Comments on: We held a funeral for the Birks Building

By: Nancy Poisson

Nancy Poisson — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 04:19:21 +0000

That’s exactly what we did!
Waited in a lineup around The Strand for 2 hours before getting in to see Mary Poppins.
Then our entire family went to see The Sound of Music at The Ridge for my 10th birthday — February 1966.

By: Brian Becker

Brian Becker — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 21:09:39 +0000

In reply to Dave. Me too

By: Ken Harrison

Ken Harrison — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 22:32:24 +0000

when was the clock moved from Granville & Hastings to Granville & Georgia? I have a postcard photo of it at the first, and another of the Birks Building at the second, but without the clock.

By: S. Stanger

S. Stanger — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 16:57:08 +0000

In reply to Fran Glasgow. I believe the Bay had the same pay system at one time.

By: MarilynNoyes

MarilynNoyes — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 03:11:59 +0000

In reply to Skip Savage. Jamie Reid’s the Scottish butcher with sawdust on the floor oh it smelled so yummy!!

By: Bob Fortin

Bob Fortin — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 11:03:07 +0000

I erected the scaffolding around the exterior of the Birks Building for the demolition process. It’s not a proud memory.

By: james hourston

james hourston — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:25:43 +0000

Skip you are so right. You could say our Penn Station in a way. This town has never had a master plan nor any mayor a vision of how the city would grow like Robert Moses in New York or Georges Haussmann. Granville street from 16th could have been a boulevard like Cambie and King Edward. That second Hotel Vancouver was magnificent with the roof a garden that looks oval in some pics. I have a pic of 4 men sitting on the head of one of the Buffalo heads that ringed just under the top with Moose heads. Wish I could put it here but I can see why not. And that bank is horrid thats there. The nicest building is the elipticle apartment on Harwood on the 12 or 13 hundred block with its movable steel panel that shade areas.

By: Ian Forsyth

Ian Forsyth — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:38:42 +0000

In reply to Dave.

That was one of the first movies I saw….I thought it was the first one, maybe because my Dad bought the soundtrack and I played it continually memorizing all the songs. Still know them. Don’t know what I had for breakfast but remember all the words to Chim Chim Chiree. The theatre was gorgeous, slight less ornate than the Orpheum, I think it only had one balcony, not sure.

Then the next year we saw the Sound of Music at the Ridge, where it played forever.

By: Fran Glasgow

Fran Glasgow — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 05:59:51 +0000

In reply to Brad Williams. It was hardly a good trade to get the soul-less Scotia Bank Tower as a replacement to the gracious, and classicly styled Birks Building. Payments made on sales on the floors of the Birks building, were put into a vestibule in a container. Suction would rocket the container to a secured Cashier Station in another part of the building, where change was made, receipt provided and then it was fired back to the sales floor in the tube, all within a couple short minutes. It was slick and secure. More people used cash in those days!

By: Megan Stubbs

Megan Stubbs — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 04:22:16 +0000

I remember attending the funeral. I was 14 and had thing for old buildings. My parents kindly gave me a charm of the old building for my charm bracelet, which I thought was pretty cheeky of Birks to produce, under the circumstances.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 02:31:03 +0000

In reply to Eve Lazarus. I saw Mary Poppins at the Strand It was first movie I ever saw & I still remember it. It was a grand theatre and the movie still sticks with me.

By: Skip Savage

Skip Savage — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 22:37:54 +0000

In reply to Eve Lazarus. Why yes, of course. This is our sadness list.

By: Brad Williams

Brad Williams — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:47:35 +0000

In reply to Eve Lazarus. Yes Eve, I did as a kid. Think 'Steelyard Blues' was the last film to play at The Strand. Dont ask my how I remember that, just a memory and trivia freak I guess. If I am wrong, somebody please correct me.

By: Skip Savage

Skip Savage — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:17:58 +0000

If I had magic powers I would go back in time and save the Birks building, the Strand theatre and the second Hotel Vancouver at Granville and Georgia. Then today we would have a centre of town with real character, the Bay on the north included. Cadillac Fairview, I guess I would let you have the NW corner, although I’m still mad about James Inglis Reid, lost in your creeping takeover of our streetscape. My magic powers have their limits.

By: Anthony Maw

Anthony Maw — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:01:55 +0000

Yeah I can remember watching the demolition of the old Birks building it was a long slow death that took a few months. It looked like a pretty solid building with steel and concrete that could have lasted to this day. I remember a little Bobcat front-end loader machine driving around on the floors that’s how strong it was built! They pulled it down floor-by-floor one piece at a time with jackhammers because “Death By A Thousand Cuts” because the close proximity to other buildings precluded explosive demolition like the Devonshire Hotel a few year later.

By: Marion Alvarado

Marion Alvarado — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 19:22:38 +0000

What happened to the wonderful clock ? Was it saved I hope ?

By: Brad Williams

Brad Williams — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 18:38:42 +0000

Love the history of Vancouver. At least some good came out of the demise of the Birks building. There used to be a number of movie theatres in Vancouver too, and love the Sinclair Centre.