Tag Archives: history

The Incarcerated Ones

Posted on 01/31/2024 by mdm

This post was inspired by a series of CVA records that share the tag, “Incarcerated Persons”. All of these records are part of the Vancouver Police Department fonds and each consists of a mug shot and the date on which it … Continue reading →

Posted in crime and punishment | Tagged bc, Bert Washington, Charles A. Schroeder, Emil Jensen, George Williams, H. J. Dennis, Henry Carter, history, J. W. Darche, John Lyons, Joseph Flynn aka Liverpool Shorty, Joseph Perry, Judge McInnes, Mitchell Doyle, Mrs. Mckenzie, Richard Fleming, Rita King, Rose Gaylord, Susy Denny, Tessie McDonald, Thomas Morrison, vancouver, Walter Bradley | 5 Comments

Chain Gangs in the City

Posted on 01/05/2024 by mdm

To my surprise, and perhaps to yours, chain gangs were a reality in the City of Vancouver in its early years (roughly from city incorporation in 1886 until 1910). Evidently, in no province except B.C. was prison labour used (World, … Continue reading →

Posted in crime and punishment | Tagged bc, Burr, chain gangs, city jail, Clough, Grady, Haywood, history, J. S. Matthews, Leatherdale, vagrancy (homelessness), vags, vancouver, Vancouver Board of Works | 10 Comments

In A Sentimental Mood

Posted on 09/02/2023 by mdm

Edward Kennedy (“Duke”) Ellington was a ‘jazz’ pianist, although he wasn’t keen on such categories; he preferred ‘the music of today’ rather than ‘jazz’. He wasn’t one of the great jazz pianists — he couldn’t compete with Errol Garner or … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged 8-track tape, bc, Beacon Theatre, Benny Goodman, billy eckstine, C Jam Blues, Cave supper club, Edward Kennedy "duke" ellington, Errol Garner, exhibition forum, garden auditorium, Gordon Hilker, history, In the Round CBC TV variety show, ism's supper club, It Don't mean a thing, Jimmy & Tommy Dorsey, Marion malkin bowl, Mood Indigo, musician's union, orpheum theatre, Oscar Peterson, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Rockin' in Rhythm, Salvation Army, sarah vaughn, Take the A train, Teddy Wilson | 4 Comments

The Tragic Tale of the Toupee King

Posted on 07/18/2023 by mdm

One of the earliest commercial tenants of Hartney Chambers (347 West Pender at Homer) was The B.C. Hair Goods Establishment, with Leo Mueller as proprietor. Mueller was born in 1878 in Braunshweig, Germany. He immigrated to Canada ca1906 and married … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses | Tagged bc, bc hair goods establishment, Carl Wagner, Hartney chambers, history, Johnston & Howe block, Kitchener cemetary, leo mueller, Martha Mueller, Masonic Rooms, Okanagan, Pender at homer, Rossland, the toupee king, vancouver, Vernon Mount Pleasant Cemetary, Victor Mueller | 3 Comments

Fred Tibbott, Local Composer

Posted on 07/13/2023 by mdm

Alfred (Fred) Noel Tibbott was born to David Tibbott (1869-1955) and Kezia Lewis (1868-1936) in 1893. He had two brothers and a sister: A. Victor (1894-?), Leonard (1900-1979) and Thelma (later Hargreaves) (1905-1994). Their parents immigrated to Canada from Wales. … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, music | Tagged A. Paul Michelin, A. Victor Tibbott, Alfred (Fred) Noel Tibbott, bc, Calvin Winterr, composers, David & Kezia.Tibbott, Elwood Ward Co., George Rex, great war, history, Le Roy Publishing, Leonard Tibbott, mental illness, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, musician, Printer, Shaughnessy Military Hospital, shell shock, Thelma Tibbott (nee Hargreaves), vancouver, Wales | 3 Comments

Hastings Park Zoo

Posted on 07/09/2023 by mdm

The Hastings Park Zoo endured at the park for about 30 years, however it is all but ignored in most histories of Vancouver parks and the Exhibition which has called Hastings Park home, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). When the … Continue reading →

Posted in Zoo | Tagged animal fair (petting zoo), aquarium, bc, golden pheasant, H. S. Ralston, Hastings Park zoo, history, Mandarin Duck, P. Burns & Co., Pascoe & Co., stanley park zoo, vancouver | 3 Comments

The True Fable of the “Old Safe Block”

Posted on 07/05/2023 by mdm

I was paging through an early Vancouver directory the other day and stumbled across a building named the “Old Safe block”. (For the uninitiated, “block” is just another word for building). It was common for early Vancouver designers to name … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings | Tagged bank of bc, Bank of Commerce, bank of montreal, bc, birks, cpr, dog in the manger, Edward Lewis, Fable, history, Judge henderson, Old Safe block, se corner of Hastings at seymour, vancouver | Leave a comment

Forgotten Philanthropist

Posted on 06/22/2023 by mdm

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 | 2 Comments

Local ‘royal’ hostelries abound

Posted on 06/10/2023 by mdm

I used to be convinced that there was a Cecil Hotel in virtually every urban centre in North America. And for all I know, that may have been true. But the Cecil had nothing on the Windsor Hotels. These were … Continue reading →

Posted in hotels/motels/inns | Tagged 1279 Nicola, American Cafe, bc, castle hotel, cecil hotel, Delmonico Hotel, Dr. James Westham, God Buddha Sagely Monastery, Hepburn Block, history, Lou Barrack, Manor Rooms, Mason Rooms, New Westminster Penitentiary, Oakalla, Ocean Vista Apartments, Punjab Restaurant, Salvation Army Citadel, Stella's Cafe, Terminmal Rooming House, the Koh-I-Noor, vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health, Victoria Hotel, Woodland Cafe | 1 Comment

Reginald Brock and his Remarkable Funeral Procession

Posted on 05/22/2023 by mdm

Well, his funeral procession is remarkable to me, at any rate. The photo above has been a source of puzzlement to me since I first laid eyes on it some years ago. I knew in a general way who Brock … Continue reading →

Posted in air flights, education | Tagged alta lake, bc, Brock Memorial Hall, Dean of Applied Science, Deeleap, Exclusive ambulance, Frank AB, General Allenby, Girl Guides, great war, history, Horsehoe Bay, Marian Jenkins, Millie Brock, Ocean View Park, Palestine, Pioneer mine, Rev Thomas Brock, RW Brock, St. John's United, vancouver, Vancouver Harbour Commission | 9 Comments

The Padmore

Posted on 05/07/2023 by mdm

The narrow building adjacent to the St. Francis Hotel on the south side of the 600 block of Cordova (between Granville and Seymour) was built in 1912 and was known as the Padmore Block after its initial owner, F. W. … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, hotels/motels/inns | Tagged Almer Hotel, Bachelor’s Club, bc, CPR depot, F.W. Padmore, Grand View Hotel, history, Jolly Bachelor’s Club, Mrs. M. Greer, padmore block, Red Triangle Club, Revere House Hotel, st. francis hotel, vancouver, White Swan Hotel, ymca | 6 Comments

In Celebration of Mezzanines

Posted on 03/10/2023 by mdm

I’m a big fan of mezzanines. I like their architectural function in keeping a space open and “airy”. This post is intended to be a celebration of mezzanine floors in Vancouver by touching on some of my favourite examples, past … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, department stores | Tagged Bank of Commerce, Baron Gallery, bc, bc hydro building, Birk’s, brutalism, Cut Rate Drugs, Devon Cafe, Edward Chapman’s Men’s Wear, Fraser Book Bin, Granville Square, hbc, history, inns of court, Jermaine’s, MacBlo Building, Mezzanine dinette, Moore’s the Suit People, Mr. Big ‘n Tall, Rae Son, Ross Brown’s Restaurant, Spencer’s, Standard Bank Building, Stark’s Glasgow House, The Permanent, Tip Top Tailor, Tracy’s Fashions, vancouver, Victoria’s Secret, Woodsonia, Woodward’s | 8 Comments

The Invisible Cast of Early Vancouver Theatres

Posted on 02/17/2023 by mdm

“Stage hand” is an inclusive term used to refer to people (mostly men) carrying out different tasks backstage in live theatre. The term can include stage mechanics, carpenters, property men (or boys), electricians, scenic artists, and many other jobs. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged A Message from Mars, A.J. Theal, Adoniran Nehemiah Harrington, Albert Henry Harry Robins, Alfred Levi Harmon Harrington, Arthur Elwood, bc, Beacon Theatre, Bernard McGlone, Bob Taylor, Clyde Gilmour, cobra, Columbia Theatre, Della Garland, Edgar McKie, Elizabeth Angel, Ernest Glover, Ernest R. Ricketts, Fats Robinson, Ferry Creon, flyman, Frank Coates, Frank Woodruff, Frank Woodworth, Frankie Killain, Frederick Collins, Frederick William Baker, Gail McCance, George Birrell, George D. Collins, Gordon Charles Mutt Martin, Gordon Martin, Harry Spear, Henry Russell, Highland Park, history, hoofer, IATSE, Ira Parks, Jack Anderson, Jack Andrews, Jack McCance, James B. Norton, James Barr, James Roderick Martin, Janet Davis, John C. Kloos, John Hood, Manilla Woodworth, Mary Cody, original Pantages Theatre, orpheum theatre, People's Theatre, Pittsburgh Kansas, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Reginald Patrick Devine, scene-setting contest, Sherlock Holmes, Sidney A Summers, stage hand, stage manager, Strand Theatre, Susan Lutz, The Speckled Band, Theatre Under the Stars, vancouver, vancouver opera house, W, W. J. Park, Walter Henry Blake, William C. R. Baker, William Henry Buck Taylor, William Wallace Copp | 3 Comments

The Early Vancouver Public Library During the 20-Year Term of Edwin Machin, Librarian

Posted on 02/05/2023 by mdm

James Edwin Machin, the librarian of Vancouver’s Free Library and Reading Room, later known as Vancouver Public Library, from 1890 – 1910, was not a trained librarian. But he was, along with his wife and daughter, a great lover of … Continue reading →

Posted in books/reading, libraries | Tagged 144 Cordova, Alfred J. Morton, bc, borrower's ticket, carnegie library, City Market Hall, cotgreave's indicator, Credit Foncier, Eliza Machin, Elsie Machin, George R Pollay, Hastings at Westminster, history, James Edwin Machin, Original Court House, Pender at Hamilton, Rand Bros, vancouver, wadds bros., YMCA Building | 3 Comments

800 Keefer

Posted on 01/14/2023 by mdm

The home at 800 Keefer has stood for many years. About 125, in fact! During its time, there have been many occupants of the place: residence dwellers, businesses, and artisans. There have been several owners, and even more tenants over … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, homes/apts/condos | Tagged 800 Keefer, A. Cymbiuk, Adam Jack, bc, Black Cat - Fred Herzog, Captain Paul Zellinsky, Edward Constable, George W Maynard, Hawks, history, J. Johnson, John Waite, Lucien Zanon, Montreal Bakery, Paneficio Group, Pong C. Quan, vancouver, Willibald Tafferner, Willy’s bakery, Yuen Gow | 5 Comments

