plant in Coal Harbour.....

fever
Dec 3, 2008, 2:44 AM
The foreground is not actually Vancouver, though. Victorian styles are rare outside of Gastown, and this part of Vancouver wasn't built until after 1895. The two red buildings on the left could be Vancouver. The street's also too narrow to be a Vancouver retail street, except for that that one block of Heather by 16th.

Dave2
Dec 4, 2008, 3:27 AM
cool! thanks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miss604/304510483/in/photostream/

I didn't know Boeing has a plant in Coal Harbour.....

It's a shame it burned, though it almost certainly woulnd't have survived to this day. You can find images of almost anything you want; the discussion upthread about the the 2nd Hotel Vancouver being torn down only to languish as a parking lot for over 20 years reminded me of the 2nd Pantages Theatre, in the Unit block of West Hastings, demolished in the 60s according to most sources, only to serve as a surface parking lot until a few years ago.

http://danburgar.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/11023.jpg

http://danburgar.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/11023.jpg

aka the Beacon, Majestic, Odeon Hastings

http://www.pstos.org/instruments/bc/vancouver/pantages.htm

officedweller
Dec 4, 2008, 3:40 AM
I didn't know Boeing has a plant in Coal Harbour.....

Googled it and found these History of Metropolitan Vancouver entries:

1929 - Boeing of Canada opened a plant on Coal Harbour this year. It had been the Hoffar-Beeching Shipyard at 1927 West Georgia; in 1930 Boeing would begin to build seaplanes there.

1939 - On the same day as Churchill's broadcast the Boeing plant on Sea Island went into operation making Cansos and PBY Catalinas (“flying boats,” used for off-shore air patrols) and later the midsections of the B 29 superfortress aircraft. When it opened the plant employed 175 people. At the peak of production in 1945 there would be 7,000. “When people were interested in working for Boeing's Sea Island activities during the war,” one former worker recalls, “they first had to be interviewed at Boeing's on West Georgia Street. If hired, you were fingerprinted for your identification card and told to go buy coveralls, flat shoes or a sensible-type of oxford shoes. Women had to wear kerchiefs to keep their hair from becoming tangled in machinery. Boeing did not pay for any of these.”

“The Boeing plant in Coal Harbor is the only one established here, but there are other companies whose present plants could be converted into airplane factories. However, it is the view of the board that in the event of an airplane industry being established, it should be in permanent buildings so that at the end of the war a peace-time program of construction for commercial purposes could be carried on. Building costs would be less here than in Eastern Canada.

1943 - Construction began on Burkeville, west of Airport Road in Richmond. Harold Kalman, architectural historian, has written: “Burkeville was laid out and built by the federal government during the Second World War to provide 328 houses for workers employed at the Boeing Aircraft plant. It was named for Stanley Burke, president of Boeing. The streets are named after airplane manufacturers. The plain, no-frills dwellings came in several standard sizes. Most have been altered to fit the needs of two generations of residents. After the War, Boeing sold the houses to returning veterans. The tightly-knit community, already encircled by airport uses, is currently threatened by the intended further expansion of roads and runways.” Ironically, the “plain, no-frills dwellings” were designed by McCarter and Nairne, who gave us the Marine Building. The name of the development was chosen in a competition among Boeing employees.

1944 - Out at the airport, Vancouver’s Boeing plant was busy. You get a nice feel for the times with this reminiscence by an unnamed former Boeing employee. She’d been hired as a gofer in 1944, and told a local web site: “I delivered radio parts to the ships [aircraft] and if the guys wanted nuts or bolts and other parts I'd go for them, hence the term gofer. You needed good footwear to work on that huge plant cement floor . . . and of course the stores [the shop] was located across the way in the other building up the stairs, so your feet were pretty sore by the end of the shift. I started at 40 cents an hour and finished at 80 cents an hour in Shop 63. I was making more money than my father at the time, who was making 60 cents an hour at Pacific Mills. My husband came from Montreal and was a Boeing electrical inspector at Plant 3 from 1944 to 1945. I lived in Vancouver and had to transfer about five times before reaching Marpole to catch the Boeing Bus. We called it the ‘Cattle Car.’ We weren't fortunate enough to obtain accommodation in the new Burkeville subdivision being built for Boeing employees, as it was designed for employees with families.”

November 5, 1945 The Boeing Aircraft Co. factory on Coal Harbour—pretty much inactive with the end of the war—was to be sold to B.C. Packers, likely for use as a maintenance plant for their fishing fleet. “The big building, the main Boeing plant before the war added the Sea Island hangar and shops [in Richmond], would be used for the present as a net and gear storage loft . . . The building has a 132-foot frontage on West Georgia, extending back to the water's edge.”

zivan56
Dec 4, 2008, 4:35 AM
More pics of Coal Harbour (right click on image and copy the url to see a bigger version)
http://www.millbistro.ca/contact/History/history.html
Bigger Boeing building pic (don't know if they allow hotlinking from above):
http://www.millbistro.ca/contact/History/Harbour_Green_1927.jpg
Inside plant
http://www.millbistro.ca/db_boeing-plant-worker2.jpg
http://www.millbistro.ca/db_boeing-plant2.jpg

zivan56
May 14, 2009, 9:11 AM
Don't recall if I posted this before or not, but this site on trolley buses has tons of pictures from the 60-70-80s.

