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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. 

Built in 1911 at a cost of $150,000, Caroline Court continues to provide rental housing to this day. Once a dominant presence on this quiet residential street, it is now surrounded by massive towers.   

This 1930 image shows the old Vancouver Club, on the right, for sale. The current home of the club looks pretty much the same as it did when it was built in 1914, although its membership has changed significantly (the once 'men only' club is now presided over by a woman). The old property is now a small urban park with city-owned parking underground. 

The building on the left is from 1925, the one on the right from 1912. The imposing house seen in the background is from before 1900, and survived, surprisingly, until the 1980s. The buildings are part of the historic Victory Square neighbourhood, so the development plan for the block will incorporate the original facades into the new buildings. (1974 photo copyright City of Vancouver).

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. 

In 1911, buildings like this were common, with stores on the ground floor and apartments above. Sadly, most of those old-timers are now gone, but this one has not only survived, it has been returned to its former glory.  The Michas family purchased it in 1958, and painstakingly restored it, retaining many of the original fixtures. (1985 photograph copyright City of Vancouver).