The Gray Building

By the early 1900s the warehouse district in Gastown was full, and unable to keep up with the growing demand for freight handling with rail access. CPR cleared the area west of Homer Street, laid tracks in the street and provided loading docks, and Yaletown was born. Many of these warehouses are still standing, including this 1912 building. When this photo was taken in 1925, tenants included a liquor company controlled by Vancouver's Reifel family, whose sole purpose was to smuggle alcohol to the US during prohibition.