What's New

Ninety years separate these two photographs of Kitsilano. Henry Hudson School (soon to be demolished) is on the left, and the Maple Apartments, still standing, can be seen in the background. The billboard is advertising an automatic coal stoker. (1932 Major Matthews photo from Vancouver City Archives).

At the turn of the twentieth century, the foot of Lonsdale Avenue was the transportation hub of the North Shore. The streetcar, ferry to Vancouver, and the Pacific Great Eastern railway all converged here, conduits for a thriving shipbuilding and forestry industry.  Paine Hardware occupied the building's ground floor from 1914 until 1998, when it was destroyed by fire. (1912 photo from Museum of North Vancouver Archives).

This unique block is composed of four heritage buildings owned by the federal government.  The Post Office and Customs Warehouse were both located here.  In1986 the buildings were integrated into an upscale shopping mall. Plans are now under way to add a 22 storey tower to the complex. (Major Matthews photo from the Vancouver City Archives.)

The original red bricks of this century-old grocery store have been uncovered by developer Domus Group, who transformed the heritage property into a group of contemporary townhomes. The ground floor of the old store will be a coffee shop. (1978 photo from Vancouver City Archives).
 

In 1941, businessman and bootlegger George Reifel traded a strip of land at the foot of Bute Street to the city, allowing the development of Sunset Beach Park, which runs from Stanley Park to the mouth of False Creek. The Vancouver Aquatic Centre, now hidden behind trees, was opened in 1974. (1962 photo from the Vancouver City Archives).   

Possibly one of the most photographed spots in Vancouver, there has been a lighthouse at Brockton Point since 1890.  The current tower was built in 1914, and was staffed until 1956.  In 1906 the tugboat Chehalis collided with another boat and sank a few hundred feet off the Point. Eight people perished, and their remains are still trapped inside the wreck. (1957 photograph by Fred Herzog).

Point Grey Secondary was built in 1929 at a cost of $500,000, an extravagant sum at the time, given that the world was on the verge of plunging into a decade-long economic depression. Part of the high cost was due to its 'Collegiate Gothic' architectural style. Notable alumni include Seth Rogan and Bruce Allen. (1935 image from Vancouver City Archives). 

Built in 1913, Firehall 15 was saved from demolition by Heritage Vancouver in the early 2000s, and has been restored and incorporated into a new firehall.  It holds the distinction as the last hall in the City to use horses, due to the poor road conditions in the neighbourhood.

Built in 1910, the Walden Building provided low cost housing for the people of Riley Park for many years. On the corner is Helen's Grill, a Main Street fixture since 1961, complete with table top jukeboxes.  (1912 Major Matthews photo from City of Vancouver Archives).

This 1915 image shows the road to the future UBC on the left. The other road led to Western Canada's first golf course, the Jericho Country Club. Queen Mary School can be seen in the distance. (1915 Major Matthews image from City of Vancouver Archives.)