Seattle’s Lotus Skyliners at Pender Auditorium

Posted on 01/10/2023 by mdm

Probably sometime in 1955 or 1956, a group of mostly young men came from Seattle to play at a Vancouver dance at the Pender Auditorium. One of those men would become some 30 years later my favourite undergrad professor of … Continue reading →

Posted in jazz/blues, music | Tagged 300 block West Pender street, Akira Ichikawa, bc, charlie barnett, Don Kinsley, history, Lotus skyliners, Pender Auditorium, piano, Ron Yoshida, Royal Knights, seattle Buddhist temple, Shinya Ichikawa, university of lethbridge, vancouver | 10 Comments

The Shearman Brothers: Weather Prophets

Posted on 12/22/2022 by mdm

Between Thomas and Eustace Shearman, these brothers had the weather biz in Vancouver pretty well tied up for the best part of half a century. These were the days before every media outlet had its own meteorologists on staff (preferably, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 9 O'Clock Gun, Arthur Evans Shearman, astronomer, bc, Eustace b. shearman, H. H. Stevens, history, J. S. Plaskett, Jane Rees Shearman, M. B. A. A., meteorologist, telescope, Thomas h. s. shearman, Thomas Stimson Shearman, vancouver, Vancouver Airport, weather, West Fairview, Woodstock College | 1 Comment

The Elcho

Posted on 12/11/2022 by mdm

The Elcho Apartments (and commercial) building was on the NE corner of Davie and Hornby at 845 Davie Street. The block was built for the Hood Bros. (William B. and Robert A. Hood, real estate brokers) in ca1908. Where does … Continue reading →

Posted in apartments | Tagged 845 Davie street, Alfred O. Swanby (and Dorothy), Archibald Strang (and Bertha), bc, Davie Art Shop, Elcho apartment building, Elcho Castle, Ernest A. Dean (and Winona), Frank A. Patrick (and Catherine), history, Hood Bros., James C. McNaughton (and Mary), James Slight (and Mary), Leopold Zoller (and Elizabeth), Lord Elcho, Louise Tremayne, Mitchell TV, Nora Goodalll Antiques, The Landis Hotel and Suites, vancouver, Violet A. Girard (and Romeo) | 7 Comments

Matric Annual for King Ed High School: 1921

Posted on 11/28/2022 by mdm

In 1921, King Edward High School was just 12 years old. The principal of King Ed, George Fergusson, would live only seven more years, dying suddenly in 1928. And one of the grads would live only to 1925, passing away … Continue reading →

Posted in education, schools/colleges/universities | Tagged 12th Avenue and Laurel, Add Summum, Armstrong, bc, bell, blue and white school colors, Cambie Grocery, Chinese-Canadian, Chris Robson, Clarence Domoney, connor, Dorothy Moe, Elizabeth MacKenzie, Everett Lees, Florence Clarke, Frank Leong, George Fergusson, Gordon H. Rae, Gulf Titanium Ltd., hall, Harbour Ferries Ltd., Hazel Brooks, history, Kathleen Ralph, king edward high school, Labour Temple, Lord Beaconsfield School, Lord Kitchener Schoool, Marjorie Thorburn, matric annual, McGill, mcLeish, mcqueen, normal school, ogilvie, prefect, school teacher, Science, tait, Tranquille Sanitorium, UBC, vancouver, vining, W. Clark, woods, yearbook | 2 Comments

Early Palmists

Posted on 11/18/2022 by mdm

I should begin by commenting briefly on what it is that palmists do. They are palm readers. Meaning that they claim to be able to tell a person’s fortune from lines on palms. I won’t get into the details of … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses | Tagged bc, Egyptian palmistry, history, hospital for the insane new westminster, Lilian Field, Madame Bayla, Madame X, palmistry, palmists, phrenology, scientific palmistry | 2 Comments

Vancouver Reachout

Posted on 08/27/2022 by mdm

The Political Forum (at the Agrodome, appropriately) The program cover shown above came to me last week, courtesy of my old friend, Bill Reimer, bookstore manager at Regent College. Within it was outlined the program for the debate which took … Continue reading →

Posted in churches | Tagged bc, Bernice M. Gerard, Bill Bennett, Bill Reimer, Billy Graham, Calvin N. Netterfield, Carl Amerding, Christian Action Committee, Dave Barrett, David W. VIrtue, Dr. Clark Pinnock, Ellendale Heights Baptist Church, Fraserview Assembly, Gordon Gibson, history, J. I. Packer, Jon L. Jessiman, Just As I Am, Lausanne Switzerland, Leighton Ford, Open Theology, Pacific Colliseum, Political Forum, province, Scott Wallace, Senator Ray Perrault, united church, vancouver, Vancouver Reachout | 6 Comments

The Forgotten Elphinstone

Posted on 07/28/2022 by mdm

The Elphinstone Block was the southernmost of three buildings across Granville Street from the first and second Hotels Vancouver. All three were owned by British peers (members of the House of Lords): at the SE corner of Granville and Georgia … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Grice, Buildings | Tagged 15th Baron Elphinstone, 722 Granville, bc, birks, donald a smith, durham block, Elphinstone MB, Gibson's, history, howe sound, Lord Elphinstone block, Mount Elphinstone Provincial Park, Mount-Stuart Elphinstone, rudyard kipling, scotia tower, scott's Cafe, Starbucks Coffee, Strand Theatre, strathcona block, vancouver, vancouver block, vancouver centre, YMCA Camp Elphinstone | 4 Comments

Radio FBC

Posted on 07/14/2022 by mdm

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 →

Posted in broadcasting, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver | Tagged bc, CJVB 1470, First Presbyterian Church (New Westminster), folk choir, history, Hobbit House, Jan Van Bruchem, Linda Zlotnik, Rev. Dr. Bruce Milne, Rev. Dr. Roy Bell, St-Andrew's-Wesley United Church, vancouver | 4 Comments

Man Plunges From 15th Floor! (And Other Tales – Thrilling and Banal – at the Standard Bank Building)

Posted on 06/28/2022 by mdm

Construction started on the “Weart Building” in Spring 1913; it was finished by August 1914. By the time the building opened, it was referred to as the Standard Bank Building as that was the name of the anchor tenant at … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings | Tagged air raid shelter, bc, BC Aquarium Society, Chinese Consul, history, Japanese consul, Li Chao, National Council for Canadian-Soviet Friendship, Richards & Hastings, Sheridan’s Physiotherapy and Slenderizing Salon, Stuart Thomson, Takeshi Yusakawa, Thomas Farmer, vancouver, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Venetian Hair Co., Weart, Ziegler’s Cafe | 4 Comments

A. W. Sullivan: Black Pioneer and Hall-Builder

Posted on 06/20/2022 by mdm

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 | Leave a comment

The Unusual Life of Ruby Kay, Bookseller

Posted on 06/09/2022 by mdm

Ruby Ellis was born in Bradford, England to Angus Ellis and Charlotte Emily Hudson in November 1905. There is no record of Charlotte having a career (but it’s likely she stayed at home to raise Ruby and her sister, Beatrice … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses | Tagged Angus Ellis, bc, Beatrice Maud Ellis, Charlotte Emily hudson, history, Justice H W McInnes, Kay's Magic Book Store, Kay's Magic Shop, Niagara Falls, NY, Robert Moen, Ruby Ellis Kay, vancouver, Wesley John Kay | 4 Comments

Gone . . . But Not Forgotten: Used/Antiquarian Bookshops (1970-2023)

Posted on 06/07/2022 by mdm

This post pays tribute to used and antiquarian bookshops (and their booksellers) which existed between 1970 and 2023 and are no longer operating in Vancouver. It will not include existing shops such as The Paper Hound, MacLeod’s, People’s Co-op, Lawrence, … Continue reading →

Posted in books/reading, businesses | Tagged aabaca book bin, Aardvark books, ABC Book & Comic Emporium, ABC book emporium, Acorn Books, Ahrens’ Books, Albert Eddy, Alma McIntyre, Andy Stone, Ashley Offill, ashley’s books, Baehr Books, Barbara Draskoy, bc, Belly Button Books and Novel Cafe, Better Buy Books, Bidwell Books, Bill Matthews, Black Sheep Books, Bond’s Bookshop, Bonnie Murray, Book Mantel and Coffee Bar, Brendan M. Moss, Carillon Books, Catriona Strang, Characters Books, Charles Anderson, Chef Bell Cookbooks, Chris Held, Collector’s Books and Records, Colophon Books, Connoisseur Art Books, Criterion Books, Cynthia Brooke, Dalia Sirius (Dargis), David & Joanne Anderson, David Grannis, Don Stewart, Doreen crombie, Ed Bowes, Ed Peasgood, EP Books, Evelyn’s Book Shelf, Falstaff Books, Fraser Book Bin, George Carroll, Gordon McRae, Hermit Books, history, Hummingbird Books, James C. Campbell, James F. McIntosh, Jason Vanderhill, John Ahrens, Joyce Williams Antiqwue Prints and Maps, Judy Fraser, Kim Koch, Kirkwood’s Books, Lance McCaughran, Lionel Bell, Lisa Robertson, MacLeod’s Books, Makara Books, Margaret Gabriel, Murray hughson, Murray’s Books, Narnia Books, Neil Whaley, Octopus Books, P. R. Brown, Peter C. Lawrence, Proprioception Books, R2B2 Books Books, Ralph Maud, Reginald Lissel, Renee Rodin, Richard Pender Books, Rod Clarke, Ron Webber, russ cunningham, Scott Baehr, Secondo Music Store, Sharon & Eileen Hansen, skip mabee, star treader books, Stephen McIntyre, Ted Fraser, Terminal City Books, Terry Rutherford, The Blue Heron, The Book Basket, The Fiction Co., Van Andruss, vancouver, West Coast Books, william Hoffer, William V. Lee | 49 Comments

H. E. Lazarus and the Hotel Vancouver Cigar Stand

Posted on 05/31/2022 by mdm

Hyman Edward Lazarus (1872-1961) came to Canada from London, England when he was about 30, arriving in Vancouver in about 1902. When he got here, he found work with a tobacco vendor named Solomon Blackson at 506 Granville. Lazarus remained … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alexandra Orphanage, Banff Springs Hotel, bc, C. S. Dixon, connaught bridge, Corona Cigar Box, E. H. Lazarus, history, Hospital for Crippled Children, Hotel Vancouver Cigar Stand, Lake Louise Hotel, Lexington, Millar & Coe, Red Cross, Solomon Blackson, The Embassy Hotel, Tom Carter, vancouver | 3 Comments

The Home of Photographer S. J. Thompson (1275 Haro)

Posted on 05/25/2022 by mdm

Stephen Joseph Thompson (1864-1929) was a fine early Vancouver photographer – arguably the best early B.C. landscape photographer. Eve Lazarus has written a piece about Thompson’s life and career here. This post is less about Thompson than it is about … Continue reading →

Posted in homes/apts/condos | Tagged 1275 haro, bc, Ellsworth apartments, Eve Lazarus, Fred Buscombe, history, Jenn Friesen, Logan Villa Apartments, photographer, S.J. Thompson, vancouver | 6 Comments

