Saturday, January 30, 2010

Introduction


The purpose of this blog is to show the changing face of Vancouver, through the years and how it relates to what is there now, in terms of buildings, architecture styles, people and transportation. This is a supplement to my Then & Now series of photos I have posted on my flickr site and I hope to delve deeper into details about the buildings you see in the old and new photos. I also want to have site devoted to only Then and Now photographs of mine.

The idea of Then and Now photo comparisons, or re-photography, is nothing new and I don't claim to have started it by any stretch of the imagination. I first was introduced to this from a book called Calgary: Then & Now by Vicky Williams that came out in the early 1980s. I read that thing to death and always thought it would be interesting, as the years went by, to take the 'now' photos over again seeing as them themselves are dated. I think most major Canadian cities have a version of this book.

I also don't want to moan and complain about what has been lost in Vancouver in terms of buildings. What's done is done. But I think it is fascinating to look at an area and or street and see what once was. Maybe we can learn from some past mistakes but Vancouver would not be the city is today if nothing was built since a certain year. Obviously some buildings may have not deserved or needed to be torn down but my purpose is to educate myself and others about the city they see around them and what once was.

I plan to post then and now comparisons of Vancouver that I have already posted on my flickr page but I hope to revisit the sites and take pictures of individual buildings and streets/alleys for a little more context and detail, and maybe use some other old photos as well. This blog is a work in progress and I'm not really sure how it will end up but I wanted to do something a little more than just what I have posted on flickr.

Thanks for visiting!