When I flipped my Hope in Shadows calendar over to July at the beginning of the month I read a quick story about two men and their involvement with the Downtown Eastside homeless soccer team, based in Oppenheimer Park.
Sandwiched between Powell and Cordova, the recently restructured public space (complete with a new lawn, washrooms, playground, and field house) hosted a Street Soccer Canada match this past weekend and our home team has sent players to the Homeless World Cup each year since 2004 [The Province]. With Oppenheimer Park being an Eastside hub for everything from street soccer to family picnics, I figured it would be worth profiling.
1911, Oppenheimer Monument. Archives Item# Mon P60
Oppenheimer History
Oppenheimer Park is named after arguably the most influential Mayor in our...
Today’s Archives Photo of the Day is from the 400 block of Homer Street. While it’s not a century-old image, I still find it rather curious and amusing.
Year: 1974
Vancouver Archives item#: CVA 778-194...
Browsing the Vancouver Archives online photograph database I kept coming across old advertisements from around Vancouver. Posters, billboards, and painted cars. I thought it would be fun to do a roundup including commercials of our city’s past.
1946, Archives Item#: CVA 1184-2346
1948, Photographer: Jack Lindsay, Archives Item#: CVA 1184-3139
1934, PhotographeR: Stuart Thomson, Archives Item#: CVA 99-4672
1935, Photographer: Stuart Thomson, Archives Item#: CVA 99-4726
1945, Photographer: Don Coltman, Archives Item#: CVA 586-4089
Should you have any suggestions or ideas for an archives photo theme, please feel free to drop a note in the comments....
Today’s Archives Photo of the Day features two children walking along the old pier at English Bay.
Year: 1905
Vancouver Archives item#: CVA 677-227...
Probably one of Vancouver most famous beaches, English Bay has been a source for views, sunsets, fireworks, and strolls since the dawn of our fair city.
I am currently running a contest to win two tickets to view the Celebration of Light Fireworks from the top of the Bathhouse at English Bay. I had a few people contact me to see if I made a typo asking if I meant “Boathouse” as in the restaurant across the street. It seemed odd to me that people did not know it was the Bathhouse at English Bay however it must be common based on the responses I received. As such, here’s a bit of information about English Bay and the Bathhouse’s history.
1898, English Bay. Archives Item# Be P90
Also known as First Beach, English Bay was named “Ayyulshun” by the Coast...
A brilliant piece by Andrew Coyne. Senator Serge Joyal has helped bring portraits of all of Canada's Monarchs French and English to grace the Rotunda of the Senate. I heard him speak at a Canadian Royal Heritage trust event on just this subject.
But if the history of Canada is an unbroken chain of sovereignty, Francis to Elizabeth, Champlain to Johnston; if what is important about it is not the change from French to British rule but the continuity between them—if we are not a British monarchy, or even a French monarchy and then a British one, but simply a monarchy, throughout—then the Conquest is not the pivotal event in our history: it is just an event. The effect, in turn, is to deracinate the British inheritance. What is valuable is the inheritance—Crown, Parliament, the common...
The Seawall is not only an icon of our city, stretching its arms around Stanley Park and the downtown core, but it’s a regular hang-out for locals and visitors alike. Starting today, there will be a detour at Sunset Beach while they do some reconstruction on some older portions of the retainer. Making sure that this barrier is safe and sturdy is paramount as it is constantly pummelled by the salty splashes of the Pacific Ocean.
Photo credit: Judy Bishop on Flickr
Repairs will be on a stretch about 340 meters long between Sunset Beach and the Inukshuk and should be completed by the fall. Repaving will then take place between Brockton Point and Lumberman’s Arch for about two weeks after that.
It’s has its fair share of unexpected closures of the years but I’m glad...
Yesterday I began a new Readers’ Choice series where I answer questions that my readers or Twitter contacts have about local history. Continuing on today I’ll tackle another question:
TylerIngram: @Miss604 What about the old ferry that used to go from vancouver to dunderave (West Van)?
1920s, West Vancouver Ferry crossing the Burrard Inlet, Archives Item#: SGN 1123
The West Vancouver Ferry began service in 1909 and ran across the Burrard Inlet from Vancouver to Dundarave.
From the West Vancouver Library: “The first ship was a 35-passenger boat called the West Vancouver, which ran between the 17th Street dock and Columbia Street in Vancouver. The ferry fleet was expanded in later years to run between the Vancouver Wharf, English Bay, Hollyburn, the Great Northern...
Having a hard time coming up with a topic this morning I put the call out on Twitter to see what people have been curious to know about Vancouver’s past. There were some suggestions about Joe Fortes or the Great Fire and an abundance of other questions that would be interesting to research. I figured I might as well start a new series this week that will answer about a dozen of these history questions I received on Twitter.
kristyaudrey: @Miss604 I want the details on the underground tunnels- where, why, how and when can I see them?