Vaughn Moore’s Studio of Terpsichorean Art

Posted on 04/17/2022 by mdm

For those of you who (like me) are not well-versed in advanced crossword clues, the term “Terpsichorean” pertains to dancing. Vaughn Drier Moore (1894-1965) made a career out of providing dancing instruction in the Pacific Northwest from about 1919 until … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, stuart thomson | Tagged Arthur G. Lewis, b.c., Colonial Theare, dance studio, history, lacrosse, Lilas May Moore, Lilian Bonython, Suicide, terpsichorean, Valentino Dancing Trophy, vancouver, Vaughn Moore | 3 Comments

Gai Paree Supper Club in South Burnaby

Posted on 03/19/2022 by mdm

The Gai Paree Supper Club was established in 1947 by the Morin family on Kingsway at Sperling. Anne Marie and R. P. (Rene Pierre) Morin were born in France, later moving to the Channel Islands in the U.K. where they … Continue reading →

Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries | Tagged "Pierre", Addison's Disease, Adele, Anne Marie, bc, Bonneville, Diego's, Gai Paree Supper Club, history, Jack Cullen, Maurice Guibord, Morins, Rene, Rene Memorial Playground, Rene Pierre, Rudy, Severin, Severin's, Sperling and Kingsway, vancouver, White Spot | 11 Comments

The Happy Wanderers: Findlater’s Elgar Choir – Updated

Posted on 03/17/2022 by mdm

Charles E. Findlater (1893-1975) founded and led the Elgar Junior Choir from 1924 until shortly before his death.¹ Until Findlater received permission from English composer Sir Edward Elgar’s daughter in 1932 (there is some disagreement as to the year; in some places, … Continue reading →

Posted in music, railways | Tagged Amy Findlater, bc, Charles E. Findlater, Crofton House School, Eldigar Singers, elgar junior choir, Elgar School of Music, Fairfield Building, history, Nancy (Haines) Nelson, Sir Edward Elgar, St. Andrew's-Wesley United, The Happy Wanderer, vancouver, Vancouver College, Wesley Methodist | 8 Comments

Drinking Fountains in the City

Posted on 03/09/2022 by mdm

Early A very early (if not the first) Vancouver water fountain was situated at the corner which, from the 1930s, was known as Pioneer Place but is better known, today, as Pigeon Park. This piece of real estate was useless … Continue reading →

Posted in street scenes, Uncategorized | Tagged bc, bubbler fountain, charles marega, history, James Blomfield, Joe Fortes, King Edward VII Memorial, Kiwassa monument, Maple Tree Monument, memorial fountain, Pauline Johnson, pigeon park, Pioneer Place, public health, Queen Victoria Memorial, Tuberculosis, vancouver | 3 Comments

The Nanaimo Street Foundry

Posted on 03/07/2022 by mdm

The foundry at 4080 Nanaimo Street, shown above, was Vancouver Pipe and Foundry from ca1913-1919, then Anthes-Tait Foundry (1919-1944) and finally Associated Foundry (1944-69). From 1969 until ca1980, the site was City of Vancouver property. I have been unable to … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, public transit | Tagged 4080 Nanaimo Street (and 25th), Anthes-Tait Foundry, Associated Foundry, bc, Cedar Cottage, City Council, Gladstone Secondary School, history, Pollution, Skytrain Station, The Days Before Yesterday, vancouver, Vancouver Pipe and Foundry | 2 Comments

Union Steam Ship Cutch

Posted on 03/05/2022 by mdm

Old Cutch1, as she was affectionately referred to in the press in later years, was built in Hull, England in 1884 as a yacht of the British Raj in India but was sold to Captain Webster, the Manager of Vancouver’s … Continue reading →

Posted in boats/ships | Tagged Alaska, Astoria, bc, Black Diamond City, Bogata, Captain Clintom, Captain Webster, Coquitlam, Douglas, history, Horseshoe reef, Jessie Banning, Juneau, Nanaimo, Newcombe, Portland, S.S. Cutch, Skagway, Union Steamship Co., vancouver | Leave a comment

Kerrisdale Baptist Church

Posted on 02/20/2022 by mdm

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 | 2 Comments

B. T. Rogers Family Silent Film

Posted on 02/12/2022 by mdm

This is an atypical post about an unusual item at the City of Vancouver Archives. The item is a silent film. That in itself is not uncommon among CVA’s holdings – they have several early silent films. But most of … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged 1928, B. T. Rogers family, Bastard Love, bc, Centennial Theatre, Duncan Bell-Irving, Elspeth Cherniavsky, Ernie Rogers, Favershams, history, Irene Rogers, Isobel Tupper, Jan Cherniavsky, Lila Malkin, Reggie Tupper, Shannon Mansion (57th Ave at Granville), silent film, vancouver | Leave a comment

A Lubritorium at Broadway Auto Dealership!

Posted on 02/08/2022 by mdm

Dueck Chevrolet Oldsmobile established a large, multi-service structure at 1305 West Broadway (just a couple of blocks east of Granville at Hemlock) in 1947. In addition to new cars on display in Dueck’s swanky glass-enclosed showroom, there was a used … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1305 West Broadway (Hemlock), bc, Ben, Champion Garage, Decatur Illinois, Dueck Auto Group, Dueck Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Ed Motors, history, Jim Pattison Toyota, Joplin Missouri, Leonard, lube, lubritorium, Mercedes Benz, Millar & Coe, Roman baths, vancouver | 4 Comments

1175 Haro Street

Posted on 01/20/2022 by mdm

Granville School The building shown above at 1175 Haro Street was built in 1898 for Mlle. Marie-Louise Kern (1861-1951), the principal of Granville School. The school was a private boarding and day school for girls. Granville School was established in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1021 Melville, 1175 Haro Street, alscace-lorraine, bc, Bookstore, C. Noel Wilde, Caufeild, France, Granville School, history, J. D. A. Tripp, James Thomson, Lynwood, Marie-Louise Kern, Melville Patrick Thomson, Miss Patterson, Oliver, Physical Culture, salome aimee kern, Stationery, vancouver, Villa Esto Apartments, west end | 5 Comments

Pioneer Hotel and Current Bookstore Share Similar Logo Across 135 Years

Posted on 01/12/2022 by mdm

The Greyhound Hotel (1886-1890) at 232 Water Street and a contemporary bookshop called The Paper Hound at 344 West Pender Street share a strikingly similar logo. I stumbled across the hotel illustration on CVA’s database yesterday. The photo from which … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 232 Water Street, 344 West Pender, bc, Carrie Walker, Great Fire, greyhound hotel, harry t. cole, history, Leland Hotel, Louis Wider, mary j. mavis, The Paper Hound Bookshop, Trooper, vancouver | Leave a comment

Beatrice Shaw, Vancouver Vaudevillian, Dies on New York Stage

Posted on 01/06/2022 by mdm

Beatrice Amelia Shaw (1901-1924), daughter of William Arthur Shaw (1866-1923) and Amanda Nelson (1876-1950) died in 1924 in New York City on stage, apparently due to heart disease. She was performing as one of “the Dale Sisters” in the International … Continue reading →

Posted in music, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged 71st Regiment atmory, bc, beatrice amelia shaw, cumnock hall school of expression, dale sisters, Duker & Shaw, Gregor Cherniavsky, Helen Leopold, history, International Perfume Exhibition, Margaret Ranelle, new york city, orpheum theatre, Sacred Heart Academy, strand hotel, vancouver, W. A. Shaw | 4 Comments

The DeMuths: Canadian Pacific Steamship Artists

Posted on 12/29/2021 by mdm

Flora and Martin DeMuth were partners both in marriage and in art on Canadian Pacific Steamships. The pair made their first round-the-world cruise in 1925-26 aboard CP’s Empress of Scotland, a year after their wedding. Martin was a captain in … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Illustrations | Tagged Art Students' League, bc, Canadian Pacific Steamships, Connecticut, Flora Nash DeMuth, history, Honolulu, Martin DeMuth, Memogram, vancouver | Leave a comment

Romance in Death Notices?

Posted on 12/22/2021 by mdm

One doesn’t often find stories of romance in the obits. But in early September 1922, if one looked in the local newspapers, you would certainly have found one. It was the love story told of Captain Murdock & Jessie McLennan, … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, boats/ships, stuart thomson | Tagged 1922, Armstrong & Hotson Funeral Home, bc, Captain Murdoch McLennan, Chapel Arts, history, Mrs. Jessie McLennan, New Westminster Cemetery, Nova Scotia, Pacific Coast, shipmaster, vancouver | Leave a comment

Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, Batman, this is NUTS!

Posted on 12/04/2021 by mdm

The life net (or the Browder Life Safety Net) was invented by Thomas Browder in 1847 to assist people who are stuck on the upper story of a building that is on fire. The photo above, notwithstanding, I doubt that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, Browder Life Safety Net, history, life net, Thomas Browder, vancouver, Vancouver Fire Department, VFD District Chief Loftus | 4 Comments

Carter’s Vintage Vancouver Christmas!

Posted on 11/27/2021 by mdm

I think the Christmas season is now near enough that I can safely notify you of an opportunity for you and/or yours (and, at the same time, to ‘toot the horn’ on behalf of a gifted friend)! Tom Carter is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, bc, history, painting, Tom Carter, vancouver, Vancouver vintage city scnes | Leave a comment

Cora McFarland, Public School Teacher

Posted on 11/25/2021 by mdm

Very little is known today about Cora Helen McFarland (1878-1966). She was born and raised in New Brunswick by John and Isabella McFarland and attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB). She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the UNB with … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, schools/colleges/universities | Tagged baptist, bc, Brydone Jack Scholarship in mathematics, Cora Helen McFarland, history, John & Isabella McFarland, public school teacher, Queen Alexandra School, Stanley Park Manor, University of New Brunswick (UNB), vancouver | 5 Comments

‘Oops’ – 501 W. Pender Street

Posted on 11/16/2021 by mdm

The image above has been on my radar for quite some time. Ever since I first saw it in the City of Vancouver Archives online a few years ago, I have assumed that the address shown for it – 501 … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses | Tagged 455 W. Pender, 501 W. Pender, bc, Conference Plaza, Cristall’s appliances, Harvey & Gorrie’s, history, MacLeod’s Books, vancouver | Leave a comment

Vancouver’s Zeller’s Ltd.

