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The Edwardian Baroque architecture of Ridgeway Elementary School was intended to reflect the sophistication of the nearby Grand Boulevard subdivision, which in the early 1900s was being promoted as the finest neighborhood on the North Shore. It was completed in 1912, just before the general economic depression of 1913 halted ambitious construction projects like this. Several additions have been made to the school, but fortunately they have been faithful to the original design.  

Built in 1904 for Vancouver's first city solicitor, Hamersley House has seen duty as a sanitarium, municipal hospital, an old folks home and a restaurant over the years. In 2005 it was granted heritage status and is now a day care centre.  

This school was built in 1914 to serve as as a detention home for juvenile delinquents age 8 to 18, who were taught homemaker skills like cooking, cleaning and sewing. The Vancouver Sun called it a 'house of horrors' for its filthy living conditions and dungeon-like rooms in the basement. In 1995 it was converted into condos and rechristened "Terra Vista".  

The Cadillac Hotel was built in 1912, and was renamed the Del Mar in 1955. In 1975 it was bought by George Riste, and became a popular stop for passengers from the nearby Greyhound bus depot. In the 1980s BC Hydro started buying up the block to build their new headquarters, (which can be seen towering over the Del Mar in the background) but Mr. Riste refused to sell at any price, opting instead to run it as an SRO, leasing the ground floor to a variety of art galleries. George passed away in 2010 but his family continues to run the Hotel, providing low income housing to residents of the downtown area. 1977 photo copyright City of Vancouver.

This 1910 photo was sent to me by the great-grandaughter of the adults in the picture. The house has obviously had some major renovations done, including raising the house to accommodate a higher basement, and changing the roofline, but some original features remain. In 1993 it caught fire while being converted to strata units, but it's still standing in Kitsilano.

The Clayburn brick plant was built in 1905, after the discovery of a high-grade clay deposit on Sumas Mountain. The village was created to house the workers, and although the plant was closed in 1931, many buildings remain, including the general store, seen here in 1910. Today it's a candy shop, and a popular destination for visitors to the area. 

The trucks belong to wholesale grocers F.R. Stewart and Co. The Stewart warehouse, BC Farmer's Exchange and Chess brothers are long gone from this once-bustling street, but two buildings farther up Water Street are still there.

Safeway circa 1978: another classic image from POP SNAP. 

Even today you can tell that this building was initially a garage. It was actually built for a vulcanizing company in 1918,  and has had several auto-based businesses as occupants over the years.  Today of course, it's another row of restaurants, because of course the West End can always use more restaurants.

This striking image by Franz Lindner is from the CBC Media Archives. It was taken in 1960 for their program on addiction in Canada, “G.O.M.” (God’s Own Medicine).  Even then, Vancouver was ground zero for drugs, and the Downtown East Side was the epicentre. The alley seems to go on forever in the old photo, unlike the current image where the Georgia Viaduct interrupts the view. Here's some information on Sarah, the Cafe's owner.