There is an old CPRail tunnel under downtown and in some spots it’s only about 6 meters below the surface. CPRail used the 1,396-metre-long (4,579 feet) tunnel for nearly 50 years.
From VancouverHistory.ca:
“Construction on the tunnel...
Today’s Archives Photo of the Day features two streetcars (the number 6 and number 3) destined for Davie Street passing by what appears to be the Hudson’s Bay Company downtown.
Description: Streetcars downtown, 1944
Photographer: Don Coltman, Steffens Colmer
Archives item#: CVA 586-1873...
The following is a guest post contributed by Amber Strocel from TheV3H.com and Strocel.com.
Every year on the first weekend in July the Port Moody community throws a big party. The annual Golden Spike Days Festival has been in Rocky Point Park for 34 years now, commemorating the arrival of the first cross-country train in Port Moody on July 4, 1886. At the time, Port Moody was the Western terminus of the CPR, the great railroad uniting Canada. By celebrating on the first weekend in July, the event marks both Canada Day and the anniversary of a pivotal event in local history.
As history would have it, Port Moody did not end up being the Western terminus for long. Within a year the line was extended to Vancouver and Port Moody faded in regional and national prominence. But there is still a...
With the Fourth of July coming up, I figured what’s more American than baseball. Today’s Archives Photo of the Day features two players at the Athletic Park in Vancouver, which used to be near 5th and Hemlock.
Description: Baseball opening season at Athletic Park, 1930
Photographer: Stuart Thomson
Archives item#: CVA 99-2415...
To mark the end of Bike Month in Vancouver, today’s Archives Photo of the Day features the Vancouver Bicycle Club at Prospect Point.
Description: The Vancouver Bicycle Club in front of the observation point at Prospect Point, 1895
Photographer: From the Major Matthews Collection
Archives item#: St Pk P174...
Today’s Archives Photo of the Day features two young Vancouver children and their “pet” bear cub.
Description: Ken & Theresa Quiney with bear cub at 1820 Waterloo Street in Kitsilano, 1910
Photographer: James Luke Quiney
Archives item#: CVA 7-29...
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation is hosting Hotdogs for Heritage Sunday July 11th from 11:00am until 3:00pm.
Photo credit: to be, inspired on Flickr
The main focus of the event is an architectural salvage sale, including items like hard-to-find heritage doors to sinks. You can also bring in your items for donation to the sale such as light fixtures, mirror frames, hardware, stained glass, screen doors and wrought iron gates.
Admission is by donation (suggested $10 per person or $25 per family) and on top of the salvage sale fundraiser there will be activities for kids, hot dogs (first one’s free while supplies last), and a beer garden with musical guests Headwater. You can also bid on silent auction items such as wine and restaurant gift certificates.
The Vancouver Heritage...
On a whim I’ve decided to start up a new series called, Archives Photo of the Day. I considered posting this to Twitter only until I realized that the links generated by my search queries end up expiring after a few minutes. With people heading on vacation (including us) next month I’m keen on posting smaller pieces that take a bit less time to write — as opposed to the big history series or the then and now series. Without further ado, here’s is my “Vancouver Archives Photo of the Day” for June 28th, 2010.
Description: Man driving a 3-wheeler in front of the Orpheum Theatre, 1948
Photographer: Jack Lindsay
Archives item#: CVA 1184-2285...
The old Hastings Mill store was one of the only buildings in Vancouver at the time to survive the Great Fire of 1886 and it now resides near Jericho Beach in Kitsilano.
Photo credit © SqueakyMarmot on Flickr
The store carried the staples of the day when it opened in the 1860s; tabacco, pipes, overalls, men’s suits, vests and flannel underwear 1. In the 1920s the old mill was slated for demolition however the Native Daughters of British Columbia, Post No. 1 wanted to save the store. They campaigned to raise $10,000 to keep the store and were successful. Thanks to their efforts, Hastings Mill Store is a museum for us all to explore today.
1886 – Looking West from Hastings Mill Store’s original location. Vancouver Archives Item #Wat P3
On July 29, 1930 the store was moved...
It was 124 years ago last Sunday (June 13th, 1886) that Vancouver was completely destroyed by fire. It began as a controlled fire to clear brush on the land, however it quickly spread out of control.
Vancouver before the Great Fire, Water Street 1886. Archives item #Str P8
The entire city (only a few months old at the time) was engulfed in flames within 45-60 minutes.
Day after the Great Fire, June 1886. Photo by Louis Denison Taylor. Archives item #CVA 1477-416
880 buildings were destroyed in Vancouver, which was only 1 year old at the time. 20 people lots their lives. Due to the wooden construction and lack of a fire brigade with equipment to battle the blaze, only stone or brick buildings in Gastown, Yaletown, and parts of the West End survived.