Posted on 11/10/2021 by mdm

Walter P. Zeller, the founder of Zeller’s Ltd., was born in Ontario to Swiss parents (Province 13 May 1949). He got his start in business working at Woolworth’s, but by 1931 he had started his own retail shop in Montreal … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, department stores | Tagged "Retailers to thrifty Canadians", bc, BC Electric Showroom, Federal Government, Fields, Granville and Dunsmuir, history, MacMillan Building, Skillet Restaurant, Target, The Bay, vancouver, W. T. Grant, Walmart, Walter P. Zeller, Wartime Prices Board, Woolworth's, Zeller's Ltd. | 2 Comments

Department Store Food Floors

Posted on 11/01/2021 by mdm

David Spencer Ltd. The food floor at Vancouver’s David Spencer Ltd. was fundamentally different from the other local department stores mentioned in this post. Its name was original: “David Spencer’s Model Food Market”. And it wasn’t located with the other … Continue reading →

Posted in food | Tagged $1.49 Day Woodward's, bc, Eaton's Foodateria, Fin Anthony, food floors, Hastings and Abbott, history, pacific centre mall, Tony Antonias, vancouver, Woodward's jingle and whistle, woodward's | 4 Comments

An Early, Forgotten Hotel: The Cosmo

Posted on 10/21/2021 by mdm

The Cosmopolitan Hotel [1], or ‘the Cosmo’ as it came to be known, was reputedly one of the first hotels to be opened after the 1886 Great Fire (World 11 Aug 1889). It was, presumably, open for business in 1887. … Continue reading →

Posted in hotels/motels/inns | Tagged bc, Burrard Hotel, Cosmopolitan Hotel, first police constable, H. H. Stevens, history, Jackson T. Abray, Jacob Cohen, La Casita restaurant, Moral Reform Association, N. S. Hoffar, San Francisco, vancouver | Leave a comment

Space Towers

Posted on 10/10/2021 by mdm

The Spiro Tower, more commonly known as the Space Tower, on the Playland grounds at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) was Vancouver’s response to Seattle’s Space Needle. [1] The Seattle structure, built for Expo 1962, dwarfed Vancouver’s tower, however (Needle: … Continue reading →

Posted in Ernie Reksten | Tagged bc, expo space tower, history, Mercedes-Benz, Minolta, Pacfic. National Exhibition, Richard Nixon, Seattle Space Needle, space tower, Spiro Agnew, spiro tower, vancouver, Watergate | 2 Comments

The Dramatic Life of Carl Berch

Posted on 09/16/2021 by mdm

Early Years Carl E. Berch was born ca1866 in Wisconsin. But he wasn’t made for mid-western life. He was made for the stage. Indeed, he seems to have made dramatic gestures throughout his life. Berch first came to the attention … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged Actor, Alhambra Theatre, bc, Berch School of Dramatic Art, Carl E. Brerch, Carrie Clarke Ward, Edmonton, Fred Dyke, history, Kate Dalton, Katherine Brennan, Mr. Dorr, Mrs. Edna Berch Corbeau, Pantages Theatre, San Francisco eathquake 1906, San Jose, Sullivan & Considine, The Country Girl, The People's Theatre, Theatre Manager, Theatre Royal, vancouver, Vancouver's first Orpheum Theatre, W. H. Lucas, wreck of the Alaska | Leave a comment

Vancouver Bible School

Posted on 09/07/2021 by mdm

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 →

Posted in churches, schools/colleges/universities, Uncategorized | Tagged Baptist General Conference (Swedish), bc, Columbia College, history, Rev. J. E. Harris, Rev. Walter Ellis, Robert K. Burkinshaw, vancouver, Vancouver Bible Training School, Vancouver Evangelistic Movement (VEM) | Leave a comment

Vancouver Street Fair/Carnival, 1901

Posted on 08/07/2021 by mdm

A street fair was held in Vancouver August 5-10, 1901 on West Hastings Street between Granville and Burrard (it also included Howe and Hornby between Pender and Hastings). Along much of this stretch, there were booths set up where the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nakazo Hamamura, photographer | Tagged 1901, Austin sisters trapeze act, bc, Belle MacKinnon, Charles A. Ross, history, MacKinnon Building, Mr. Jabour, Seattle, Tacoma, Theatre Royal, vancouver, Vancouver street fair/carnival, west hastings | 1 Comment

Derril Warren BC Tory Ads from 1972

Posted on 08/02/2021 by mdm

Encore Post There are a series of television ads on CVA located here¹ (to find the first of the PC ads, go to the 7.08 minute mark in the clip) that represented another in a long series of attempts by BC … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, politics, Uncategorized | Tagged bc, Deane Finlayson, Derril Warren, George Scott Wallace, history, John DeWolf, Progressive Conservative Party of BC, vancouver | Leave a comment

BCER Motorman Prevents Grim Scene Becoming Grimmer

Posted on 07/31/2021 by mdm

The wreckage shown in the photo above shows part of the outcome of school boys playing around with the brakes on a Dominion Creosote boxcar that was parked on Main Street (as part of a reconstruction job going on at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, BCER, Charles J. Gaell, dominion creosote, history, main street, vancouver, waterworks gang | 3 Comments

“Senator Grill” to White Spot’s “Garden Spot”

Posted on 07/28/2021 by mdm

The Senator Grill was built in 1947 and opened in the summer of that year. The owners were Joseph W. Brault and John L. Cameron. Brault, a veteran restaurateur, had run an establishment just a few blocks away from where … Continue reading →

Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries | Tagged bc, Brault, Cameron, history, Nat Bailey, Peter Toigo, Senator Grill, vancouver, White Spot Garden Spot, White Spot Senator | 2 Comments

Dining Out – 50 Years Ago

Posted on 07/25/2021 by mdm

I’m indebted to my friend, Rod Clarke, one of the proprietors of The Paper Hound Bookshop, for pointing out the book on which this post is based. It is called Where to Eat in Canada: 1971 and is a guide … Continue reading →

Posted in books/reading, cafes/restaurants/eateries, food | Tagged Alex Katz, Anne Hardy, bc, C. C. Sun, history, Hy’s Encore, Hy’s Steakhouse, Iaci’s Casa Capri, Jade. Palace, La Cote d’Azur, Maurice Richez, robson street, robsonstrasse, Rod Clarke, schnitzel house, Sondra Gotlieb, sugar daddy’s discotheque, The Cave nightclub, The Paper Hound Bookwhop, vancouver, Where to Eat in Canada: 1971 | 12 Comments

“On With the Show, This is It!” – The McCance Theatre Men

Posted on 07/13/2021 by mdm

When I began researching this post, I intended to focus exclusively on Gail McCance, set designer for Theatre Under the Stars, the Vancouver Opera Association and other organizations. However, one of the first sources I encountered was a 1919 newspaper … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged Actor's Equity Association, Adrian Awan, avenue theatre, B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame, bc, British Columbia Institute of Music and Drama (BCIMD), Brockton Poiunt, capitol theatre, CJOR, Deadman's Island, empress theatre, Frank Vyvyan, Gail McCance, Gordon Hilker, history, Island Theatre Summer Stock Company, Larry H. McCance, lyric theatre, Malkin Memorial Bowl, Mary Teresa McHugh, Masquers Guild, Metro Theatre, Old HMCS DIscovery, The Geisha, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), Thersa S. Maclagan, vancouver, VAncouver Ballet, Vancouver Little Theatre, vancouver opera house, William Buckingham | 1 Comment

Happy Dominion (er. . . Canada) Day!

Posted on 07/01/2021 by mdm

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 | 2 Comments

The Stock Theatre Companies of George B. Howard

Posted on 06/24/2021 by mdm

George B. Howard (1868-1921) was a well-known figure in Vancouver in the 19-teens and twenties. He got his start in Vancouver at the Lyric Theatre (Pender at Hamilton), moved on to the Avenue Theatre (Main at Georgia) and finished at … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged avenue theatre, bc, Charles Royal, Charley's Aunt, empress theatre, George B. Howard, George Howard Backus, history, lyric theatre, Norfolk Virginia, Ray Collins, stock theatre companies, vancouver | 1 Comment

Christian Church (Disciples): 30 Years at Cambie and 13th

Posted on 06/13/2021 by mdm

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 | 2 Comments

1927 Beauty Contest a Schmozzle

Posted on 06/06/2021 by mdm

Popularity Contest? Beauty Contest? Shown in the photo above are some of the contestants in the Canadian Legion Celebration Popularity Contest, gathered around the Auburn vehicle that was promised to the winner of the competition. Although the Legion referred to … Continue reading →

Posted in Beauty. Contest | Tagged Atlantic City, bc, Canadian Legion celebration popularity contest, Gertie Preston, history, Joseph J. Diamond, Kitty Salmon, L. D. Taylor, Mrs. Letitia Salmon, vancouver, Velma Rogers, Velma Rogers Beute, Velma Rogers Dalgleish | Leave a comment

Frank Stuart-Whyte: Impressario Extraordinaire

Posted on 05/29/2021 by mdm

When Frank Stuart-Whyte wrote to the Vancouver Parks Board in 1911 asking for a meeting to discuss whether his “Versatile” players from England could have a license to perform at English Bay in the summer, he almost certainly had no … Continue reading →

Posted in beach, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged 1643, Alladin and his wonderful lamp, Babes in the Wood, bc, Cinderella, Dennis William White, Dick Whittington and His Cat, Floradora, Frank Hardwick White, Frank Stuart-Whyte, Geoffrey Hoyland White, Harry Hoyland Young, history, In the Camp-Fire's Glow, Painted Daughters, pierrot, Prince Charming Jr, Red Riding Hood, Robinson Crusoe, San Toy: The Chinese Musical, Sarah Nellie White (Young), Scottie in Japan, Stadacona Park, Sunrise, The Canadian Express, The Geisha, The girl from nowhere, vancouver, vaudeville, Zara Clinton | 4 Comments

A Brief Revealing Tale

Posted on 05/17/2021 by mdm

I’m reliably informed that this story has been told before, more than once. But it was new to me, and so, working on the assumption that others likewise may be unaware of the tale, I’m sharing it below. The story … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bathhouse, bc, english bay, history, Joe Fortes, Parks Board, Special Constable, vancouver | 1 Comment

A (Forgotten) Dragon Named Sue

Posted on 05/12/2021 by mdm

Monster Mash The 150-foot dragon (“painted in an Indian motif and floating on oil drums”) was installed in Lost Lagoon by the B.C. Centennial (1858-1958) Committee in June 1958 (Sun 19 June 1958). The Chinese junk, which was to be … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, art, Illustrations | Tagged bc, Bob Banks, Centennial Sue, Centennial Sue the Dragon, Century Sam, Chinese Junk, history, lost lagoon, MOV, Philip B. Stroyan, stanley park, vancouver | Leave a comment

Misspellings of My Surname . . . Let Me Count the Ways!

