Downtown
BO-49-176 : Hotel Vancouver
This is the Hotel Vancouver and the Courthouse in downtown Vancouver from 1949. The intersection at the bottom of the screen is Burrard and Robson Street.
BO-53-41 : Granville Bridge Construction
This is a cool shot of the construction of the new Granville Street Bridge from 1953. You can still see the old Granville Street Bridge in operation just to the left. Unfortunately, the image is not as crisp as some of the others, but still really interesting.
55-51 : Coal Harbour Shipping
This is Coal Harbour in Vancouver from 1955. A cool view of the shipping and rail activity going on in the area. The only tall building in the area is the Marine Building on Burrard Street.
BO-56-400 : New Post Office Vancouver
This is a really cool image of downtown Vancouver from 1956 during construction of the new Post Office. When the post office opened in 1958, it was the largest single building in Vancouver and was the world’s largest welded steel structure which incorporated state-of-the art technology, such as ramps and elevators to move trucks between levels, and a 2,400-foot long underground conveyor belt system linking the building and the CPR Waterfront Station.
BO-46-146 : Canadian Pacific Rail Yard
This is Canadian Pacific Rail Yard in Vancouver from 1946. Located on the north shore of False Creek, the Vancouver Roundhouse was the largest facility of its kind in British Columbia. You also get a fairly good view of Yaletown at the time.
BO-54-211 : First Beach
This is the English Bay area of Vancouver from 1954. A beautiful sunny day and the beaches are packed.
BO-47-1445 : Downtown Vancouver
This image is of downtown Vancouver in 1947. You can see St. Paul’s Hospital in the lower-left corner. Looking off to the north-east, you can see the Hotel Vancouver, the Courthouse (now the Vancouver Art Gallery) and the North Shore Mountains. You can even make out the Orpheum, Vogue and Capitol theaters off to the right.
BO-47-1530 : Downtown Victoria
Taken from almost directly above the Empress Hotel and facing North, this photo shows downtown Victoria from 1947.
BO-46-140 : Lost Lagoon
A higher altitude shot of the southern half of Stanley Park and part of downtown Vancouver. It was taken May 26, 1946. Second Beach seems to be really bustling with activity.
BO-46-124 : False Creek / Granville Island
This 1946 photo is taken from downtown Vancouver looking south-west to Granville Island. It includes the old Granville Bridge, the Burrard Bridge and the old railway bridge over False Creek. You can also see a bit of the downtown end of Davie Village.
