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There was a zoo in Stanley Park as far back as the late 1800s, when it was comprised of a single black bear. Over the years there were as many as 50 different species of animals, including flamingos, wolves, penguins and polar bears. In 1994 the zoo was shut down due to animal cruelty concerns. An elderly polar bear named Tuk was the last occupant of the zoo, passing away in 1996. More recently, the polar bear enclosure has been reimagined as a nordic style public spa. (1965 photo from  Natural Color Productions Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.; George Weinhaupl, photographer).

Originally built in 1912 as a Bank of Commerce building, Douglas Lodge was eventually converted to residential and commercial purposes. Over the years, John Candy and Arthur Erickson have been among its residents, and Emily Carr taught a friend to paint there. It's Georgian Revival design, along with a medley of window styles has garnered it a heritage designation. (1945 photo from Vancouver Public Library).

Visitors line up for the Italy Pavilion during Expo 86. (1986 Vancouver Legacies program photo from Vancouver photo archives). 

People are lined up to see the show at the Xerox International Theatre. Today a large open park rests calmly on grounds that once hosted millions of tourists from around the world. The buildings on the south side of False Creek are the only clues as to where this photo was taken.  (1986 Vancouver Legacies Program photo from the Vancouver Archives). 

Young Warren Bernard escaped his mother's grasp and ran toward his father Jack as he was preparing to board a troop ship in New Westminster in 1940. The iconic photgraph was taken by Claude Detloff for the Vancouver Province, and captured the attention of the editors of Time, Life and others. It became one of the most famous Canadian photographs of the 20th Century, and was used to help sell War Bonds. Today there is a statue at the foot of Eighth Street commemorating the famous photograph.  (1940 photograph by Claude Detloff). 

Summers in Vancouver have always included trips to the beach, even in 1929 when this photo was taken. Although the pier is long gone, you can still see its foundation on Google Maps. Also shown is the Englesea Lodge, which was destroyed in a suspicious fire in 1981. (1929 photo from Vancouver Photo Archives).

Here's a look at the north end of the Burrard Bridge from 1940. (1940 photo from Vancouver City Archives).  

This beautiful but mysterious building has spawned many conspiracy theories, most of them centred around secret undergound tunnels winding their way through the basements of upper-crust Shaughnessy. The truth is much more mundane. It was built in 1914 to convert power for the nearby Arbutus Line of the BC Electric Railway. It was itself converted in the 1970s to residential power management. Unfortunately its striking Art Deco features are mostly obscured now by thick foliage. (1914 image from Vancouver Public Library.)

The three-storey building on the right is featured prominently in the old photograph, but is now hidden behind its Brixton Flats neighbour. It was built in 1910 as a rooming house with retail on the ground floor. Today it belongs to the Lee Benevolent Association, whose membership consists of people of Chinese extraction whose last name is Lee. (1929 photo from Vancouver City Archives).

This 1913 building in the West End was one of the finest apartments of its time, and attracted wealthy Vancouverites who preferred to rent instead of own. It originally consisted of only 22 large suites, and boasted many Rennaisance Revival flourishes. In the 1970s it was beautifully restored and converted to condominiums, which now sell for around $3 million. Every Spring the tangled branches of the cherry trees in the front burst into bloom, and throughout the Summer the spectacular Baroque entrance is obscured by greenery. (1975 City Planning Department photograph from Vancouver City Archives).