Author Chuck Davis, who runs the ultimate Vancouver history website, has been publishing an online series called “A Year in 5 Minutes“.
The “New” Orpheum on Granville Street – Photographer: Jack Lindsay – ITEM #: CVA 1184-2290
Hosted over at re:place Magazine, Chuck has been highlighting one year every week starting with the incorporation of our fair town in 1886. He’s just past the 50-year mark and I thought it was worth taking a look at some of his posts to learn a bit more about how our city has taken shape.
In the series:
The First Decade: Public transit, Stanley Park and water.
The Second Decade: Public library, Interurban and gold!
The Third Decade: The PNE, a building boom and war.
The Fourth Decade: Fire, floods and Spanish Flu.
The Fifth Decade: Burrard Bridge, Vancouver Airport and the Great Depression.
Each “Year in 5 Minutes” post packs 365 days of history in one single blog page and features photos from the City of Vancouver Archives. The series is now up to 1937 and will keep going every week (posted every Monday) until we reach present-day Vancouver. It’s definitely worth checking out especially if you love local history like I do.
I’m a big fan of television and every fall there’s a new show out there that captivates my attention, makes me laugh, and inspires my writing. We may not watch shows when their air live but being at home on the couch with my husband is downtime that I truly value. If Olivia Dunham, Sheldon Cooper, and Tommy Gavin happen join us, all the better.
Yesterday I attended the TV Talk day of the Vancouver Film and Television Forum. The first session was R.I.P. Conventional TV featuring the following panel: Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
A few weeks ago I got a tour of the newly-renovated Morrissey on Granville and last night Keira and stopped in for a bit to check it out at night. The renovation of this watering hole with a loyal customer base represents far more than a design overhaul; it’s a non-pretentious, laid back, yet really cool place to grab a drink which over the last 20 years or so, was next to impossible to find on Granville.
Anyone who has been to Vancouver knows that Granville street is a pretty interesting place. At night it’s club district is filled with short skirts, egos and testosterone-fueled spats. In the light of day, especially now that the street is undergoing a revitalization, it’s like a blast from the past. The architecture is from a different time, actually more so from various different times.
Art Deco theatres now house night clubs or stores, while hotels from the 1920s have been turned into hostels or parking lots. Piercing shops and tattoo parlours speckle the landscape in between adult novelty stores with neon “25 cent peep show” signs. Just down the block there’s a Burger King, a Payless Shoes, and private parties for things like BC Fashion Week. This eclectic mix of old and new, posh and rough, trendy and edgy makes it an area of the city where you either go to have fun, or avoid like the plague.
I met with the designer of the new Morrissey, Reisa Pollard, who said that the renovation was to be the antithesis of EarlStonesClub. However, it was still supposed to be friendly and welcoming to the hotel guests, as it is a part of the Ramada. A classic live venue that has hosted rock and roll acts for a pint or five, she also didn’t want to lose that part of its history. Taking an Irish-themed hotel pub and turning it into a relaxed tribute with antique highlights was definitely a challenge but I’d say Reisa and her team pulled it off.
Before
After
The Morrissey is located on Granville between Davie & Drake, and its building – the Austin Motor Hotel, dates back to 1906. Some of the elements you’ll see out in the open, as a part of the design, are either original or throwbacks to that time period. During the renovation Reisa removed the wood paneling from the back wall and uncovered the original wallpaper and you’ll also notice band stickers on the bar stools, funky pillows, and old radios stacked up on the walls.
Music has always been an important part of the Morrissey and they still have live performances and every Saturday night at 10:00pm they will feature current buzz bands, indie, punk, rock, electro, old school hits and rotating DJs.
Keira and I really enjoyed hanging out there last night. The staff was friendly, helpful, and courteous, and the music was simply fun. Once a Beastie Boys song turned into Tears for Fears Keira exclaimed, “I wish they would play some Duran Duran.” I assured her that given what we had already heard that night, it was probably on tap. Sure enough the very next song was Planet Earth. I would recommend checking it out and if you do, I’d love to hear about your experience.
Tomorrow afternoon the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Canadian team retail apparel will be revealed.
Hbc is once again the apparel designer of the official clothing (for both the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams) and they’re hosting a free public event that will feature the following:
12:00 – 12:15 DJ Hedspin
12:00 – 1:00 Canadian athlete autograph session
12:15 – 1:15 Cowboy Junkies
1:15 – 1:45 Fashion Show of 2010 Canadian Olympic Team Retail Apparel
1:45 – 3:45 DJ Hedspin
2:00 – 3:00 Athlete autograph session
3:45 – 4:30 Dan Mangan
4:30 – 5:00 Fashion Show of 2010 Canadian Olympic Team Retail Apparel
5:00 – 6:00 Sam Roberts Band
5:30 – 6:30 Canadian athlete autograph session
6:00 – 7:30 DJ Hedspin
This will all take place at the Olympic Superstore on the main/street level if The Bay downtown. I must admit, I love a free concert and although it could get pretty packed in there, it’ll be fun to see Dan Mangan and Sam Roberts perform. No tickets are necessary but you will want to arrive early to catch any of these presentations or performers.
Update: John was down at The Bay yesterday and snapped some photos of the concerts and the new apparel.
You can view all of his photos in this Flickr set.
Read more about the “Red Mittens” campaign here.
I’ve stayed in over a dozen hotels this year and I must admit that I’ve only ever stayed in a Vancouver hotel once. This week’s installment of my “Then and Now series features the cornerstone of our tourism community, hotels.
Hotel Vancouver
The first Hotel Vancouver from the 1880s was on Georgia at Granville. The second was built at Howe and Georgia, where the TD Tower sits today. My Flickr contact SqueakyMarmot has a nice side-by-side comparison of this iteration. These images are of the third Hotel Vancouver, which is in operation today.
1938
Private collection – ITEM #: Hot P80
2005
Yale Hotel
The Yale was founded in the mid 1880s and was one of the very few buildings to survive downtown’s Great Fire of 1886.
1944
Photographer: Jack Lindsay – ITEM #: CVA 1184-624
2005
Sylvia Hotel
The Sylvia has been a landmark in English Bay for almost a century. It’s great for photographing especially in spring and summer when the ivy crawls its way all over the brick exterior.
1932
Photographer: Stuart Thomson – ITEM #: CVA 99-2632
2008
Hotel Georgia
The famous Hotel Georgia closed its doors and began renovation/re-construction a few years ago. It hosted high profile celebrities during its 80-year run including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Bob Hope.
1931
Photographer: Stuart Thomson – ITEM #: CVA 99-3998
2007
Should you have any suggestions for next week’s installment, or any photos you think would be a good fit, please feel free to contact me.
*All photos have their item number listed so you can look them up online or in person at the City of Vancouver Archives.