Posted on 05/11/2021 by mdm

Aurey, Aury, Owrey, and Awray. I have found all of these mis-spellings of the surname of Peter Alpaugh Awrey (1824-1906). (Oddly, his middle name — which seems to me more challenging — was never misspelled in official documents!) The good … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, First Baptist Church, Vancouver | Tagged 522 Homer, Alexandra Orphanage, bc, Caradoc Evans - first person buried in Mountain View Cemetery, David & Martha Evans, Emerson Manitoba, Farmer, history, Joy Evans, Life Deacon, Ontario, Peter Alpaugh Awrey, Rachel Awrey, vancouver, wooden sidewalks | 4 Comments

The Steno Sisters

Posted on 05/07/2021 by mdm

In the early years of the twentieth century, it wasn’t often that a young woman started her own small business, much less made a ‘go’ of it for nearly 30 years! But that’s exactly what Catherine Pedden did. With help … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses | Tagged bc, Birk's Building, Canadian Credit Men's Trust Association, Catherine Pedden, court stenographer, Crescent Rebekah Lodge, dictaphone, Ellen Pedden, history, Joseph Pedden, Margaret Pedden, Mary Pedden, Middlesex County, Northwest Securities Corp. Building, Ontario, public stenographer, steno pad, Stock Exchange Buildng, vancouver, Vancouver Steno-Typists, Vancouver Stenographers | 1 Comment

Art Glass at First Baptist Church

Posted on 05/01/2021 by mdm

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) | 6 Comments

Sir John and Prince Volkonsky

Posted on 04/26/2021 by mdm

Sir John Martin Harvey had a reputation as a Shakespearean actor on the stage and (later) as a silent film star in the U.K. and in the wider world, not least in Canada (when he was in Vancouver in 1921, … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, sport, stuart thomson | Tagged bc, Dominic Lieven, fencing, history, M. Lester Dancing Academy, Prince Sergei Alexandrovish Volkonsky, Sir John Martin-Harvey, vancouver | Leave a comment

Hornett vs. Solomon

Posted on 04/19/2021 by mdm

The Process (and Some Findings) A number of VAIW readers have asked me how I get and develop ideas for my posts. This post presents a pretty typical example, so indulge me as I trace the process: I began with … Continue reading →

Posted in second hand stores | Tagged 221 Abbott, alberta, bc, Harry Solomon, Hill End, history, Leonard Hornett, Red Deer, vancouver | Leave a comment

Some 19th-Century Lingo Related to Marriage and Singleness

Posted on 04/15/2021 by mdm

This brief post is a tour of three odd Victorian words and phrases that pertain to marriage and singleness and that were employed in early Vancouver newspapers. Bachelor’s Hall The photo above shows a bachelor’s hall in Vancouver in 1890. … Continue reading →

Posted in language | Tagged bachelor's hall, bc, history, Hymeneal altar, Keeping bachelor's hall, vancouver | Leave a comment

Those Musical (and Tragic) Clays

Posted on 04/10/2021 by mdm

Prof. Milton Clay his wife, Amy and their boys, Percy, Harold, and Reginald made quite a splash during their time in Vancouver. Milton, who was an unabashed promoter of himself and his family, made sure that from their arrival in … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged 850 Helmcken, Amy Clay, bc, English Academy of Music, Gwendoline Clay, Harold Clay, Helen Nelson, history, Horseshoe Bay, Milton Clay, Muriel Epps, Neil Whaley, Percy Clay, Reginald Clay, vancouver, Wallace Parker | Leave a comment

Vancouver’s Junkmen of the Thirties

Posted on 04/04/2021 by mdm

This is an atypical VAIW post. It consists largely of an extended verbatim quotation from a long-forgotten West End Vancouver newspaper, called the West End Breeze. The subject of the quote is the junkmen of the 1930s who, with horse … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism | Tagged A. Fagan, bc, Ben Gold, Benny Baltman, E. Schwartz, F. Kurtz, Harry Halpern, history, Joe Sapoznick, Marjorie Lang, Max Hammer, Myrtle Patterson Gregory, Neil Whaley, S. Kurtz, T. Jacobson, vancouver, West End Breeze | 3 Comments

‘Knight of the Brush and Broom’ and Curator of What Would Become MOA

Posted on 03/29/2021 by mdm

William Tansley (1859-1951) was a UBC janitor starting in September 1916, in the period when the school was located in the Fairview district (at what is today Vancouver General Hospital). When Tansley accepted his position at UBC, it was another … Continue reading →

Posted in museum, UBC | Tagged A.M Ross Real Estate, Annie Elizabeth, bc, Bessie C. Tansley, Burnett, Dr. Frank Burnett, fairview, Hanely, history, janitor, Lobb & Muir Blacksmiths, Museum of anthropology (MOA), Stoke-on-Trent, Tupper & Son Insurance Brokers, UBC, vancouver, William Tansley | Leave a comment

Playograph Adds Zing to World Series

Posted on 03/19/2021 by mdm

The image shown above was encountered by me yesterday when I was researching a forthcoming post. When I saw the photo, I noticed that CVA’s description of the photo’s locale was wrong. It wasn’t “Hastings Street and Beatty Street” as … Continue reading →

Posted in sports | Tagged b.c., City Hospital, edgett wing, history, Paul Harvey, playograph, scoreboard, Sun, Tom Carter, vancouver | 7 Comments

‘Brood’ of Seven Baptist Churches

Posted on 03/15/2021 by mdm

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 | 4 Comments

Lending Libraries: Private Sector Fills Public Gap

Posted on 03/02/2021 by mdm

Before there was a network of branch public libraries in Vancouver, the demand for inexpensive reading material was met in large part by the private sector. Not principally by new or used booksellers, but by an entirely different category of … Continue reading →

Posted in books/reading, businesses | Tagged Abbott Library, bc, Blenheim Lending Library, Cosy Corner Library, Dunbar Heights Libraryy, E. D. Macfarlane's Circulating Library, Good Companion Library, Great Depression, Harlequin Lending Library, history, Hudson's Bay Company Books and Lending Library, Kerrisdale Book Nook, kitsilano public library, Mayfair Lending Library, Oak Street Lending Library, Oxford Book Shop and Lending Library, Point Grey Lending Library, Popular Lending Library, private libraries, public libraries, Ridgewell Lending Library, Spencer's Lending Library, stanley library, The Lending Library, the library, vancouver, Western House Library, Ye Booke Noke, Yew Lending Library | Leave a comment

John Jenkinson: Photographer

Posted on 02/23/2021 by mdm

John Jenkinson (1871-1936) described himself on his marriage certificate as an electrician. His occupation in the early years of the 20th century was as a lineman for the CPR and later for the BCER (BC Electric Railway). He worked his … Continue reading →

Posted in Photographers | Tagged Adolphus Williams, bc, BCER, Christ Church, Copenhagen, Elders, electrician, Ellen Jenkinson, english bay, F. F. Burns, history, John Burns, John Jenkinson, Lancashire, lineman, meter reader, stanley park, vancouver | Leave a comment

Lest We Impress: Georgia Medical-Dental Building

Posted on 02/20/2021 by mdm

Update It is all too easy to impress the present onto the past. Especially in cases where there has been an attempt made by contemporary architects to ‘nod’ to a prior building that once occupied a lot (which I consider praise-worthy). … Continue reading →

Posted in Frank J. Leonard, street scenes, stuart thomson, yesterday & today | Tagged bc, georgia medical-dental building, georgia street, history, hornby street, Shaw Tower at Cathedral Place, vancouver | 6 Comments

Dominic Charlie

Posted on 02/01/2021 by mdm

I didn’t know who Dominic Charlie was when I came across these photos of him in the “incarcerated persons” section of CVA’s files. Here, he was a man in his mid-20s who had been nabbed by the local constabulary. He … Continue reading →

Posted in law and legal challenges | Tagged 7-foot serpent sculpture, bc, Capilano River, dominic charlie, history, Indian Act, Indian list, Legend of the Sea Serpent of Burrard Inlet, spearing salmon, test case, vancouver | Leave a comment

Jean Campbell Haynes (nee Archibald)

Posted on 01/21/2021 by mdm

I came across Jean Archibald yesterday when I was at The Paper Hound Bookshop. Not in person, mind you. She died in 1974. But I encountered her through her bookplate on a book that I purchased. Kim Koch, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, books/reading | Tagged Arthur George Archibald, Baker Street Irregulars, bc, Blaine, bookplate, Bowman Storage, calgary, Co-operative Society for the Visually Handicapped, Colin Haynes, detection, Ex Libris, gold medal, history, Jean Campbell Haynes (nee Archibald), Kim Koch, Muriel Mae Archibald, Parkinson & Archibald, The Paper Hound Bookshop, True crime, vancouver | 6 Comments

A Few Photos Showing Changes to Our Urban Landscape Over the Past Decade

Posted on 01/01/2021 by mdm

Happy New Year! I’m not going to devote much text to this post; it is a slideshow, for the most part. The photos are my own made in Greater Vancouver over the past ten years. The photos have a story … Continue reading →

Posted in street scenes | Tagged bc, changes, history, re-development, urban landscape, vancouver | 2 Comments

The Shack

Posted on 12/29/2020 by mdm

There was a time, evidently, in Vancouver’s distant past, when office space wasn’t at a premium in the downtown core. The building shown above was developed by and named in honour of A. G. Ferguson in late 1888. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles S. Bailey, homes/apts/condos | Tagged 1889, 419 Richards, A. G. Ferguson buiding, bc, history, The Shack, vancouver | 1 Comment

Vancouver’s David Spencer Department Store

Posted on 12/25/2020 by mdm

This post is about David Spencer, Ltd. This was a now-long-gone but once much-loved B.C. department store chain with a store located in downtown Vancouver, which most residents of the city today know as the locations of Harbour Centre tower and … Continue reading →

Posted in department stores, Dominion Photo, Don Coltman, Harry Bullen, street scenes, stuart thomson, Uncategorized | Tagged "Diamond S", bc, David Spencer Ltd., department store, Gordon Poppy, history, native indian exhibit, re-development, Spencer's, vancouver, window displays | 17 Comments

Yaletown’s Grocery Hall of Fame

Posted on 12/13/2020 by mdm

In 1979, a Grocery Hall of Fame was established in Yaletown at 1241 Homer Street. The founder was Bill Spaner. He was then (and, evidently, still is) a food broker with a business called Tempo Sales. The Curator of the … Continue reading →

Posted in museum | Tagged 1241 Homer Street, 6620 No. 6 Road Richmond, bc, Bill Spaner, Cal McLeod, Elek Imready, Elizabeth Walker, Glenholme, Grocery Hall of Fame, history, Street Names of Vancouver, Tempo Sales, vancouver, Vancouver Historical Society, yaletown | 2 Comments

The First VAIW Post (February 2014): 1885 Brockton View

Posted on 12/11/2020 by mdm

This photograph (CVA Wat P38) was the work of Lauchlan A. Hamilton. In my judgement, it is one of the most attractive early images available from the digital collection of the City of Vancouver Archives (CVA). Mr Hamilton lived in … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, boats/ships | Tagged bc, Burrard inlet, Deadman's Island, history, Lauchlan Hamilton, stanley park, vancouver | 2 Comments

What Do CNR Depot and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden Have in Common?

