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In 1941, businessman and bootlegger George Reifel traded a strip of land at the foot of Bute Street to the city, allowing the development of Sunset Beach Park, which runs from Stanley Park to the mouth of False Creek. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre, now hidden behind trees, was opened in 1974. (1962 photo from the Vancouver City Archives).   

Possibly one of the most photographed spots in Vancouver, there has been a lighthouse at Brockton Point since 1890.  The current tower was built in 1914, and was staffed until 1956.  In 1906 the tugboat Chehalis collided with another boat and sank a few hundred feet off the Point. Eight people perished, and their remains are still trapped inside the wreck. (1957 photograph by Fred Herzog).

Point Grey Secondary was built in 1929 at a cost of $500,000, an extravagant sum at the time, given that the world was on the verge of plunging into a decade-long economic depression. Part of the high cost was due to its 'Collegiate Gothic' architectural style. Notable alumni include Seth Rogan and Bruce Allen. (1935 image from Vancouver City Archives). 

Built in 1913, Firehall 15 was saved from demolition by Heritage Vancouver in the early 2000s, and has been restored and incorporated into a new firehall.  It holds the distinction as the last hall in the City to use horses, due to the poor road conditions in the neighbourhood.

Built in 1910, the Walden Building provided low cost housing for the people of Riley Park for many years. On the corner is Helen's Grill, a Main Street fixture since 1961, complete with table top jukeboxes.  (1912 Major Matthews photo from City of Vancouver Archives).

This 1915 image shows the road to UBC on the left, then only a few years old. The other road led to Western Canada's first golf course, the Jericho Country Club. Queen Mary School can be seen in the distance. (1915 Major Matthews image from City of Vancouver Archives.)

There are two iconic landmarks in this photo: the Vancouver Law Courts in the foreground (now the Vancouver Art Gallery), and the towering Hotel Vancouver, in its second incarnation.
The first Hotel Vancouver was located at Granville and Georgia. The one in this photograph was built in 1916 at an astounding cost of over $3 million, the most expensive building the City had ever seen. At the time it was one of the grandest hotels in the British Empire. It closed in 1939 (when the current Hotel Vancouver opened) and was demolished in 1949, its remaining years spent as an army barracks and veteran housing. (1917 photo from City of Vancouver Archives).

The Great Northern Railway Company began operations in White Rock in 1909. At its peak there were 4 trains a day rolling through the small town, carrying construction materials, mail and passengers between Vancouver and Seattle.  Train service ended in 1975, and the station was converted into a museum.  (1925 image courtesy of BC Archives).

The building that housed the Kitsilano General Repair Shop in 1928 is still standing today. But the rest of 4th Avenue is unrecognizable.  (1928 Major Matthews photo from the Vancouver City Archives).

For thousands of years the area now known as White Rock was inhabited by a Coast Salish tribe called the Semiahmoo.  The town of White Rock grew from a Canada Customs mandate that ports of entry be located one mile from the border, which in 1846 was determined to be the 49th parallel. Then came the railway, bringing tourists from Vancouver and New Westminster.  The rock itself, stained white by seagull poop, was bright enough to be used as a beacon by 19th century sailors. Now it's painted white.  (1920-ish photo from BC Archives.)