Vancouver History

Do you remember the little house on Richards Street between Nelson and Helmcken in Yaletown? It was one of the last ones standing and for years had quite the garden and lots of funky birdhouses and wheelbarrows.

If you’re on social media you are likely already familiar with Canadian Colour, beautiful, eye-popping historical photographs of Vancouver’s people, buildings and events. The guy behind these colourized photos is Mark Truelove, a Brit who moved to B.C. 16 years ago, and now lives in Hope. Mark’s day job is web designer/developer, but increasingly he’s… Continue reading Colouring History

Fred Herzog, Foncie, Selwyn Pullan, Michael de Courcy, Bruce Stewart and Angus McIntyre were just a few who took up a camera in the Vancouver of the ‘70s, and were documenting images of everything from buildings to the changing skyline, and from neighborhoods to neon. They also put a spotlight on people—the famous, the quirky,… Continue reading Vancouver in the Seventies

Joe Fortes arrived in Vancouver in 1885 and quickly became one of the city’s most loved citizens. As our first official lifeguard and Beach Avenue resident, he saved dozens of lives. This story is excerpted from: Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History. Joe Fortes: In 1904 Joe Fortes was living in a sweet… Continue reading Remembering Joe Fortes

It was common in the 1970s to get in an elevator with an operator at buildings such as Woodwards and the Bay. Where did they go? By Angus McIntyre: “Going up, she said,” is the opening line in the 1970’s pop song Heaven on the 7th Floor about a tryst between a female elevator operator… Continue reading The Missing Elevator Operators of Vancouver

Gordon Price called it “the most important thing that never happened” to Vancouver, and certainly if Project 200 and the rest of the freeway plans had gone ahead, Vancouver would be virtually unrecognizable today. This story is from Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History The plan was to construct a $340 million freeway… Continue reading Project 200 and the Waterfront Freeway

It’s the first week of January, 2017 and if you own a house you’ve received your BC Assessment notice. If you’re like us you’re not popping open the champagne quite yet because your house has smashed through the ceiling of the home owner grant and you’re on the hook for a lot more taxes, all… Continue reading The House that Chip Built

Last year, Constable Graham Walker of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police was asked to research the history for their 10-year anniversary. Graham promptly fell down the rabbit hole and his journey has taken him to UBC Special Collections, City of Vancouver Archives, BC Hydro Archives, and the Vancouver Police Museum. Graham’s first surprise was that… Continue reading The 100-year-old Unsolved Murder of Special Constable Charles Painter

  From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History Did you know that a commuter train used to run right through downtown Vancouver? I found out about it when I was over at Tom Carter’s studio checking out one of his amazing paintings. There it was, a train chugging across Hastings Street. The train… Continue reading The train that ran down Hastings Street

Joe Ricci’s story is in Sensational Vancouver Joe was a kick-arse Italian cop who worked for the Vancouver Police Department between 1912 and 1928 and didn’t get bogged down in the details. He’d kick down the doors of opium dens, shoot first and ask questions later, and not worry too much about legal things like… Continue reading The Black Hand’s Vancouver Connection

I’m writing a book about John F.C.B. Vance, the first forensic scientist in Vancouver, and this week I wrote about his first day of work as the new City Analyst. My book is non-fiction, but sometimes you need some creative license. My challenge was to get to get Vance from his house in Yaletown to… Continue reading May 1, 1907: A Trip Across Vancouver

The Flying Angels Club House was built in 1906 by the BC Mills  as their offices for sales of pre-fabricated houses, schools and churches. Story in Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History Kathryn Murray’s association with the Mission to Seafarers goes back to 1902—the same year the Flying Angels Club came to Vancouver.… Continue reading Hastings Mill and the Flying Angels Club House

If you think that museums are full of old fossils and boring exhibits, it’s time to get yourself down to the Vancouver Museum. I went on opening night this week when 20 collectors were hanging out with their obsessions and it’s one of the craziest nights I’ve had in a long time. There were collections… Continue reading The Collectors

The Second Narrows Bridge Collapsed on June 17, 1958, tossing 79 workers into Burrard Inlet and killing 18 of them. Sounded like an explosion: Some described the noise of the bridge collapsing into the Second Narrows as gunfire or an explosion, others as a rumble or a loud snapping sound. On June 17, 1958 at… Continue reading The Second Narrows Bridge Collapse

Never heard of Manson’s Deep? You’re not alone. It’s one of the deepest points in Howe Sound just off Point Atkinson. It’s also been a burial ground for old sailors since 1941. Manson’s Deep gets its name from Captain Thomas Manson who came to Vancouver from Scotland in 1892. According to an article by Kellsie… Continue reading Vancouver Heritage House Tour and Manson’s Deep

Love this photo taken in 1921 from Howe Street looking down West Hastings. The big building closest to the photographer is the Metropolitan at 837 West Hastings. It was built in 1912 to house the Metropolitan Club which then became the Terminal City Club and the building lasted until 1998. It was replaced with a… Continue reading Our Missing Heritage: The original Vancouver Club and the Metropolitan Building

Charles Marega died on March 27, 1939. And, while you may not know his name you will know his work. Those are his two lion statues at the south end of the Lions Gate Bridge. And while the lions may be his most well known work, Charles (or Carlos as he was christened) was a… Continue reading The work of Charles Marega (1871-1939)

  I went to the District of North Vancouver offices to pick up some money owed and was promptly redirected to the City of North Vancouver offices five minutes down the road. It made me wonder yet again why we are running two completely separate bureaucracies for a relatively small population. It also made me… Continue reading A Tale of Two Vancouvers

  I went to a Christmas party at the Gregsons last night. Actually, the Gregsons don’t really exist; they are characters in War for the Holidays, a play set in 1915, and which takes place in an 1893 Queen Anne house in Vancouver’s West End. Will Woods, who is well known for his Forbidden Vancouver… Continue reading Christmas at Roedde House

Angus McIntyre was a Vancouver bus driver for 40 years. He has a love for photography, street lighting and transportation systems. Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Angus for tea and a chat. Angus was given his first camera at age eight—an Argus with the little window and the roll through… Continue reading Angus McIntyre