What's New

In 1924 Bekins Moving and Storage purchased the Sun Building at Pender and Beatty and opened their first office in Canada. The company was a pioneer in the moving business, operating the largest fleet of moving vehicles in the country. In 1937 the company sold the Sun Building and moved to this facility in Kitsilano. It remained their Canadian headquarters for over 40 years. It has since been used as a Canadian Tire, then a sporting goods store, and now a Dollarama. And the catalpa tree has been standing silently, watching it all over the years. (1977 photo from POP SNAP).

There have been lots of stores and restaurants calling this corner home over the years, and this 1965 building at York and Yew is still going strong. So are the trees across the street. There is always lots of foot traffic in this bustling neighbourhood. Thanks to Linda Beaulieu who provided me with this photograph, and to her parents who built the building.  

When the Canadian Pacific Railway linked Vancouver with the rest of the country in 1885, people migrated here in droves. The City's population grew from 26,000 in 1901 to over 100,000 a decade later. General Wolfe Elementary was constructed in 1910 to meet the needs of the rapidly growing Cambie neighbourhood. It was named after General James Wolfe, who lost his life leading the battle of the Plains of Abraham. It's sturdy brick construction is a testament to the value that early South Vancouver residents placed on education. Trivia: The young boy in the famous 'Wait for me Daddy' photograph went to school here. (1912 photo from Vancouver Photo Archives.)

This 1921 Marpole school was named after the British Prime Minister at the time. It's Classical Revival design by the firm Twizell, Birds & Twizell earned it a City heritage designation, but in spite of that the school recently succumbed to the wrecking ball, as it was deemed to be seismically unsound. (1921 photo from Vancouver City Archives).  

This beautiful photo by Selwyn Pullan was taken in 1957, the year that the iconic BC Electric building was completed. It was designed by Ned Pratt and Ron Thom. Pullan was a prolific architectural photographer who studied under Ansel Adams. The 22-storey building was converted to residential condos in 1995 and rechristened the Electra. (1957 Selwyn Pullan photo).

The Hotel Georgia was finished in 1927 at a cost of $1.5 million. It has undergone several name changes and renovations over the years, and has hosted such distinguished guests as Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley and Queen Elizabeth. Its current owner, Pacific Reach Properties, purchased the hotel and the adjoining residential tower for $145 million. The  Georgian Revival style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (1949 photo from Flickr.)

These rowhouses, built in 1912, were constructed to provide low cost rental housing to working families in the Strathcona and Commercial Drive neighbourhoods. The 6-home building recently sold for about $4 million. (1985 Vancouver Planning Dept photo from Vancouver City Archives.) 

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).