From Functional to Fantastic

I found a self guided walking tour of Yaletown on the Internet last night so today I decided to walk there.

Yaletown, much like Vancouver itself, came to be in response to the railroad. And some wise politicians giving tax concessions to CPR so that the company would build their rail yards and terminals here. They did. And other businesses sprang up around that hub.

Many of the workers for the railroad stayed at the Yale Hotel on what is on Granville Street.

The Yale Hotel - formerly known as The Colonial Hotel - is one of the oldest buildings in Vancouver. It was built in 1890.

Also built in 1890 was The Golden Gate Hotel.

Okay so it isn't the hotel any longer but this location has been continously occupied since it was built. At one time the lower level was the original location of the Bank of Nova Scotia - that opened in 1912. In 1929 the bank moved. There has been a restaurant here since the 1940s.

And here is the building the bank moved to.

Impressive, don't you think?

In 1900 the City of Vancouver laid out this area as a warehouse district. It was close to CPR`s rail lines and shipping dock making it an ideal place for warehousing companies, truck and transfer firms and small businesses to set up.

Many of these buildings in the area are the same ones that were here originally but I am certain that the appearance of them is much different now. Especially the view of the high rises in the background.

The Yaletown Building was constructed in 1913 and was home then to such companies as the National Bag Company and the Canadian Naval Store. Now the tenants are professionals like architectural firms.

This building was built in 1912. The design allowed for office, commercial, storage and manufacturing to be conducted in one building. The window openings were filled with concrete in the 1950s due to a fire. It was rehabiliated in 1994 and is used for both business and residential now.

Many of  these warehouses have been converted to residential. From what I have seen on the Internet some of the suites are spectacular.

The Lighheart Aparments were built in 1910 and has two sections separated by a center piece. It is now known as Brookland Court and was converted to social housing around 1990.

These two photos are of the SNS Lounge and Grill. The cafe has only been there since 1992 but the building has existed since 1913. It was originally the home of Front Darling & Co., Electrical Supplies and Machinery. Since the establishment was closed I was unable to look inside but according to the research I did when this was the Soho Cafe and Billiards the owners had managed to recreate much of the original details.

I walked for a long time today and I got a lot of pictures. I also noticed that I made an error on a few and will eventually have to go back. That`s okay. Another blog entry is in the works.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Yaletown, Soho Cafe and Billiards,Lightheart Apartments,CPR,walk,history,