LINK (http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/van.htm)
Just click on the 2 Brills sections of the side...hundreds of pics of Vancouver!

hollywoodnorth
May 14, 2009, 9:25 AM
More pics of Coal Harbour (right click on image and copy the url to see a bigger version)
http://www.millbistro.ca/contact/History/history.html
Bigger Boeing building pic (don't know if they allow hotlinking from above):
http://www.millbistro.ca/contact/History/Harbour_Green_1927.jpg
Inside plant
http://www.millbistro.ca/db_boeing-plant-worker2.jpg
http://www.millbistro.ca/db_boeing-plant2.jpg

thanks!

1948 and WOW!

http://www.millbistro.ca/db_coal-hbr-19482.jpg

hollywoodnorth
May 14, 2009, 9:26 AM
Don't recall if I posted this before or not, but this site on trolley buses has tons of pictures from the 60-70-80s.

LINK (http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/van.htm)
Just click on the 2 Brills sections of the side...hundreds of pics of Vancouver!


wow great site!

http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2178_19740106_ss.jpg

now this sign is something I have never seen b4! cool!

and another golden one! cambie street bridge! old school style!

http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2108_19740106_ss.jpg

hollywoodnorth
May 14, 2009, 9:37 AM
damn! from 1968 showing hastings still healthy!

http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2113_19680930_ss.jpg

Skytrain TEST phase!! Cool! I remember it as a kid :)

http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2244_03.jpg

Spork
May 14, 2009, 4:06 PM
There are a few interesting older skytrain photos at the bottom of this page: http://www.urbanrail.net/am/vanc/vancouver.htm

One thing that I found strange was the platform signs announcing "4 Car Train To:" - Doesn't it just say "Train To:" now?

zivan56
May 14, 2009, 6:27 PM
^^ That's not that old, the original test track was far shorter...I remember the 4 car train messages, and they were here as late as the late 90s (maybe even up to opening of Millenium Line?)

wow great site!

http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2178_19740106_ss.jpg

now this sign is something I have never seen b4! cool!

and another golden one! cambie street bridge! old school style!
http://www.trolleybuses.net/van/jpg/can_m_van_brill_2108_19740106_ss.jpg

Yeah I spent hours going through it. I never found the test track section before...where was it?
Btw, the site doesn't allow hotlinking, so none of the images are showing up....you have to post the full url and people have to copy/paste to get it to show.

EDIT:
Just saw Vancouver bought all the Brills from Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Kitchener when they were gtting rid of them. Didn't know that...

officedweller
May 14, 2009, 7:44 PM
thanks!

1948 and WOW!

http://www.millbistro.ca/db_coal-hbr-19482.jpg

Same view from 2007 Global Air Photos pic (the above overpass would be Main St., not Clark Drive):

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/vancouver/2007/vch2007_481.jpg
http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/vancouver/2007/vch2007_481.jpg

Holden West
Oct 4, 2009, 4:02 AM
These recent scans are so new they're not titled yet:

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_124/d_09172.gif

^Hm, it appears this building is so old it predates the trees and mountains...

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/www2i/.visual/img_med/dir_124/d_09171.gif

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/visual/general/recent/20091002.htm

More here:

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/visual/general/recent/20091001.htm

whatnext
Oct 4, 2009, 8:01 AM
^ indeed i do. it's awful, inside and out. (but the sakura are nice).

Georgia Medical Dental was a rather drab, forbidding building. Its best feature, the nurses (in mould form), were transferred to Cathedral Place, which is a nicer building in every way.

bulliver
Oct 31, 2009, 12:18 AM
Didn't see these ones posted here. They are from the Views of Canada (http://www.flickr.com/photos/museemccordmuseum/sets/72157607788026604/) collection at the McCord Museum. Copyright has long since expired on these...and they are public domain.

Douglas pine tree, Vancouver, BC, 1887
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2919040442_bc4f169a8b_o_d.jpg

Great cedar tree, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC, 1897
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2919535724_24c8012a5c_o_d.jpg

Dugout canoes, Fraser River, New Westminster, BC, 1887
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2919535260_8175e3de8d_o_d.jpg

Vancouver from Fairview, BC, 1904
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2922146928_ff0b8a292a_o_d.jpg

vansky
Oct 31, 2009, 12:34 AM
it's interesting to see how little has changed for this city.

Vancity
Oct 31, 2009, 1:54 AM
it's interesting to see how little has changed for this city.

What are you talking about?! :koko: The city has undergone a huge transformation.

Care to explain why you would say something like this?

Vancity
Oct 31, 2009, 1:57 AM
Looking at these two pictures, I'd say the two cities have changed very drastically.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2922146928_ff0b8a292a_o_d.jpg

http://www.globalairphotos.com/images/bc/vancouver/2007/vch2007_481.jpg

johnjimbc
Oct 31, 2009, 2:34 AM
Well, those mountains do look awfully similar . . .

;) ;)

entheosfog
Oct 31, 2009, 9:32 AM
*cough cough* sarcasm...

EastVanMark
Nov 1, 2009, 10:44 AM
Looking at these two pictures, I'd say the two cities have changed very drastically.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2922146928_ff0b8a292a_o_d.jpg

Can only imagine what the current city council would do if they inherited this city in the photo. I can see it now; "we must preserve the viewcones of the entire mountain, no building over 4 floors!" and, " no bridges to downtown; everyone must canoe or swim their way to and from downtown"...:haha:

Holden West
Nov 13, 2009, 8:16 AM
Awesome 1936 colour travelogue film:

wo95I5uKbyY

Be sure to watch the larger HD version