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. […]

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 […]

It was the site of the Miracle Mile and where the Beatles took the stage in Vancouver, now after being demolished in 1993 Empire Stadium will once again be filled with cheering fans. Life.com – August 1954, Photographer: Ralph Morse Here are some historic events that took place in the old Empire Stadium, located on […]

Although we had a dusting of snow at the beginning of the month, a white Christmas doesn’t look very probably for Vancouver in 2009 (and Environment Canada only gives us an 11% chance each year anyway). 2008 was named “Canada’s Whitest Christmas” so in case you’re missing the powdery dustings around the city, I’ve rustled […]

The legacy of Peter Pantages will live on New Years Day as Vancouver hosts its 90th annual Polar Bear Swim in English Bay. January 1, 1939 – The Polar Bear Club – Item #: CVA 371-836 This is one of Vancouver’s oldest traditions. Quick tidbit: “In 1928, on January 1st, 16-year-old Ivy Granstrom made her […]

After staying in 4 hotels over the last 7 nights, I figured a reprise of the “hotel” theme for my Vancouver Then and Now series would be in order. The original photos are from the City of Vancouver Archives’ online collection, and some of the new images are from Google Street Views. Then and Now […]

Man’s Best Friend – From the Vancouver Archives. Vintage Vancouver Photos of Dogs Around Town.