Yesterday was the first day of Heritage Week, and in BC, the theme is Power and Energy. In celebration, thereof, I offer this 1950 image of BC Electric workers fixing a power pole at Grant & Commercial Drive (VPL 81076): Here is the same corner, Grant & Commercial, looking northwest in 2011: The first thing I notice is just how many more trees we have in our streetscapes than we did 60 years ago. In fact the rebuilt version of F.N. Hamilton's building on ...

  On February 12th, 1912, Thomas Shiels opened the Grandview Theatre movie house at 1712 Commercial. It is the white-arched building in the middle of this image. The building permit had been dated 10th October 1910, with J.J. Donellan as architect and Jones & Purvis as builders. In his opening advertizing in the Western Call, Shiels claimed that the theatre had "been built to suit the public regardless of cost." Understanding the audience's desire for novelty, the Grandview Theatre changed its program every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. At the ...