Category Archives: churches
Forgotten Philanthropist
When the subject of Vancouver philanthropists comes up in conversation, the names H. R. MacMillan, Leon Koerner, Jimmy Pattison, Jack Diamond, and David Lam are likely to arise. But the name of Rufus Gibbs is less likely to come up. … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, churches
Tagged anglican churches of bc, bc, Berwick house, British Empire Games, Canadian Arthritis Society, David Lam, eastside boys' club, freedom of vancouver, Gibbs fishing, Gibbs Tool and Stamping Works, good citizen of the year medal, H. R. MacMillan, history, Jack Diamond, Jimmy Pattison, John and Eliza Gibbs, Leon Koerner, Patricia Hotel, Peterborough, rufe Gibbs hall, Rufus Charles Gibbs, Rufus Gibbs lodge, Salvation Army, St. John the Divine (Anglican) Church in Yale, Trent University, vancouver
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The Unfinished Story of Rev. W. C. Weir at First Baptist
Of all the ministers at First Baptist Church over the years, the work of W. C. Weir (1890-1894) is among the most obscure and lacking in detail. The two FBC historians — William Carmichael (1947) and Les Cummings (1987) — … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged Baptist Convention of Ontario & Quebec, Carleton Place Baptist Church, Charles Weir, congregational church, diptheritic croup, Elizabeth Dutton, Everett WA, Frederick Weir, George Weir, Gordon Weir, Guelph, Guelph ON, J. W. Pedley, Leslie Cummings, millinzrianism, Oxford Street Baptist Church, Rev. W. C. Weir, Seattle University, Trinity Baptist Church, William Arnold Weir, William Carmichael, Woolwich Street Baptist Church
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Radio FBC
In 1974, under the innovative1 Senior Pastorate of Rev. Dr. Roy Bell (1970-1981), First Baptist Church Vancouver participated for the first time in a radio broadcast of its morning service.2 The radio station – CJVB 1470 – was a relatively … Continue reading
A. W. Sullivan: Black Pioneer and Hall-Builder
Arthur Willis Sullivan (1860-1921) was a black pioneer who was very popular in early (and pre-) Vancouver.1 He was born in New Westminster to Philip ( – 1886), who came originally from the West Indies, and Josephine Sullivan (1818-1894), who … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged Amanda, Amanda Hogg, Annie Thomson Sullivan, Arthur Willis Sullivan, bc, Changing Vancouver blog, Cordova near Abbott, Dr. Langis, history, Josephine Sullivan, Moodyville Mill, mulattos, Philip Sullivan, Princess Street Methodist Church, S. S. Beaver, St. James Anglican Church, Sullivan Halls, vancouver, W. M. Carmichael
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Kerrisdale Baptist Church
As is true of most Baptist churches in the Greater Vancouver area, Kerrisdale Baptist Church had quite humble origins.1 Baptists living in the Kerrisdale neighbourhood met, starting ca1913, at the home of Ralph Daggett at 38th and Dunbar (which seems … Continue reading
Posted in churches, Electric Power
Tagged Angus Drive, bc, Bill Reimer, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Scientists, Clark Bentall, Frank McNeill, fraser river, history, John Davidson, Kerrisdale Baptist Church, marpole, Pitt River, Port Coquitlam, The Past is the Prologue, Trinity Baptist Church, vancouver, Vincent Massey What's Past is Prologue, Wilson Road
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Vancouver Bible School
Update The Vancouver Bible Training School (VBTS) was a child of the Vancouver Evangelistic Movement (VEM). Among the goals of VEM was the establishment of a Bible training school. The school was, accordingly, started in 1918. The raison d’etre of … Continue reading
Happy Dominion (er. . . Canada) Day!
