When the rest of Metro Vancouver is blanketed with centimeters of snow you’ll often find the streets bare or covered in slush downtown. Our snow build-up doesn’t usually compare to other parts of the region but that wasn’t always the case. I found a few frosty photos from the Vancouver Public Library archives that show [...]

It’s not as old as the Pattullo or as iconic as the Lions Gate but today the Knight Street Bridge turns 39. It was on January 15, 1974 that the Richmond and Vancouver bridge opened to traffic. Over the years it has served a purpose and its most noteworthy and newsworthy moments haven’t usually been [...]

Tomorrow is the 101st anniversary of the first professional hockey game ever played in Vancouver. It took place on January 5th, 1912 at Denman Arena, which stood near the corner of Georgia and Denman in downtown Vancouver. The Vancouver Millionaires defeated the New Westminster Royal 8 to 3. 1913 – Denman Arena at 1805 Georgia [...]

False Creek today flows in and out of English Bay, ending with the waterfront walkway at Science World. In the early days, through grasslands and a network of creeks and streams, False Creek soaked all the way back to where Clark Drive runs now. 1898 – Vancouver City and Park Tourist Map. Archives Map 35. [...]

Today is the City of Vancouver Archives building will celebrate its 39th anniversary. Opening on December 29th, 1973 in at 1150 Chestnut Street near Vanier Park, they were named after the man who started the archives when Vancouver was but a budding young city — Major J.S. Matthews. Photo credit: City of Vancouver Archives on [...]

Snow has been the topic of conversation across the continent over the last few days and heading from Vancouver to the Midwest in the middle of a blizzard makes me appreciate our rainy weather just a little bit more. Despite the traffic snarls and transit interruptions, the snow can in fact be a whole lot [...]

Nestled between the residential towers of the West End you can spot a few heritage houses that have endured for decades. Some converted to apartments or businesses, others preserved in time like Roedde House. One that sticks out, with no other heritage houses remaining in its immediate vicinity, is Abbott House at 720 Jervis Street [...]

It was on this day in history (1868) that the second Earl Granville was named Secretary of the Colonies. Granville Townsite (Gastown), Granville Street, Granville Island. have all been named after him. It’s a nice tie-in to today’s collection of photos from the archives, which all feature Granville Island. At this time of year it’s [...]