Comments on: Vancouver in the Seventies

By: Mary Salvador

Mary Salvador — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 23:01:12 +0000

Oh yes – Oil Can Harry’s….booze smuggled in inside paper bags and hidden when the cops arrived!
Sunday morning visits to European News and the German oom-pa-pa music blaring – wonderful!
The Bay theatre on Denman was great – sadly closed in 1989.
Great memories!

By: e.a.f.

e.a.f. — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 07:00:13 +0000

In reply to Nick Kennedy. Worked at the Federal Building on Robson St., just down the street from the Blue starting in Sept 1971. On Friday's a lot of the office workers went to the beer parlour at the Blue. Beer was 15 cents a glass and then it was raised to 25 cents. There was a resturant at the top of the Blue and on pay day a friend and I would go there for lunch, crab sandwich and a drink, I'm trying to remember the name of the drink. harvey wall banger, one was enough for lunch. Yes the Blue Horizon could be fun in the 1970s. Government ought not to have sold the Federal building. They owned it clear and free. That turned into very valuable land.

By: Nick Kennedy

Nick Kennedy — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 05:57:11 +0000

In reply to Doug Parks. When I lived at Cardero/Davie I used to walk to Shenanigans night club at the Blue Horizon! Luckily it was DOWNhill to get home! L0L (1986-1990). One night actor Ken Wahl was in there. It was a fun place to drink and dance!

By: Sal Robinson

Sal Robinson — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 01:18:15 +0000

Sir William Dawson Elementary School was not demolished in 1972. Two alternative schools occupied it from September 1974 to the end of December, 1976. Ideal School was relocated to Lord Byng and City School moved to a leased building in Strathcona. The building stood empty for at least another nine months but was eventually demolished and a parking lot created.

By: ROBIN

ROBIN — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 19:47:27 +0000

I took several photos for the Georgia Straight in the 70.s got some of Ten Years After and THE ROLLING STONES

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:13:16 +0000

In reply to Ken Doyle.

It was donated to the City of Surrey, where a worker years later mistook it for scrap metal and recycled it.

http://scoutmagazine.ca/2015/01/05/you-should-know-about-george-norris-the-artist-behind-the-iconic-crab-sculpture/

https://designkultur.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/sculptors-r-i-p-george-norris-1928-2013/

By: Dave Olson

Dave Olson — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 18:07:57 +0000

Another lovely collection documenting the ever changing city. Being born in the 1970, these start to trigger my earliest memories.

Thanks for another great post.

By: Doug Parks

Doug Parks — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 18:00:32 +0000

I can remember walking along Robson and the biggest retail store was European News. Not a Starbucks in sight. Oil Can Harrys on Thurlow. The Bay theatre on Denman. Paul Belmondes barber shop on Robson across from the Safeway. Pizza Patio on Davie as well as Fresgoes on Davie. I washed dishes at the Metro Broiler in the Burrard Building. (across the street from the Retinal Circus). I worked at Centenial Pharmacy (Bute and Robson). My mom and dad had an account at the Red and White grocery on Robson. I worked at Mcds on Robson at Bidwell. Mcdonalds closed at about 11pm and our crew was sitting in the Blue Horizon drinking beer by 1130. (most of us were all of 17)
Life in Vancouver in the 60s and 70s was fun and memorable .

By: Ken Doyle

Ken Doyle — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 08:51:17 +0000

What happened to the sculpture that was in front of Eaton’s for years? It was by the same artist who did the piece in front of the Vancouver Museum.

By: Michael Kluckner

Michael Kluckner — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 17:32:08 +0000

The other demolition of a historic school in the early ’70s was Mount Pleasant, built in 1888 at Broadway and Kingsway. Kingsgate Mall had just opened on the site when I started work on an alternative local newspaper called the Mount Pleasant Mouthpiece, supported by a federal LIP grant. The poverty of the area then belies the boosterish confidence that many in Vancouver had at that time.