Originally posted July 1, 2014. This is a view from 1220 Homer (Yaletown) made by Ernie Reksten on a ‘holiday Monday’, July 3, 1967. The holiday was Dominion Day (known as Canada Day since 1982), and most Canadians should be able … Continue reading
Posted in books/reading, churches, street scenes
Tagged 1967, bc, Canada Day, Dominion Day, downtown, history, vancouver
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Christian Church (Disciples): 30 Years at Cambie and 13th
The church shown above began its life as Shelton Memorial Christian Church at 505 W 13th Ave (at Cambie Street) in 1927. It was on the site of what today is the former Plaza 500 hotel complex (the lower, four-storey, … Continue reading
Posted in churches
Tagged 505 W 13th, bc, Claude V. Stainsby, Community Christian Church, Dr. A. L. Shelton, ecumenism, Edna MacCullie, First Christian, Frank T. Carter, G. Hayden Stewart, Grace MacInnis, history, Kenneth S. Wills, Shelton Memorial Christian Church, Stone-Campbell Restoration movement, vancouver, William G. Kitchen, Woodland Drive at E 14th
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Clement Welch: A Passion for Choral Music – Updated
James Clement Welch (1871-1962) emigrated from England to Canada in 1886, the year of Vancouver’s incorporation as a city — and the year of Clement’s 15th birthday. By the time he was in his mid-30s, he would lead what would … Continue reading
Posted in churches, music
Tagged A Country Girl, A Runaway Girl, accounting, Clement Bentley Welch, Florodora, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Iolanthe, James Clement Welch, Kiwanis Glee Club, Kiwassa Glee Club, Mabel Welch, Mary Welch, Minnie Ernestine Welch, music, North Vancouver Operatic Society, ottawa, Patience, Pickles, Pung Chow of Po, rip van winkle, teaching, The Arcadians, The Attached Attache, The Chimes of Normandy, The Chocolate Soldier, the cingalee, The Firefly, The Geisha, The Gondoliers, the haymakers, The Mikado, The pirates of penzance, The Prince of Pilsen, the rebel maid, The Red Mill, The WIzard of the Nile, Thomas Welch, Tulip Time, Vancouver operatic society, Velma Welch
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Art Glass at First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church is going to be closed to the public for the next two years (2021-ca2023) as it undergoes substantial renovation, seismic upgrading and development. It seems to me appropriate, therefore, to offer a stained glass ‘tour’ of First … Continue reading
Posted in art, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged "FBC Farewell Tour", Alf Wiebe, art glass, bc, carey theological college, christ church cathedral, Christ the Carpenter window, Cross and Crowns (vestry) window, Edna Grenz, Evelyn Loewen, Greg Burke, history, holy rosary cathedral, Jeanette Blackwell, Jim Wolf, John Bunyan window, Joiner memorial window, Kurtis Findlay, marine building, Mark Laughlin, Nesbit memorial window, Regent College, Rev. J. Gordon Jones, Sharon Wiebe, Stan Grenz, The Armour of God window, vancouver, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, William Carey window, Worship Windows (Pinder hall)
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‘Brood’ of Seven Baptist Churches
First Baptist Church (FBC) had, as one of its early objectives, the planting of daughter churches in the neighbourhoods of the city as it gradually grew. The focus of this post is on the churches of that ‘brood’ and, specifically, … Continue reading
Posted in churches
Tagged Baptist churches, bc, Broadway West Baptist, Burke Horwood White architects, church plants of First Baptist, East Hastings Baptist, Fairview Baptist, history, Jackson Avenue Baptist Church, Lord's Peace Chapel, Membership transfer, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Mountainview Christian Fellowship, Mt Stephen (Quebec Manor) Block, Rev Elbert Paul, Ruth Morton Memorial Baptist, South Hill Baptist, South Vancouver Municipal Hall, Tudor Revival, vancouver, Vancouver Postcard Club, Ward Memorial Baptist, West Point Grey Baptist, William Carmichael, Zion Baptist
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Kolster’s Radio Musicians
The eight-person musical group shown above is Kolster’s Musicians. They were a group of Vancouver people who were assembled to play music on CKWX Radio (Vancouver) for their principal sponsor, Kolster Radios. Kolster was a U.S. brand radio, distributed in … Continue reading
Rev. Arthur J. Hadley: “Let’s Go!”
