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It's hard to believe that this is the same house, but it is. I checked. All of the trimmings have been lost to time, and at some point the house was raised and covered in asphalt shingles. It is also one of the oldest remaining houses in Vancouver, the 10th house to be hooked up to Vancouver's water supply in 1889, when it was built. Surprisingly, it is not on Vancouver's heritage register, and is now surrounded by commercial buildings, so who knows how long it will last.

Built in 1895, the church is the oldest surviving building in downtown Vancouver. Almost demolished in 1971, millions have since been spent on seismic upgrading and other improvements over the years.  The relative youth of Vancouver is demonstrated by the fact that both Burrard and Georgia Streets were dirt roads just over 100 years ago. 

The City Hall area boasts hundreds of these elegant Edwardian homes between Cambie and Main Street. This one, at 11th and Yukon, dates from around 1910.  (1910 photo from Vancouver City Archives).

This beautiful old house was built in 1916 and has been well taken care of over the years.  Mr. Ing, who lived there in the 1920s, donated to the City several old photographs of the house and its occupants, giving us a glimpse of life in old Vancouver.  

Built in 1920, this Cambie-area elementary school is named after Edith Cavell, a WW I British nurse who was executed by the Germans in 1915. 

The roofline has changed a little in 80 years, and there's a lot more foliage around. 

Built in 1908 and almost demolished in 2013, this Queen Anne style home was recently reduced to its studs and rebuilt with six strata units and a townhouse addition in the rear. According to the developer, it would have been more profitable to demolish the old house and replace it with shiny new condos, but as a resident of the neighbourhood he felt that heritage preservation was important. Score one for the good guys!  

In 1929 the Canadian Bag Company occupied 1010 Raymur Street, attracted by the recent creation of False Creek Flats and the rail lines nearby.  in 2012 Low Tide Properties acquired the building, renovated it extensively, and leased it to one of the fastest growing companies in Canada. 

In the early 1900s this street in Strathcona was known as Vancouver's red light district. Some of the buildings, such as this one, were expressly built for the purpose of prostitution. Being a stone's throw from the dockyards, business was very good, for a few years anyway. By 1918 most of the madams had left the area for parts unknown. Although much of historic Strathcona is being preserved and protected with heritage-friendly zoning, this area north of Hastings is still at risk of demolition and redevelopment. Trivia: In 1913, William Morrison spent 30 days in jail for playing a piano in 666 Alexander.

A street scene from 1899. Some of the buildings are still standing, including the one on the far left. The neighbourhood is slowly becoming gentrified, led as usual by trendy furniture stores and coffee shops.