Posted on 12/09/2020 by mdm

The Chinese Tennis Club was at both locations! A brief chronology of the Chinese Tennis Club: 1936: Chinese Tennis Club was established. The Club was affiliated with the B.C. Lawn and Tennis Association. The Club played other clubs in that … Continue reading →

Posted in chinatown | Tagged 550 Carrall, B.C. Lawn and Tennis Association, bc, Charles E. Louie, Chinese Tennis Club, CNR Depot, Diamond Jubilee, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden, history, Hon. Li Chao, Mayor Jack Cornett, Pacific Central Depot, Pacific Coast Chinese Tennis Championships, Peter Pan Ballroom, vancouver, White Rose Ballroom | 4 Comments

Ernest Augustus Muling, French Chef

Posted on 12/07/2020 by mdm

Update November 2, 2022 Ernest Augustus Muling (1861-1949) was a Frenchman by birth (in Blumenau), an Englishman by nationality, and a chef by profession. He came to Vancouver from Brisbane, Australia where he seems to have spent his twenties and … Continue reading →

Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, hotels/motels/inns, stuart thomson, timms, yesterday & today | Tagged australia, bc, brisbane, camberwell, grosvenor hotel, history, king edward grill, langham hotel, strand hotel, trocadero grill, vancouver | 2 Comments

Kolster’s Radio Musicians

Posted on 12/04/2020 by mdm

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 →

Posted in churches, music, stuart thomson | Tagged bc, Canadian Fairbanks-More Co., CKWX Radio, Harold A. Copley, Harold W. Paulson, history, K. G. McKenzie photogrpher, Kolster Radio, Musicians, vancouver | Leave a comment

Ancient Mariners of Carrall Street

Posted on 11/27/2020 by mdm

It is an ancient Mariner,And he stoppeth one of three‘By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,Now wherefore stopp’st thou me? The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. First stanza. Text of 1834. As far as I know, … Continue reading →

Posted in boats/ships | Tagged 225 Carrall Street, Ancient Mariner Rope and Canvas, bc, Captain Dan J. McDonald, Captain R. G. Lawson, gastown, history, James Harvey Palmer, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Steve Roper, The Rim of the Ancient Mariner, vancouver, William H. S. Wilson, William M. Seivewright | Leave a comment

Flying Saucer Clubs

Posted on 11/21/2020 by mdm

The 1950s and ’60s were prime time for flying saucer enthusiasts. There were at least two UFO-related Vancouver clubs at that time — one called the Vancouver Area Flying Saucer Club (1956-ca1979) and another at UBC known as the Varsity … Continue reading →

Posted in Odd Stuff | Tagged A. T. Babcock, bc, Daniel W Fry, Gareth Shearman, George Hunt Williamson, Herbert D. Clark, history, Margaret Fewster, Stuart Piddocke, UBC Varsity Flying Saucer Club, vancouver, Vancouver Area Flying Saucer Club | 9 Comments

Civil Defence Training HQ on Granville Street

Posted on 11/08/2020 by mdm

The property identified in the image above as Vancouver’s Civil Defence Training HQ was originally occupied by NeoLite — a neon sign company. [1] The space was only a temporary site for the civil defence HQ from 1951-1953 mainly because … Continue reading →

Posted in war | Tagged 1363 Howe, 1396 Granville, auxiliary police, bc, Civil Defence Board, Civil Defence Training HQ, continental hotel, Emergency Measures Organization (EMO), Ground Observer Corps, history, Neolite, North Vancouver Search & Rescue, Police Academy, RCAF, vancouver | 4 Comments

Rev. Arthur J. Hadley: “Let’s Go!”

Posted on 11/05/2020 by mdm

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 →

Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver | Tagged bc, Charlottetown, Edna Hadley, history, Interim Director of Ministries, Olivet Baptist Church, Rev. Arthur J. Hadley, vancouver, West Point Grey Baptist Church | 5 Comments

Change and the UBC War Memorial Gym

Posted on 11/02/2020 by mdm

The War Memorial Gym is one of the few buildings on UBC’s campus that has withstood the plans of developers and administrators to demolish and replace structures that show the least age. As you will see in the photos below, … Continue reading →

Posted in remembrance day, UBC | Tagged bc, General Services Administration building, history, UBC Visitors' Day, vancouver, War Memorial Gym | Leave a comment

Barron/Belmont Hotel

Posted on 10/29/2020 by mdm

There is a hotel on the SE corner of Granville and Nelson that has stood there for nearly 110 years. It has been known for most of that time as the Hotel Belmont. During its early years, however, it was … Continue reading →

Posted in hotels/motels/inns | Tagged Barron Annex, Barron Hotel, bc, Belmont Hotel, Chilliwack, CJOR, Clarence Peppard, CNRV, Col. Oscar G. Barron, Col. T. S. Brophy, Comfort Inn, Dakota Hotel, Harry Pryce, history, Hotel Fairfield (Seattle), Jennie Barron (nee Lane), Kirkland Island, Neil Whaley, Nelson Place Hotel, St. Helen's Hotel, vancouver, W. D. Wood, William Downie Wood | 3 Comments

70 Years of FBC Organists

Posted on 10/20/2020 by mdm

Update The early organists at First Baptist Church (1905-1975) are an intriguing collection. One was willful and arguably bad-tempered; another had an unusual name which the press messed up; one was on staff when the Sanctuary and organ burned to … Continue reading →

Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, music, Organs | Tagged Ay-Laung Wang, bc, Carol Barker, Carol Williams, Curtis Williams, Darryl Downton, Edna Grenz, Erika Voth, Evan Walters, history, Jesse Williams, John Alexander, Linda Zlotnik, Mary Cramond, Sherwood Robson, Sunday Singers, Thomas Bonne Millar, vancouver, Wilbur G. Grant, William Bateman | 8 Comments

CONSECRATION Day?!

Posted on 10/05/2020 by mdm

August 4, 1915 was declared by Vancouver’s civic authorities to be Consecration Day. It would commemorate the one-year anniversary of Canada declaring war against Germany and thereby entering the Great War. In the words of those who were contemporary to … Continue reading →

Posted in parades | Tagged August 4 1915, bc, blessing, cambie street grounds, Charles Hibbert Tupper, Consecration day, history, Japanese Consul Abe, vancouver | Leave a comment

Murray and His Book Store

Posted on 09/29/2020 by mdm

I was delighted when my friend, Jason, presented me with the bag shown above, a year or two ago. Murray’s Book Store wasn’t then known to me. It had gone out of business a few years before I’d started to … Continue reading →

Posted in books/reading | Tagged 856 Granville, bc, Bill Duthie, commodore cabaret, Edith Annie Hughson, history, Mary Letitia Isabel Bradish, Murray Gordon Hughson, Murray’s Book Store, Pender Stationery and Bookstore, The Scenery Shop, vancouver | 4 Comments

Vancouver’s Hippodrome Pipe Dream

Posted on 09/22/2020 by mdm

The drawing above is of the planned Vancouver Hippodrome. [1] It was to have been located on the SE corner of Granville and Pacific at the north end of the Granville Bridge #2 (see image near the end of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, British-Canadian Amusement Co., Canadian Hippodromes Ltd., Captain Montague Yates, Cyril Maude, De H. Duval, Fred Terry, granville and pacific, Granville Bridge, hippodrome, history, Laurence Irving, Martin Harvey, Mary Forbes, Sir George Alexander, Sir Herbert Tree, vancouver, William Holles | 2 Comments

Professor Garnett Sedgewick: To the Fourth Power

Posted on 09/13/2020 by mdm

Update In these times when the dollar is king, the norm in development circles is that he/she/they who donates the largest wad of cash to the construction of a building gets it named after him/her/them. This appears not to have … Continue reading →

Posted in education, libraries, yesterday & today | Tagged bc, college library, Garnett Sedgewick, history, Koerner library, lecture series, memorial reading room, UBC, UBC libraries, undergraduate library, vancouver | 4 Comments

J. W. Freeston, Photographer

Posted on 09/13/2020 by mdm

Update The panorama image shown above was made by B.C. professional photographer, John W. Freeston (1887-1923) in 1919. He married Florence Mary Hall (ca1874-1944) ca1904 in England. He and Florence had two daughters (Elsie May and Kathleen Mary) and one … Continue reading →

Posted in J. W. Freeston, USA | Tagged annual outing, bc, California, history, New Westminster Hospital for the Insane, shoe company, Southwest U.S., vancouver, Woodlands | 5 Comments

Crèches (1912-1932)

Posted on 09/11/2020 by mdm

Crèche is an old-fashioned term that referred — in the early years of the 20th century — to a day nursery for the kids of working moms. [1] Typical husbands were assumed to be in the workforce and women to … Continue reading →

Posted in education | Tagged 1154 Haro, 530 Cambie, 752 Thurlow, Associated Charities, bc, city relief, creche, former city hospital, Foundling's hospital, francis bursill, history, nativity, vancouver, Vancouver foster day care association, vancouver women's building | 4 Comments

The Beers

Posted on 09/06/2020 by mdm

William James Beer and Fannie Philips lived at 623 Richards Street — across Richards from the Holy Rosary (Roman Catholic) Church (as it then was), roughly on the land occupied later by the Dunsmuir Hotel. The neighbourhood was a ‘churchy’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1560 Comox Street, 623 Richards St, A. H. Thatcher, bc, fannie beer, history, Ian Jones, jitney, Leland Harold Beer, Louise Elizabeth Beers, Lyle Beer, Neville Clegg Jones, Owen Jones, Pacific Ave., R. W. McClellan, University of Oregon, vancouver, Western Machine Works, William James Beer | Leave a comment

The Wild West: Early Shooting Galleries

Posted on 08/27/2020 by mdm

A shooting gallery in late 19th and early 20th century Vancouver was a quite different place than is conjured by that term 100 years later. A shooting gallery in early Vancouver had nothing to do with illicit drugs. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Andrew Karpensko, automatic banjo, bc, beatty street drill hall, history, lee Sing, license, midway, Millicent McGregor, mutoscopes, penny arade, Percy Fraser, player piano, PNE, shooting gallery, strength tester, vancouver, video technology | 5 Comments

Wilson’s 1907 Cadillac

Posted on 08/05/2020 by mdm

Dr. Thomas Haddow Wilson was the first owner of the 1907 Cadillac which I was privileged to view, recently. Wilson was born in Kitchener, ON in 1869. He graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 1897 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Artray, automobiles, First Baptist Church, Vancouver | Tagged "Rev. J. S. Henderson", 1142 Chilco Street (Chula Vista), 1907 Cadillac, 1949 PNE, bc, David McAdam, Dr. Thomas Haddow Wilson, history, Hotel Vancouver II demolition, Patricia Hotel, peter findlay, Quinton McAdam, Rev. J. J. Ross, Rev. W. T. Stackhouse, Terminal City Garage, vancouver, Vancouver Auto and Cycle | 5 Comments

Mistaken Assumption . . .

Posted on 07/06/2020 by mdm

There’s a building on West Hastings near Hamilton about which I’ve had a long-standing misconception. It’s sweeping facade reminded me so much of a 1940s-style movie theatre that I’ve always assumed that that was the original occupant. [1] But I … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Coltman, interiors | Tagged "Streamline Deco", 314 W. Hastings, bc, Charles Chang Innovation Centre, Commerce Bank, Drug King Self Serve Supermarket, history, Tip Top Tailors, vancouver, vogue theatre | 4 Comments

Fowler’s Rose

Posted on 06/28/2020 by mdm

This carving of a Tudor Rose was taken from the tomb of the Duke of York, Tewkesbury Abbey, England, in the year of 1881 when repairs were being made to the tomb. The same year it was given to Major … Continue reading →

Posted in architects, art | Tagged bc, Duke of York, Gordon Poppy, Grandview Drill Hall, harding memorial, history, Major C. B. Fowler, R. T. Perry, Tewkesbury Abbey, Tudor Rose, vancouver, William Clark, york hotel | 1 Comment

Nabob’s ‘Harmony House’ on CBC

Posted on 06/13/2020 by mdm

The “Harmony House” radio variety show was the first commercial radio program originating in the West to be put on CBC’s network. It was broadcast live from the Orpheum Theatre, starting in September 1943 [1]. The corporate sponsor of Harmony … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Coltman, music | Tagged Barney Potts, bc, Bunty Wishart, CBC Radio and TV, Harmony House, history, Juliette Sysak, Mamie Wishart, Marion Wright, Nabob, orchestra, orpheum theatre, Pat ("Buster") Morgan, radio, Richmond ("Ricky") Hyslop, Suzaznne Sysak, Theatre Under the Stars, Thora Anders, TV, vancouver, Vera Zimmerman | 7 Comments

Smoking Prohibited at this Smoker!

