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There was a hotel on this site as far back as the 1860s. The original burned down in the massive 1886 fire that devastated the entire city, but was eventually rebuilt as a brick structure in about 1889.  It operated as a hotel for many years, and is now comprised of privately-owned condos over retail space on Vancouver's historic Water Street.

Built in 1911 a a coast of around $150,000, Holly Lodge continues to provide rental accommodation today. It was designed in the Second Renaissance Revival style. The open channel cut into the building was common for the period, in order to provide some air flow to the apartments in the centre of the structure. 

It looks like Cambie Street turned into a dirt road at 49th when this photo was taken in 1952.  Things look a little different now.

Before it was a Safeway, it was Duke's Grocery. Since 2002 it's home to Dolce Amore, purveyors of grass-fed gelato. 

Built in 1902 and named after Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, commander of the British Navy during the Boxer Rebellion.  I'm not sure why he had a Vancouver elementary school named after him - we could probably find a few more candidates worthy of that honour. In the early 1970s the 'militant mothers of Raymur' successfully staged a protest to have a pedestrian overpass built so that their children could cross the train tracks to get to this school.  At some point the fancy cupolas were removed, but other than that it appears to be unchanged after 120 years.  

This building first appeared in the Vancouver records in 1896. At that time, the rest of the block appeared to be occupied by single females, if you know what I mean.  The ground floor has been occupied by numerous retailers over the years, and the upper floors appear to be housing. The building is currently owned by the Chinese Freemasons. 

This 1907 building was the home of the Universal Knitting Company, who shared it with the Morning Star Newspaper. In 1928 Universal moved its operation to Kingsway and 10th Avenue, making swimwear for Jantzen until 1997. It is currently occupied by Avenue Road, a high end design and furniture business.

The small houses shown here were built prior to 1889, and survived until 2006. The buildings on either side were completed in 1911 and 1912, and are still standing today.

The 1908 building on the corner originally housed a bank, a drug store and a dance academy. It burned down in the 1960s. In 1909 the Grand Palace Hotel was built next door, renamed the Austin Hotel until the 1980s. It's currently a Ramada Inn, and the corner building is home to yet another coffee shop.
   

Vancouver Motors was a Ford dealership that operated from 1926 until the 1960s, when it was renamed Dominion Motors. Ford, Mercury and Monarch models were sold here.  In the 1990s it became a Staples. It was designed by Townley and Matheson, whose art deco preferences can also be seen in the Dick Building at Broadway and Granville, as well as City Hall.