Update My very good friend, Art Hadley, died on Christmas Day, 2016. He had a special connection with Vancouver, although he and his wife, Edna, spent relatively little time in the Greater Vancouver area, recently. In their retirement, they settled in … Continue reading
’10 Commandments’ for Church Ushers
I ran across this wee item in the archival collection of First Baptist Church when I was in the Archives a year or two ago researching another subject. I took a quick photo of this page and then forgot about … Continue reading
Archives Image Corrected by Horizontal Flip
Update It can be disorienting when a historical image’s negative is printed from the wrong side. By viewing the image to the right, you can see the way the image appears on CVA as of mid-February, 2017. (That the image … Continue reading
Posted in businesses, cafes/restaurants/eateries, churches, Ernie Reksten, hotels/motels/inns
Tagged Arthur Erickson, bc, bc hydro building, block 61, clements block, comfort stations, courthouse, Danceland, Elektra, history, Johann Strauss Hotel, Law Courts Complex, Mayfair Hotel, public washrooms, robson street, Sheraton Wall Centre, Sir William Dawson School, St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, vancouver
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Remembrance Services Past at First Baptist Church
Update I was browsing through images in the Vancouver Public Library historical photos database this morning; I saw the image above and almost immediately recognized it for what it was (and what had, apparently, been forgotten or mislaid in the … Continue reading
Behind This Wall at Hotel Vancouver…
Update Behind the wall shown above, in the elevator court of the third (1939) Hotel Vancouver, lies, quite possibly, Ascension, a work of bas-relief sculpture created by Beatrice Lennie (1904-1987) a renowned and very able good sculptor. Doris Munroe, in … Continue reading
One of the Largest Organs West of Winnipeg
Updated I purchased this photo at The History Store. Since then, I’ve been on a quest to know which church it is/was that housed the amazing-looking pipe organ. What I Knew (or Thought I Knew) The clues I had to … Continue reading
Forgotten Purcell Hall
Purcell Hall and the B.C. School of Church Music (the two were ‘tied at the hip’ for most of their lives) came into being in 1936 at the SW corner of Georgia at Denman Streets (1808 W Georgia), adjacent to … Continue reading
First Baptist Church’s Iron Fence/Notice Board Memorials
Judging from what I’ve heard and what appears to be the ‘vision’ of the current First Baptist Church building project, upon its completion, there will no longer be an iron fence surrounding the garden near the tower entry. That is, … Continue reading
Spider and the Fly: Personality Politics at First Baptist in 1905
Context It was the spring of 1905. First Baptist Church was still worshipping in the modest wooden building on Hamilton and Dunsmuir, but they had purchased the lot on Burrard and Nelson and were beginning to raise funds to build … Continue reading
First Baptist’s “Living Room” to be Demolished
Update (first posted October, 2018) “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing … Continue reading
Zion’s Friend and Rebel
John Alexander Dowie’s divine healing movement had a connection with Vancouver’s Baptists, briefly, in the person of Rev. George Armour Fair, the pastor of Jackson Avenue Baptist Church (aka “Zion Baptist”) in 1898. George Fair was born in March, 1866 … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, USA
Tagged bc, Christian Catholic Church, history, International Divine Healing Association, Jackson Avenue Baptist Church, John Alexander Dowie, Rev. George Armour Fair, Royal Theatre, vancouver, Ward Memorial Baptist Church, Wilbur Voliva, Zion Baptist Church
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No Bull! The Conversion of Black Motors to Black’s Restaurant
Update Originally posted April, 2017 VPL 80449. Black Motors gas station, NE corner at Georgia & Richards Streets. Service station and parts dept components of Black Motors. Looking north. 1948 Tom Christopherson photo. The NE corner of Georgia and Richards … Continue reading
Posted in Art Jones, automobiles, cafes/restaurants/eateries, churches, Dick Phillips, Tom Christopherson
Tagged 475 W Georgia, auto upholstery shop, Black Motors, Black's Restaurant, Dealerships, Ford, George Black, georgia, parking, richards, Royal Sweet Diamond, st. andrew's presbyterian church
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Annotated Georgia at Hornby (and Environs)
Posted in churches, hotels/motels/inns, timms
Tagged bc, Burrard Sanitorium, christ church cathedral, court house, georgia medical-dental building, Glencoe Lodge, history, Hotel Belfred, Hotel Vancouver, Kyle Grocery, Palomar Supper Club, Shaw Tower at Cathedral Place, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Timms Art Shop, vancouver, wesley methodist church