Posted on 06/07/2020 by mdm

This is a very brief post to point out a couple of interesting aspects of this WWII-era “Smoker” (a social gathering that typically included tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking) of the 201st Battery, held in downtown Vancouver. First, I should … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Coltman, war | Tagged 201st Battery, 535 Homer Street, bc, Belkin House, commodore lanes, history, Salvation Army, Smoker, vancouver, Victory Hall, WWII | 2 Comments

The Mysterious Joseph Langer

Posted on 06/02/2020 by mdm

Update (June 2020) Information on [J. F.] Langer is . . . difficult to find. There’s nothing on him in the City of Vancouver Archives, nothing in the Special Collections Division of the Vancouver Public Library, precious little elsewhere. — … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, businesses, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged 3290 Granville, bc, Chuck Davis, gold cyanidation, gold mining, Henrietta Maria (Hattie) Langer, history, Ivan Ackery, Jennie Louise Langer, Joseph Francis Langer, orpheum theatre, Salvador, Suburban Theatres, Townsend & Townsend, vancouver, westendvancouver.wordpress.com, Woodland Drive | 8 Comments

Analog Craig’s List, 1967

Posted on 05/31/2020 by mdm

Given that Ron Morrier is best remembered today as the host of All-Star Wrestling, it may be a bit surprising to watch him hosting this 15-minute program. He comes across as a calm, well-spoken, and good-humoured gent. Joseph Roland DeLorme … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Al Pollard, All-Star Wrestling, bc, BCTV, CHAN-TV, CJAD 800 Montreal, CKLG 730 Vancouver, history, Jean White Morrier, Kit Morrier, Michelle Morrier, radio, Ron Morrier, Ron Morrier Radio-Television, television, The Morrier the Merrier, The Trading Post, vancouver | 1 Comment

Dr. Ray Starr Goodwin

Posted on 05/20/2020 by mdm

According to handwritten information on the back of this photo, it is an image of First Baptist Church young people on an outing to Deep Cove ca1904-05. The only person named is “Ray Starr Goodwin”, but he isn’t identified except … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, politics | Tagged bc, C. H. Goodwin, Deep Cove, Emma Augusta Goodwin, Fairview Baptist Church, Flora Goodwin Green, history, Howard Charles Green, John diefenbaker, North Pacific College of Pharmacy and Dentistry, Ray Starr Goodwin, Robert F. Green, Sarah Goodwin, vancouver, VW&Y railroad | 2 Comments

Granville Street on the Verge

Posted on 05/16/2020 by mdm

I was trolling through CVA’s online photographic holdings this morning when I came across this image. It wasn’t the first time. Once again, I was struck by how much it appeals to me. The appeal of this northward shot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, Granville St Bridge (1955), granville street, history, neon, service stations, vancouver | 8 Comments

A Variant of Vancouver’s SECOND Coat of Arms?

Posted on 05/14/2020 by mdm

This brief post is just to notify my readers that I have stumbled across what may be a hitherto unknown variant of Vancouver’s second coat of arms (1903-1969). For a history of the city’s three coats, see here and here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, coat of arms, fisherman, history, Illustrated Vancouver, logger, motto, vancouver | Leave a comment

Ladybug Tours

Posted on 05/13/2020 by mdm

By Maurice Guibord, Guest Blogger Years ago, I came across this postcard (above) and then a pamphlet (below) touting “Ladybug Tours” offered in Stanley Park. I got the two pieces years apart, so it was nice to put them together. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AAA Horse and Carriage, Albert Edward Portman, Art Shannon, bc, Crowe & Salisbury, Fred Rexstrew, history, Joe Reynolds, Ladybug Tours, Len P. Mason, Norman D. McConnell, Prospect Point, stanley park, Steve White, Tally-Ho, vancouver, Vancouver Transfer Company, Verne Christian | 2 Comments

John A. Radford: ‘Artistic Dean’ . . . Who?

Posted on 05/07/2020 by mdm

When John Radford died, the Vancouver Sun hailed him as “dean of Vancouver artists and famous throughout Canada as an architect, water-colorist and art critic”. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in Vancouver (even in art or local … Continue reading →

Posted in art | Tagged artist, bc, BC Art League, British Columbia Magazine, Devonport, Group of Seven, history, John Alfred Radford, Montreal Ice Palace, Pauline Johnson, Saturday Sunset magazine, vancouver, vancouver art gallery, Vancouver Art School | Leave a comment

Vancouver’s Monarchs of the Bronze

Posted on 05/03/2020 by mdm

In 1932 the Vancouver Sun newspaper teamed up with a number of suburban Famous Players theatres, as well as a few ‘country’ theatres across the interior of B.C. to have a “Sun Tan Contest”. [1] The ‘contest’ would actually consist … Continue reading →

Posted in Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), stuart thomson | Tagged 1932, Associated Dairies, bc, Calvin Winter, Dr. E. H. Funk, Henry Lund, history, Home Gas Orchestra, Iris Palethorpe, J. K. Matheson, Jack Devaney, Jantzen, New York Fur Co., Piggly Wiggly, seal fur, Suburban Theatres, Sun Tan King, Sun Tan Queen, Swift Canadian, vancouver, Walter Leek | Leave a comment

Maison Henri: Vancouver’s Forgotten Parisian Hairdresser

Posted on 04/30/2020 by mdm

Henri Gautschi’s Vancouver hairdressing business, Maison Henri, lasted for over 35 years. But today the business and its proprietor are generally unknown. Henri Edward Gautshci (whose surname sounded Italian) was born in 1875 in Paris, France. His father came from Switzerland. … Continue reading →

Posted in Frank J. Leonard | Tagged bc, Edward Henri Gautschi, Foncie Pulcie, Grand & Toy, Henri Edward Gautschi, history, Maison Henri, Marks & Spencer, May Phoebe Philips, Nancy May Gautschi, Royal Bank of Canada, vancouver | 11 Comments

Barry Glass, Star Photographer

Posted on 04/25/2020 by mdm

Barry William Glass was born in North Vancouver in 1933 to William Glass and Winnifred Marr. He went to Britannia High School, where he was a member of the MacMillan Club of Fine Arts. During his years at Britannia, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Assistant City Planner, Audrey Jean Reimer, Barry glass, bc, Brenda Glass, history, Jan Peerce, Joan Sutherland, LIly Pons, Marlene Dietrich, vancouver, Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver International Festival, Wendy Glass, Winnifred Marr | Leave a comment

Fun Facts: The Signal Station Atop Lions Gate Bridge

Posted on 04/21/2020 by mdm

The signal station that serviced Burrard Inlet before the bridge was built was the Prospect Point station (1893-1939); the old signal station was located atop the cliff above the Prospect Point lighthouse. Lions Gate bridge station (formally known as “First … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 9 o-clock gun, bc, Danny Parkins, history, J. E. Balmer, National Harbours Commission, Park Royal Station, Prospect Point Lighthouse, Prospect Point Signal Station, vancouver, W. J. Mooney, Wilfred "Tug" Wilson | 8 Comments

The Age of the Searchlight

Posted on 04/16/2020 by mdm

The late 1920s and 1930s was the age of the searchlight in Vancouver. Searchlights were not a new thing. They had been in use in 19th century Europe. Indeed, they were not new to Vancouver, either. Searchlight technology was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Grice, Art Jones, Jack Lindsay, stuart thomson | Tagged 20th Century Studios, advertising, art deco, bc, Beacon Theatre, Canadian Diamond Jubilee, Grouse Mountain, history, HMCS Patriciam, lighthouses, Rev. Duncan McDougall, Rev. Elbert Paul, shaughnessy heights, Style Moderne, vancouver | 6 Comments

A South Richards Street Survivor

Posted on 04/13/2020 by mdm

The very solid brick structure shown above was at 1339 Richards Street and seems to have been built circa 1914. To my surprise, given Vancouver’s record of demo-ing most buildings that stand for more than 50 years, this structure endured … Continue reading →

Posted in stuart thomson | Tagged "Chinese laundry", 1339 Richards Street, Agnes Padgham, American Laundry, bc, Charles Gilbert Padgham, Charles W. Padgham, history, Lowell Chinn, Mock Sing, P. C. Denis Johnston, vancouver | 2 Comments

Ted Lefebure’s ‘Voice’ (in the absence of a photo)

Posted on 04/04/2020 by mdm

The germ of this post (if one may use such a word these virus-centric days) came from local music/theatre expert, Tom Carter. He found the correspondence that is at the post’s heart in a Gastown antique shop years ago and … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged "Doc", bc, Edouard Lefebure, Edward Stewart Lefebure, Grace Lefebure, history, india, Madras, merry-makers, old-timers, Phyllis Irene LeFebure, Tom Carter, vancouver, violin | Leave a comment

When the ‘King of Swing’ was Here

Posted on 03/30/2020 by mdm

Benny Goodman (1909-1986) was my musical hero during my high school years. No, those years were not for me the 1930s or 1940s. They were the late 1970s! Yes, I was and am, perhaps, a bit odd. I was turned … Continue reading →

Posted in music | Tagged bc, Benny Goodman, buddy tate, Connie Kay, Eddie Duran, history, Hugh Pickett, Mike Moore, Paris. Listen to the Magic (1967), Peter Appleyard, Sextet, Tom Fay, vancouver, Warren Vache | Leave a comment

1948 Exterior Views of Vancouver’s Grand Old Lady

Posted on 03/29/2020 by mdm

This is a pictorial post of crops based on some terrific images made of the Old Hotel Vancouver (1916) by Don Coltman in April 1948. Judging from the titles given the original images, I take it that these were commissioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Don Coltman, hotels/motels/inns | Tagged bc, Eaton's, history, old hotel vancouver (1916), sears, vancouver | 6 Comments

William Fowler: Early Orchestra Leader in an Innocent Age

Posted on 03/27/2020 by mdm

William Fowler (1875-1936) was the leader of Fowler’s Orchestra from ca1902 to ca1915. He was the eldest son of James Fowler and Jane Youngson. His sole sibling was his younger brother, Peter. The Fowlers came to Vancouver from England in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullen & Lamb, music | Tagged bc, Colonial/Yale Hotel, history, James Fowler, Jane Youngson, Lancashire Old Boys, Masons, orchestra, Sons of England, Sons of St. George, vancouver, William Fowler | Leave a comment

Earle Hill: From ‘Dainty’ to ‘Cave Man’ Music

Posted on 03/15/2020 by mdm

Earle Hill (1887-1955) was a noteworthy orchestra leader in Vancouver in the late 19-teens and the ’30s and ’40s. Earle Channell Hill was born in 1887 to William and Vella in Vanvert, Ohio. He played the violin. He had his … Continue reading →

