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.
I vaguely remember this eye-catching sign advertising photo finishing services on Broadway in Mount Pleasant. Not a huge demand for film processing these days.
Lansair Automotive Parts is long gone, replaced by a coffee shop that sells experimental beers. Or something. I don't know. Their website is so hip I can't understand it.
The neighborhood must have smelled like Butter-Krust bread back in the day. The building is almost unrecognizable now, having undergone extensive renovations and additions. Further changes are unavoidable, as a Skytrain station is going in across the street, bringing with it inevitable high rises and fast food joints.
This well-known building at the corner of Robson and Thurlow was built in 1908 by lumber baron WL Tait. It was about to be demolished in 1979 until a number of residents formed a co-op and saved it. It is currently occupied by low-to-middle income residents, and there is a long line of applicants waiting to get in. You can find a more detailed history of the building here.