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J. H. Carlisle: A Man of Firsts
Update First Posted July 2015 J. H. Carlisle (1857-1941) accomplished several “firsts”. He was the first Sunday School Superintendent of First Baptist Church (FBC), before it was formally organized; his name was the first listed among the charter members of FBC when the … Continue reading
The First First
A couple of posts ago, I presented an artist’s sketch by Reginald Blunden of the first permanent structure of First Baptist Church. But I didn’t say very much about that structure, how it came to be, where it was located, nor … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, cpr, first building, Goad's 1897 Map, history, J. S. Matthews, Lewis & Sills hardware, Malvina Coudron hardware, McPherson & Sons Gents Furnishings, Reginald Blunden, Rev. P. C. Parker, vancouver, Westminster Ave. (Main St), Yick Co.Produce
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The Cowboy Evangelist
Rev. James B. Kennedy, the minister at First Baptist Church, invited self-styled Cowboy Evangelist, George W. Rasure, to preach at the evening service on Sunday, November 18, 1888.¹ He preached at FBC every evening for at least two weeks; perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in churches, Cowboys, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Uncategorized
Tagged bc, carrall, George W. Rasure, Helena Ehlester, history, Joanna Pierson, Kansas, Kentucky, limestone, Merilda McReynolds, Methodist Episcopal, Port Moody, powell, Rev. James B. Kennedy, Tifflin's Mill, vancouver
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W. J. Cavanagh: Acquitted of Bigamy
Early Years William James Cavanagh (c1862-1915) was a complex man with a complicated life. He was born in Leeds County, ON (near Brockville). He left there for Western Canada by about 1887. He stayed in Manitoba for a number of … Continue reading
Forgotten Maestro: George P. Hicks
A Funny Thing Happened . . . A funny thing happened at a pizza party I held recently for some of my friends (whom I’ve taken to referring to, collectively, as the History Five). Neil brought with him a gift … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, music, Uncategorized
Tagged A. E. Rigg, Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, bc, George Peake Hicks, Gideon Hicks, history, Mayor Gale, Olga McAlpine, Rudiments of Music (1877), vancouver, Vancouver Choral Society, Vancouver Festival Choirk, Vancouver Musical Society, Vancouver School Board
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Southern View (Pender at Seymour), 1892
This view of Vancouver as it appeared to early Vancouver photographer, Charles S. Bailey just six years after incorporation as a city has appealed to me since I first clapped eyes on it a couple of years ago. Vancouver may … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, street scenes
Tagged bc, congregational church, Cosman & Son, empire building, Father Patrick Fay, Father Patrick Fey, First Baptist Church, history, Holy Rosary Church, Homer Street Methodist Church, Lady Superior Mary Alexander, Mary Casher grocer, Ontario House, pender street, Rev. E. D. McLaren, Rev. James W. Pedley, Rev. K. K. Maitland, Rev. W. C. Weir, Sacred Heart Academy, seymour street, St. Andrew's Presbyterian, vancouver, Walter Middleton grocer
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Church Membership Transfers
Membership transfers (or “letters of dismissal/admission”) were an important aspect of early 20th century protestant churches. This post will explore some of the features of membership transfers, using First Baptist Church, Vancouver as a case study. I will present scans of actual membership … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged bc, church clerk, church membership, dismission, history, incorporation, letters, transfer forms, vancouver
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Bolivia Bound: The Story of Howard & Mary Plummer
Howard’s Early Years Arthur Howard Plummer (1900-1970) had his first taste of a mission career when he was 8 years old. In 1908, he accompanied his parents from their home in England to Wenchow, China, where his father, Dr. William … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, USA
Tagged Arthur Howard Plummer, Baptist Young People's Union, bc, BC Faculty of Agriculture, Caroline Lodge, Dr. William Edwin Plummer, Hastings East Baptist Sunday School, history, Lulu Helen Plummer, Mary Evangeline Pattullo Plummer, Neil Whaley, Rev. D. G. McDonald, Rev. Dr. J. Willard Litch, Rev. W. M. Robertson, Rothesay, Strathmore Lodge, Theodore Plummer, vancouver, Wenchow
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First Baptist Church in Disguise?