Posted in music, stuart thomson, theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged Barron Hotel, bc, Calvin Winter, Earle Hill and his Cave Men, Earle Hill and his Famous Capitolians, Frank Emde, history, Hotel Macdonald, Hotel Vancouver (No. 2), Kelly Piano, Marion Hill, orpheum theatre, Oscar P. Ziegler, Royal Alexandra Hotel Winnipeg, Strand Theatre, vancouver, Winnipeg | Leave a comment

Former U.S. President Tours Vancouver…in About 30 Minutes

Posted on 03/07/2020 by mdm

When former U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, came to Vancouver on July 18, 1915, he was in town for about half an hour. The Roosevelt party, according to press accounts, consisted of three people: Colonel Teddy Roosevelt, Mrs. Roosevelt (Edith Kermit … Continue reading →

Posted in stuart thomson, USA | Tagged bc, Colonel Worsnop, history, L D Taylor, stanley park, Theodore Roosevelt, vancouver, W J McGrath | Leave a comment

Avon Theatrical Productions: A Checklist

Posted on 03/02/2020 by mdm

The Avon Theatre was originally known as the Pantages, from its opening with that name as a vaudeville house in 1908 (on south side of East Hastings between Columbia and Main). It was identified less formally as the ‘old Pantages’ … Continue reading →

Posted in theatre/vaudeville/cinemas | Tagged Avon Theatre, bc, Charles Nelson, Dean Goodman, Dorothy Davies, Everyman Reportory Co., history, Jack Aceman, Pantages Theatre ("Old" Pantages), Queen Theatre, Royal Theatre, State Theatre, Sydney Risk, Tobacco Road, vancouver | Leave a comment

Stauffer’s and Mitten’s Arctic Club

Posted on 02/23/2020 by mdm

The Arctic Club was one of several cocktail and supper clubs in Vancouver in the ’30s, 40s, and ’50s (including the Quadra, the World, and Jean Fuller’s). According to recollections of the Arctic Club at the Vancouver Jazz Forum, it was a … Continue reading →

Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, interiors, people | Tagged 718 W Pender, Arctic Brotherhood Club, Arctic Club, Bob Mitten, Chris Gage, F. A. Menzies, history, Ken Stauffer, leonard's cafe, liberal party, Lulubelle, Quadra Club, Robert White, Rolph Harris, Stan Grozina, The Cave, Tom Carter, vancouver, Vancouver Jazz Forum, World Club | 5 Comments

Vending Before Food Trucks

Posted on 02/19/2020 by mdm

Posted in Al Ingram, people, street scenes, yesterday & today | Tagged bc, beatty street drill hall, Canadian Youth Hostel Bike Hike, commodore lanes, english bay, european-style wieners, expo 86, food vendors, granville street, history, hot dog stand, hudson's bay company, japadog, lemon soda, Pineapple Vending Machine, popcorn stand, Sea Festival, stanley park, vancouver | Leave a comment

When Flying Was Still Exotic

Posted on 02/16/2020 by mdm

Update This image is one of several available online at VPL showing Clancy’s Sky Diner Cafe. This unusual cafe took clever advantage of the long, narrow interior space to create the impression of a DC-3 aircraft fuselage. The Sky Diner … Continue reading →

Posted in cafes/restaurants/eateries, Foncie Pulcie, people | Tagged 776 Granville Street, bc, Clancy's Sky Diner, Foncie Photos, Harvie Davidson, history, knowledge network, Mia Stainsby, vancouver | 14 Comments

Crowd Welcomes Kilties at Union Depot/Thornton Park

Posted on 02/09/2020 by mdm

The photos above and below are identified by the City of Vancouver Archives as being a “large crowd gathered around automobile, men in military uniforms” and the date shown for the photos is “ca1915.” I had doubts about the attributed … Continue reading →

Posted in military, railways, stuart thomson | Tagged Brigadier-General R G E Leckie, CNR Depot, history, Lt-Gov. Francis Stillman Barnard, Mayor Harry Gale, pacific central station, seaforth highlanders (kilties), Thornton Park, union depot, vancouver | 2 Comments

Getting Nowhere – Fast – in 1901

Posted on 01/22/2020 by mdm

This seemed like an apt image to post in this season of broken fitness resolutions. The image was made, according to the City of Vancouver Archives, about 120 years ago. My two questions, regarding the photo: (1) Where was it … Continue reading →

Posted in bicycles, sports, William M. Stark | Tagged bc, Bicycle Clubhouse, Brockton Point Athletic Association, Harry Hooper, history, Major Matthews, Stanley Burke, vancouver | Leave a comment

Archives Image Corrected by Horizontal Flip

Posted on 11/19/2019 by mdm

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 | 1 Comment

Remembrance Services Past at First Baptist Church

Posted on 11/11/2019 by mdm

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 →

Posted in biography, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, jennifer friesen, people, Ross J. Kenward | Tagged bc, First Baptist Church, history, November 11, padre james w. duncan, pastor, services, vancouver | 2 Comments

Behind This Wall at Hotel Vancouver…

Posted on 11/10/2019 by mdm

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 →

Posted in art, churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, hotels/motels/inns | Tagged Ascension, bc, Beatrice Lennie, Benjamin Douglas, Doris Munroe, elevators, history, Hotel Vancouver, Olivet Baptist Church, Rev. Robert Rennie, vancouver | 6 Comments

The Shop at Sich’s Corner

Posted on 10/16/2019 by mdm

Sich’s Corner was the name of an early Vancouver tobacconist’s shop located on the southwest corner of Cambie at Cordova. The person who named it and for whom it was named remained at the corner and, indeed, in Vancouver, for … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, street scenes | Tagged bc, buxton & rodney, cambie, cordova, England, history, hops farming, j.g.v. field-johnson, realtor, retail, Thomas Thrale Sich, tobacco, vancouver | Leave a comment

One of the Largest Organs West of Winnipeg

Posted on 10/08/2019 by mdm

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 →

Posted in churches, new westminster, Russell Photo Studio, Uncategorized | Tagged bc, Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, history, Jim Wolf, Olivet Baptist Church, Queen's Avenue United Church, St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (New Westminster), vancouver, Vincent Russell | 3 Comments

Forgotten Purcell Hall

Posted on 09/29/2019 by mdm

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 →

Posted in churches, music | Tagged anglican church, Arthur Chubb, bc, BC Music Festival, BC School of Church Music, Christian Institute, Frederick Chubb, Henry Purcell, history, Parkway Gospel Hall, purcell hall, Royal School of Church Music, vancouver | 1 Comment

First Baptist Church’s Iron Fence/Notice Board Memorials

Posted on 09/21/2019 by mdm

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 →

Posted in churches, First Baptist Church, Vancouver | Tagged bc, Centennial garden, Charles Bentall, Dominion Construction, Elva Selman, Gordon Rex Selman, history, iron fence memorial, memorial notice board, selman family, vancouver | 1 Comment

H.M.S. New Zealand at Vancouver, 1913

Posted on 09/15/2019 by mdm

This post will showcase a few of the photos made by Vancouver photographer, Stuart Thomson, in 1913 on the occasion of a visit to the city of H.M.S. New Zealand. The ship had been funded by New Zealand as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Navy, sports, stuart thomson | Tagged 1913, bc, brockton point, Captain Lionel Halsey, coal harbour, history, HMS New Zealand, IODE, Mayor Baxter, Pelorus Jack (bulldog), Thoroughbred Association, vancouver | Leave a comment

Adult Ed in Technical Subjects in 1930s Vancouver

Posted on 09/11/2019 by mdm

This post focusses on a series of photographs made in about 1937 by the great pro photographer, Stuart Thomson, of what appears to be adult education going on in a variety of technical subjects. The photo above, it may be … Continue reading →

Posted in stuart thomson, W J Moore | Tagged adult ed, bc, history, morse code, shorthand, spark tester, stenography, typing, underwood typewriters, vancouver, vancouver technical secondary school, vsb, welding | 1 Comment

S.S. Islander’s Forgotten Gulf Ferry Service

Posted on 09/08/2019 by mdm

The Islander is today known by some as a gold-laden ship that was sunk by an iceberg off the Alaskan coast in 1901. But what seems to have been forgotten (1) is that prior to that unhappy event, it served … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bc, Canadian Pacific Navigation Co., Captain Foote, Gulf of Georgia Ferry, history, Skagway, SS Islander, vancouver, Victoria | 4 Comments

Sea of Hats

Posted on 08/25/2019 by mdm

Updated This is a somewhat unusual view of the Cambie Street Recreation Grounds (for ome later years, the site of the long-distance bus station, later still – optimistically – dubbed Larwill Park and serving as a City car park with … Continue reading →

Posted in people, sport, street scenes, stuart thomson | Tagged bc, bus station, cambie street recreation grounds, hats, head wear, history, larwill park, men's hats, vancouver | Leave a comment

Prof. Ludwig Zimmer, Herbalist . . . and Zimmerton’s Namesake

Posted on 08/19/2019 by mdm

Ludwig (“Louis”) Zimmer (1838-1895) was born in Grunberg, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, but left his homeland when a young man. He settled in Guelph, ON in 1861. In 1867, he married Salome (b1829), who was also born in Germany. His business … Continue reading →

Posted in businesses, medical matters | Tagged bc, Boulder Island, Germany, Guelph, history, Ludwig Zimmer, Seymour Creek, vancouver, Waterton, Winnipeg, Zimmerton | 1 Comment

Cleve’s Win Impacts at Least a Couple of Vancouver Residents

Posted on 08/08/2019 by mdm

Who are the principal figures in this image? What is the context? And where is this bunch of early Vancouverites gathered on this occasion? This brief article in the Vancouver Daily World is helpful: Fulfilled the Wager At 2:30 this … Continue reading →

Posted in Bailey Bros., businesses | Tagged 1884, Army & Navy Dept Store, bc, Cleve & Steve, David F. Douglas, Dunn-Miller Block, history, presidential election, United States of America, US flags, vancouver | Leave a comment

Who IS this Woman?

Posted on 07/24/2019 by mdm

Who was this attractive woman with such a determined countenance¹? If you were to ask this question at the City of Vancouver Archives — where this photograph has resided, probably, for most of its life — staff there might, quite … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, businesses, First Baptist Church, Vancouver, Harry T. Devine | Tagged Alexander Goudron, bc, Bertha Goudron, Edward Marcotte, FBC Chapel, Gaston Goudron, history, Jules Goudron, Malvina Goudron, Market Hardware, Montreal, Paul Goudron, vancouver | 5 Comments

The McIntosh Girls in Tent Town

Posted on 07/20/2019 by mdm

I’m not sure what it is about this image that I find compelling. It is a well-made photograph, to be sure; the exposure and composition are flawless. But I don’t think the technical competence of the photographer is what draws … Continue reading →

Posted in Bailey Bros. | Tagged bc, Edward Osborn, Gertrude, Goad's Fire Insurance Map, Grace, Greer's (Kits) Beach, history, Illustrated Vancouver, James S. Matthews, Jason Vanderhill, Kits CPR Hotel Site, McIntosh family, McNicoll and Maple, Richard Marpole, vancouver | 2 Comments