Vancouver "Then and Now" Pool
Vancouver is changing so fast, much of what we grew up with has been bulldozed or beautified. We'd like to get photos of Vancouver "then" and now. Archival, your parents' snapshots, whatever, and then a photo you've taken of the same area from the same angle as it stands currently...if possible, and placed side by side. Open to any shots of Metro-Vancouver, same parameters as the Guess Where Vancouver group.
1968 West Georgia Street - 1957/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This comparison gives an idea of the grand houses that used to grace this area of the West End, which is right next to Stanley Park. It's very hard for me to imagine houses like this with retail on the bottom right on Georgia here. It's all condos now and one of the busiest roads in Vancouver. This house was raised at some point and had the bottom level constructed to accommodate the retail use. Too bad houses like this are gone from the area forever now though.
The apartment in the background is the same at least.
1000 Block of Robson Street - 1974/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
A very interesting glimpse of the area in the '70s, we can see the signage that used to be on the Hotel Vancouver. Like most of the old neon signs around Vancouver this one is long gone. Also gone are the massive billboards above the building on the corner. It's the same building though, and at least the gaudy awnings are gone. All the other buildings you see in the old photo are still there but the angle is a little off due to my lack of a wide-angle lens.
1860 Robson Street - 1944/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
Another very large house that used to be in the West End near Stanley Park. I'm not sure when this house was demolished but it was probably razed when this condo building was constructed.
P & O SUN PRINCESS, Vancouver, BC
R R Horne has added a photo to the pool:
P& O SUN PRINCESS docked at CPR Pier B-C, Vancouver, BC. Pier B-C is the current location of Canada Place. The current Seabus Dock is in the shadow of Granville Square (the tall building above the rail tracks) while the new Convention Centre is located over the land/piers directly above the SUN PRINCESS. Other than the track for the Skytrain service all rail tracks to the west (above in the photo) of Granville Square are now gone and replaced by office and residential highrise buildings.
M S Horne Photograph
August 4, 1974
700 Block of Hornby Street - 1966/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This angle had me perplexed for quite a while as the description on the Vancouver Archives was a little vague. I thought at first it was the apartment at 777 Burrard as it looks quite similar, but this hotel used to sit at the northwest corner of Hornby and Burrard. It was demolished some time ago, but it lasted longer than the houses and other low-rise building that used to stand in between the apartment and Hotel Vancouver, best seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/entheos_fog/4937422882/
It's also interesting to note that local book chain Duthie Books, recently bankrupt, used to be located at the bottom of this building.
700 Block of Hornby Street - 1945/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
Both the buildings on the left and the houses further along the block are now gone, along with that amazing rooftop sign, and only the Hotel Vancouver remains.
Hornby Street from Robson - 1945/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This view shows the apartment that used to stand on the corner of Robson and Hornby. You can just barely see the few houses that used to exist further up this block.
787 Hornby street - 1945/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
Here's a better view of the sign that used to be on the roof of this building, now long gone along with the apartment next door. On the very right edge of the photo, you can see a house just barely. There used to be a couple houses here in between this building and the Hotel Vancouver.
Main and King Edward - 1939/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This building is on the southwest corner of the intersection and it's interesting to see what it used to look like before its stucco conversion. Also, the wood decoration on it was probably added the same time as the stucco and sure gives it a unique look. It's interesting that a very small Safeway store used to be located in the bottom and now just one business occupies the retail level.
It looks as though most of the neighbouring buildings to the left are still there, including that horribly modified two-story building.
300 Block of Georgia - 1948/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This is looking east up Georgia street, from the opposite direction as the other 300 block of Georgia street picture, but 12 years later. The neighbourhood had gone through a complete transformation over the years and now the Post Office Building, picture in the bottom photo, takes up the entire city block.
300 Block of Georgia - 1936/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
Looking west up Georgia street, this entire city block was demolished for the Post Office Building in the 1950s.
400 Block of Dunsmuir - 1974/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
Here we can compare this heritage building from its un-restored state to the post-renovation state it's in now, which looks so much better. This building is home to the 411 Senior Centre and sits at 411 Dunsmuir street, hence the 411 name.
300 Block of Dunsmuir - 1948/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This part of downtown was a much different place than what it is now, being mostly residential when the old photo was taken. I did a then and now of an old house that used to sit further up on this block:
www.flickr.com/photos/entheos_fog/4814084026/in/set-72157...
Also, in the distance we can see the Holy Rosary Cathedral in the old photo, which is still there in the now photo, but obscured by the post office building and the trees.
200 Block of Dunsmuir - 1974/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
This is looking at the north side of the block and I'm almost convinced the building on the right in the old photo is the same one in the bottom photo but totally redone and added to the newer building. The other building, of course, is no longer.
SW Corner of Davie and Burrard - 1958/2010
entheos_fog has added a photo to the pool:
It's interesting to see what was on this location before the gas station and while it's hard to imagine such a building here, on the opposite corner of this same intersection stands an old low-rise building of similar vintage that has somehow managed to survive at the corner of one of the more prominent intersections in downtown. This gas station is also now only one of two gas stations left in all of downtown now after the one on Denman closed down fairly recently.
Pictured on the right in both photos is the building that currently houses Celebrities Nightclub, but apparently used to be the Embassy Ballroom.
100406 Robson Street - Bebe
tomarra has added a photo to the pool:
South West corner of Robson & Burrard (Bebe) - 1974 & 2010
100406 Robson Street - Roots 02
tomarra has added a photo to the pool:
North West corner of Robson and Burrard - 1974 & 2010
100406 Robson Street - Roots 01
tomarra has added a photo to the pool:
North West Corner of Robson and Burrard - Roots - 1928 & 2010
100406 Robson Street - Cafe Crepe
tomarra has added a photo to the pool:
1032 Robson - Café Crepe - 1974 & 2010
100406 Robson Street - Manhattan 02
tomarra has added a photo to the pool:
Manhattan Building - 1930 & 1968 & 2010