Update: February 10, 2017 This postcard of mis-identification was presented to me about a year ago as a gift by JMV of Illustrated Vancouver. The image appears to have been made between 1911 (when construction of FBC at Nelson & Burrard was completed) … Continue reading
Elva Selman Drowns at 2nd Beach
Elva Selman, a 24-year-old member of First Baptist Church, died in the waters off Second Beach on Friday, August 21, 1908 at around 11am. She was the daughter of Samuel and Clara Selman. Samuel was a realtor in the City … Continue reading
T. T. Shields ‘Second Fiddle’ to A. E. Greenlaw… Who?
This article appeared in the Vancouver Daily World on August 17, 1908. An intriguing aspect of the piece, to me, was that Shields, who was near the beginning of his career as an Ontario Baptist preacher of note (later, pastor at Jarvis Street Baptist … Continue reading
Salvation Army Service at First Baptist Church
The image above and the two below were taken by photographer, Jack Lindsay, of a Salvation Army service held in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Vancouver. According to City of Vancouver archivists, these were made sometime in the period between … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Jack Lindsay
Tagged bc, First Baptist Church, history, Salvation Army, vancouver, worship service
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Mr. Rockefeller Regrets
This letter was written by John D. Rockefeller’s attorney, Starr J. Murphy (1860-1921), in response to a now-lost letter sent by Dr. L. N. MacKechnie (1864-1926) of First Baptist Church (Vancouver). It seems reasonable to conclude from the context that the … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged bc, Cleveland, history, John D. Rockefeller, L. N. MacKechnie, Standard Oil, Starr J. Murphy, USA, vancouver
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Baptist Missionaries in Shaughnessy
In 1953, a member of First Baptist Church, Mrs. Francis Stewart, moved out of her home in Shaughnessy district at 1492 West 33rd Avenue (at Granville) and donated it to the Baptist overseas mission board. The home was used as the Vancouver … Continue reading
Charles S. Price: Healing in Vancouver?
For three weeks in May 1923, Rev. Charles S. Price (1887-1947) held daily (and often twice daily) evangelistic meetings and faith healing services in Vancouver. Price had been in Victoria for several days in April 1923 before coming to … Continue reading
Val Quan
Late-breaking information on Val Quan (June 13, 2016): See comment from Bonnie, Val’s grand-daughter. She kindly provided some additional details. The information she supplied has been incorporated below. Val Quan (sometimes spelled Quon), his second wife, Pauline, and their family … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, people
Tagged bc, history, Pauline Quan, Val Quan, vancouver
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Church Parades and Church Street
I think I may have a reasonable explanation as to why Church Street (the north-south lane between Seymour and Richards and Georgia and Robson) was so named in the early years of the city. It seems to me that the name … Continue reading
Posted in churches, parades, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged anglican church, Christ Church, church parade, church street, georgia street
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J. Q. A. Henry Declines FBC Vancouver’s Call
This post is a footnote to the history of First Baptist Church, Vancouver. Neither These Sixty Years (1947) by W. A. Carmichael nor Our First Century (1986) by Leslie J. Cummings (the two official histories of the church) makes mention of a call from … Continue reading
Lost? Found: Pendrell Street Grounds
This photo shows a ‘park’ in Vancouver’s West End that seems to have been all but forgotten. It was located on Pendrell Street (D.L. 185, Block 70, Lot 31); an empty lot at the time the image was made. It was two … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, parks, sport
Tagged A. W. Given, bc, empty lot, Gilford Street, history, John Morton, Pendrell Street Grounds, vancouver
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John Morton
CVA 677-509 – [Studio portrait of John] Morton and second wife Ruth Morton 190- John Morton (1834-1912) was one of the first residents – arguably the first resident, although others have laid claim to the distinction – of modern-day Vancouver. … Continue reading
Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, people
Tagged bc, Bruce A. Woods, Convention Baptists, Donald O. Anderson, Fellowship Baptists, history, John Morton, Mountainview Christian Fellowship, Regular Baptists, Robert K. Burkinshaw, Ruth Morton Memorial Baptist Church, Ruth Mount Morton, vancouver
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Rev. Dr. Elbert Paul, First Baptist Pastor
