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The lions were created by sculptor John Bruce in 1910. However, the City ran out of money to pay him so some of the details were left unfinished. In 1942, someone blew up the west lion (pictured), and you can still see cracks where the repairs were made. The 1911 photo shows the lion being moved into place just after the Court House was built. (1911 photo from Vancouver City Archives.)

Taken a mere 5 weeks after Vancouver's great fire, this 1886 photo shows how quickly the town was rebuilt, with the help of a virtually unlimited supply of lumber. (1886 Major Matthews photo from Vancouver City Archives).

This is what the centre of town looked like just 4 weeks after the fire that destroyed the newly incorporated City of Vancouver. (1886 Major Matthews photo from City of Vancouver Archives).

Cambie and Twelfth was the fourth location for Vancouver's City Hall. It's remote distance from the city centre served to strengthen the ties with the newly amalgamated towns of South Vancouver and Point Grey.  The Art Deco/ Moderne building was designed by Townley and Matheson, and was completed in 1936, during the height of the Great Depression. (1937 Major Matthews photo from Vancouver City Archives.)

Built in 1915 at a cost of $65,000, the Murray stood empty during the war years, after which it was used as a barracks by the RCMP for a while, with the main floor serving as stables.  The Richardsonian Romanesque building has heritage "B" status in Vancouver, and has been providing low cost housing for many years. In 2017 it received a facelift, courtesy of the developers who built the highrise next door.  (1925 photo from City of Vancouver Archives).

This 1911 building was the location of the first Keg and Cleaver, which opened in 1971. Today there are over 100 restaurants in Canada and the US. 

Beautiful old Shaughnessy mansion, built by Thomas Macdonald in 1913 at a cost of $6000.  In 1970 it was listed for $50,000, in 1985 it sold for $290,000, and in 2022 it was listed once again for $6,199,000.  (1920 Stuart Thompson photo from Vancouver City Archives).

This legendary venue started life in 1952 as an 'exotic' supper club before it was transformed into a punk rock mecca in the 1970s.  Some of the acts rumored to have played there include Jimi Hendrix, Tommy Chong and Tina Turner. A 1983 fire put an end to its popularity and it languished for many years. The 2020 pandemic ended a recent attempt to turn it into an indoor skate park. Today it's only function is to serve as a back rest for the hundreds of street people who have taken over the neighbourhood. (I found the original photo on a Facebook page with no credit and no date.)

This church has served the West End Community since it was built in 1905. Several of the stained glass windows were part of an older church in Yaletown. (1905 Major Matthews image from Vancouver City Archives.)

This little house has been facing the lane between York and Cornwall since 1908. It's one of the last remaining original laneway houses in the City. The young boy in the photograph is Paul Houle, who moved into the house in 1960. (1961 photograph from Paul Houle).