Quick facts:
After the Great Fire the...
miss604 posted a photo:
Map interpretation by Major Matthews - Founder of the City of Vancouver Archives. Coloured in by me as best I...
There are few places in Vancouver where public can get a panoramic view of the city without heading up one of the North Shore mountains. There’s the Lookout at Harbour Centre (which recently celebrated a birthday), then Cloud 9 restaurant atop the Empire Landmark Hotel. The other vantage points are mostly from private suites.
However, a new project “Vancouver 12 Gigapixels” saw Ronnie Miranda take panoramic shots from the top of our city’s tallest building, the Shangri-La Hotel and share the results online.
Image created by Ronnie Miranda
You can view the full image on the project’s website and also scroll from side to side, panning 240 degrees East to West across the city. The project’s blog has more information and additional shoot locations...
33 years ago today Harbour Centre was officially opened and at 481 feet, it was the tallest building in Vancouver at the time.1 Harbour Centre is the home of The Vancouver Lookout, a revolving restaurant, a mall, various businesses and tech firms, as well as one of SFU’s downtown campuses.
In 1977 it was called the Sears Tower and within it, the revolving Harbour House Restaurant (now the Top of Vancouver) had a special guest for the occasion. Neil Armstrong (the man who walked on the moon) left a set of footprints in fresh concrete that are still on display today.2
The building sits at the location of the old Spencer’s Department Store which was demolished when Sears moved in. Still standing on the other corner, at West Hastings and Richards, the David Spencer building...
Trying to come up with themes for history posts is sometimes a bit tough. I’ve done everything from feature photos of long-gone hotels and aerial images of the region, to people walking dogs down Hastings Street a hundred years ago. Sometimes it’s the oddities that are the most interesting, such as that time an elephant went parading down Granville.
Browsing the Vancouver Public Library and City of Vancouver Archives I have come up with a collection of City Scenes — everyday moments in time that have been captured and preserved.
1880s – Hastings and Cambie
VPL Accession Number: 19827
1890s – Streetcar at entrance to Stanley Park
VPL Accession Number: 19797A
1939 – Pender at Beatty, looking West
Archives Item#: CVA 772-5
1946 – Granville at...
After a bit of a break from the Then and Now series I’ve decided to get it up and running again. Usually I explore the Vancouver Archives online database however I’ll be pulling from the Vancouver Public Library’s collection for today’s “then” images. The “now” images have been captured from Google Maps.
1908 – Hamilton & Pender. Photographer / Studio: Timms, Philip
2009 – Google Maps
1922 – Main & Broadway. Photographer / Studio: Timms, Philip
2009 – Google Maps
1900s – Homer & Dunsmuir. Photographer / Studio: Timms, Philip
2009 – Google Maps
1900 – Georgia & Thurlow. Photographer / Studio: Carre, W.H.
2009 – Google Maps
If you would like to suggest a theme for next week...
The Vancouver Art Gallery is icon in our city and was a central hub of activity during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and although the building won’t be going anywhere… it’s what’s inside that counts.
Photo credit: rodefeld on Flickr
A relocation, that would see it move out of the old courthouse building, has been in the works for a few years. The first plan was to build a new facility for the art gallery in North East False Creek to accompany the expanding collection however plans have changed.
The 604 Homes Blog covered the then-approved move in 2008:
“Late last week the City of Vancouver approved the plan to build a brand new art gallery on the site of the old Plaza of Nations. The re-development would also include the a number of new highrise...
After hearing the loud rumble my mother walked over to the crib to check on me. She thought the noise came from someone slamming lids on dumpsters but soon found out on the news that Mount St Helens in Washington State had erupted. I was 5 months old and fast asleep so this is where my personal account ends.
Photo credit: March 1980 – WAstateDNR – Department of Natural Resources on Flickr
What seemed like neighbourhood noise to my mother in Surrey, BC was far more destructive in Skamania County, Washington.
Photo credit: April 1980 – WAstateDNR – Department of Natural Resources on Flickr
This was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States [source].
Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15...
Craigdarroch Castle, legacy of the Dunsmuir family, has been perched overlooking Victoria since the turn of the 20th century. Nowadays its red spires are barely visible over the stretching Garry Oaks but it’s definitely a main attraction on many tours and personal trips to the capital city.
History
The Dunsmuirs are pillars of BC’s industrial history and I’ve profiled them once before, in this post from 2009. Aside from amassing real estate up and down the West Coast of North America, patriarch Robert Dunsmuir was a coal magnate and along with his wife Joan, had two sons and eight daughters.
The family moved from Nanaimo to Victoria as Robert served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly around 1885. In 1887, the plans for Craigdarroch were being drawn. Unfortunately...