This is an image of a Senior Minister of First Baptist Church, Elbert Paul (1902-1985). He served the church for nineteen years (1932-51), the longest period to date. He took on the pastorship in a time of significant challenge: it … Continue reading
Early Development of 1000 Block Georgia Street
A Very Modest Undertaking (Telfords) A building permit was issued to the Telford brothers in 1912 to build an apartment block at 1018 Georgia Street (architect was W. M. Dodd & Co.). According to the permit, it would be a 10-storey structure made … Continue reading
Posted in aerial photo, churches, homes/apts/condos, stuart thomson
Tagged Georgia Court, history, ritz hotel, St Julien Apartment-Hotel, Telford, vancouver
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Concert Pianist, Conductor, Theatre Manager…
Maynard Joiner lived a long and fruitful life. He was born on one coast of North America (in Boston) in 1894 and died on another (in Vancouver) in 1990. By the time he was 10, he was considered a child prodigy. His forté was as … Continue reading
Church Street (Lane)
It is not unusual to find a “Church Street” in a Canadian city. Even today, in our post-church-attendance era, streets called “Church” can be found in New Westminster, North Vancouver, and in the Collingwood district of the City of Vancouver (near Boundary … Continue reading
Posted in churches, street scenes, W J Moore, yesterday & today
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Reg Rose
Reg Rose was born in England in 1901 and came to Canada in 1912. After serving in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Reserves, 1916-19, and taking several short-term jobs, he began working for the YMCA, serving in Calgary, Lethbridge and Edmonton as the Secretary of that organization. In … Continue reading
Congregational Church Picnic?
The image below is an early one from the City of Vancouver Archives (CVA). On the glass positive of the image, there are notes; these are difficult to make out, but I’m pretty sure it reads as follows, starting at the … Continue reading
Jubilee Methodist Men in Drag
This amusing photo may be one of the final images made (and certainly one of the last professional photos made) at Jubilee Methodist Church in Burnaby before it became Jubilee United Church later in 1925. Jubilee Church was located on Kingsway near Imperial … Continue reading
The Grants
This wedding party photo is important, in my opinion, for a couple of reasons. It is one of the first records of an outdoor wedding in the Lower Mainland, to the best of my knowledge. And it is the last photograph … Continue reading
Rectory: Holy Rosary
Posted in churches, street scenes, stuart thomson
Tagged bc, downtown, dunsmuir street, history, holy rosary cathedral, manse, rectory, richards street, vancouver
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Fairview Baptist Church’s Early Years
Fairview Baptist Church, according to First Baptist Church’s first historian W. M. Carmichael, had its beginnings as a regional Sunday School. The school was an extension of First Baptist, launched at a January 1902 prayer meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Peck were … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Sanctuaries
The image above shows the interior of the sanctuary at First Baptist Church (Burrard & Nelson). However, close inspection reveals differences from today’s sanctuary. In fact, this photo shows the sanctuary before the 1931 fire which all but destroyed that part of … Continue reading
Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged 1931 fire, bc, First Baptist Church, history, vancouver
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First Baptist Footie Champs
This photo makes me smile. It was taken in 1925 by one of my favourite early Vancouver photographers, Stuart Thomson, at the present site of First Baptist Church (Burrard and Nelson Streets). The young men in the image were apparently a … Continue reading
Old Kits Presbyterian Church (1911-1925)
A friend noticed this striking older building at 1855 Vine Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), which today consists of private condo units. She asked me if I’d encountered it and if I had any idea what the original purpose … Continue reading
Posted in churches, street scenes
Tagged Kitsilano Presbyterian Church, St Stephen's United Church
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’49 Chevy Fleetside Deluxe Fastback
Once again, I’m indebted to my buddy, Wes, for knowing and sharing the name of this vehicle (it wasn’t specifically identified in the VPL online record). The location was 741 Homer Street, which today is (roughly) the Budget Rent-A-Car lot … Continue reading
Appropriated Orthodoxy
