The Vancouver Block Building marks 100 years on Granville this year and according to a Twitter update from user @jesswads to Bob from Vancouver is Awesome, there was cake to celebrate this week. With its neon clock and photogenic white tower, it’s today’s Vancouver Icon photo feature: (Left) 1910s Archives item# M-11-77. (Right) 1920s Archives […]

Vancouver’s known for its H-shaped telephone pole alleyways which have been featured in film and television series for decades. Some have names given to them by historians or businesses but others, like Ackery Alley between Granville and Seymour, were named in tribute. Ivan Ackery with framed caricature and letters at desk. VPL Accession Number: 59306 […]

This afternoon Krista Rand sent me a message on Twitter with a photo of the Orpheum sign coming down. Many panicked at the news that the iconic neon beacon on Granville was being removed however it has been determined that it’s all part of a master plan. Photo credit: Krista Rand on Twitter Since the […]

Earlier this year it was announced that Sears downtown was closing. Immediately rumours began to fly about what would occupy the space and if the bare white fortress-like walls of the structure at Pacific Centre would undergo a facelift. Photo credit: Tom Wiebe on Flickr Drawings have been circulating on the internet for months, some […]

Vancouver’s Commodore Lanes, Canada’s oldest surviving bowling centre, opened up below Granville Street on September 8, 1930. Since its neon sign has been advertising bowling and billiards in the downtown entertainment district for the last eight decades, I’ve decided it should be this week’s featured Vancouver Icon: 1946 – Theatres and the bowling sign on […]