Gow Block

In 1911 Walter Gow built this two storey mixed use building (on the left) to cater to the growing foot traffic from the newly-built Cedar Cottage Interurban train station. The area soon boasted grocery stores, movie theatres, a brewery, and even a roller coaster for a period of time. As cars became the more popular form of transportation, business slowly moved south to Kingsway and Knight Streets, and the neighbourhood lost its lustre. The neglected building was purchased and renovated in 2005, and today serves as a popular coffee bar. If you ask nicely, they might take you down the back hallway and show you the original bank vault, still there after 113 years. (1913 photo from Vancouver City Archives).