Work on the Fir Street off-ramp for the most recent Granville Bridge (construction 1952-53) has just begun in the image above and was at a more advanced stage in the photo below. The question that was most pressing for me was: Which church was … Continue reading
Early Church Memories
This image reminds me of growing up in church, as I did in an Alberta town in the 1960s-70s. Our church was much smaller than the one pictured above (which was, in turn, probably considered ‘small’ for its time in … Continue reading
Posted in churches, people, Photographers, stuart thomson
Tagged 1920s, bc, church, clothing, history, kids, Stuart Thomson photographer, Sunday best, vancouver
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Burrard Skytrain Station
Posted in advertising, churches, hotels/motels/inns, public transit, street scenes, stuart thomson, war, yesterday & today
Tagged ailsa lodge, ailsa rooms, bc, Belfred Hotel, burrard skytrain station, burrard street, Glencoe Lodge, history, hyatt regency hotel, macMillan bloedel building, melville street, Staples, vancouver, wesley methodist church
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Wesley Methodist from Thurlow
The view above is an atypical one. In the distance, of course, is the (unfinished?) Vancouver Block. The church in the middle distance/right is Wesley Methodist Church which in the 1930s would be demolished to make way for the Burrard Building … Continue reading
Aimee Semple McPherson in Vancouver
The image above shows Aimee Semple McPherson with a welcoming crowd shortly after arriving in 1930 at Vancouver’s Great Northern Railway Depot (demolished in 1965, the GNR Depot was just north of the CN Rail Depot which still stands and today serves as the long-distance bus … Continue reading
Posted in biography, books/reading, churches, people, stuart thomson
Tagged aimee semple mcpherson, anna d. britton, bc, canadian foursquare church, David Raymond Elliot, evangelist, great northern railway, history, L.I.F.E. college, matthew avery sutton, minnie kennedy, pacific life college, pentecostal, vancouver
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A ‘Tent’ for French
The building under construction in the photo above is what would be the setting of evangelistic meetings from May – July, 1917. The structure was known as the Evangelistic Tabernacle and was located on the site where Victory Square is … Continue reading
The Unsung Legacy of Eliza Chalk (1862-1915)
The following article was written for the 125th anniversary of First Baptist Church in 2012. It was one in a series called “Who Was Who in the Pew”. It is reproduced below with a couple of minor edits, but is … Continue reading
What Price Liberty?
These images, of St Francis in the lane adjacent to Holy Rosary Cathedral, were made a couple of years apart: the first, ca 2012; the second, 2014. In 2012, Francis was caged within a wire enclosure. I found him liberated … Continue reading
Posted in art, churches, yesterday & today
Tagged bc, catholic church, history, holy rosary cathedral, homer, richards, st francis, statue, vancouver
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1900 – 2nd of 4: Looking South
This is the second in the series of four Vancouver Bird’s Eye Views made by Albert Langlois in the summer of 1900. In this one, his camera is pointing south (I would say “southeast”), looking towards such interesting sites as … Continue reading
Posted in churches, city views, First Baptist Church, Vancouver
Tagged 1900, bc, history, vancouver, view
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1900: 1st of 4 – Looking East
This is one of four images made by the mysterious but skilled Albert Langlois in July 1900 (Camera Workers claims that Langlois was from Windsor, ON, but it isn’t clear where that information was found; precious little else about him appears to be … Continue reading
Posted in churches, city views
Tagged bc, east vancouver, history, strathcona, vancouver, view
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Tweedsmuirs in Lotusland: A Few Notes
John Buchan (b. 1875) was raised in Scotland. He was a writer of many novels — including, most famously, The 39 Steps — biographies, histories, articles, and poems. He was invited by King George V to become his representative in Canada (on the advice of then Canadian Prime … Continue reading
Pender Street Bowling Alley
There is no photogrpaher’s name attributed to this fine piece of work which I found in the City of Vancouver Archives (Bu N385; annotations mine), taken, probably, in 1911 while the World Tower (later known as the Bekins and, later still, as … Continue reading
Posted in churches, city views, sport
Tagged bc, bowling, dominion trust, history, pender street, sun tower, vancouver, world tower
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Vancouver As It Was: A Photo-Historical Journey 