The Gastown Business Improvement Association founded the Gastown Blog in the summer of 2009 to breathe some new life into this historic community. With daily features, history lessons and business profiles, it’s a one-stop source for Gastown information. Over the last few weeks the Gastown Blog launched an initiative to put QR codes on old […]

There are names you see around town yet rarely place them or their historical significance. From Abbott to Tatlow or Shaughnessy, Malkin is right up there. W.H. Malkin was a a major food wholesaler (Malkin’s Wholesale Grocers was at 57 Water Street) who became the Mayor of Vancouver 1929-1932. He slipped into the Mayor’s office […]

The Atlas Obscura is an online directory resource for unique, intriguing, amusing, and peculiar attractions around the globe. Being a fan of historic and cultural oddities, I figured this would be a great thing to cover. On March 20th they are hosting “Obscura Day” highlighting the best destinations from South America to the North Pole. […]

Continuing my Then and Now photo series of Vancouver I went on the hunt for aerial images this morning. Funny thing is, after hosting the Olympics in your town “aerials” bring up images of athletes on skis and not views from a plane. It was a pleasant surprise however the following all feature pictures taken […]

Exploring more of Vancouver’s history this week I took a gander at the listed photograph subject terms that I can search through on the City of Vancouver Archives website. Finding some of the most obscure results, I thought it would be fun to post a few retrospective photos of our city, featuring some unusual imagery. […]

Known to many as the “O! Canada Horns” the Heritage Horns that sound from atop Canada Place everyday at noon are a lunchtime staple for Vancouverites.

Bringing back the “Then and Now” series this week, I have once again researched the depths of the City of Vancouver Archives online comparing images of yesteryear with Google Street Views of Vancouver today. This week’s theme is Hastings Street. Hastings and Howe West Hastings at a time was known as Seaton Street, named by […]

Located at 918 Granville Street, the Vogue Theatre is an icon of Vancouver’s entertainment district. For decades its neon sign topped by the Roman Goddess Diana has stood the test of time and acted as a beacon for everything from theatrical performances and punk rock shows. The 1,178-seat theatre opened its doors for the first […]

Stopping by my daily history read, I learned that it was on this day 30 years ago that the Carnegie Building reopened as the Carnegie Reading Room. Located at the intersection of Main and Hastings, I thought it would be worthy of the history profile to see how the building has been a part of […]

The giant red “W” atop Woodwards in Vancouver is make a reappearance tonight as it will be lit up for the first time in a decade. “W” removal in 2006 – Photo credit: cam in van on Flickr Woodward’s means far more to Vancouver than simply being a defunct department store. Founded by Charles A. […]