Burnaby’s Lougheed Village gives us a glimpse into the past — and it’s both eerie and fascinating.

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Lougheed Village Mall

The seemingly abandoned subterranean mall is located beneath an apartment building in Burnaby. It was built in the late 1960s / early 1970s, never renovated, and acts as a time capsule to another time.

One of the most notable things about this little indoor strip mall is how it was made to resemble an outdoor street with brick walls and charming storefronts.

Walking through the halls will make you feel like you’re in a charming little town – albeit a spooky one.

The original plan for this little mall was to act as a community hub for the attached residential housing, by providing all the necessities residents might need.

However, with the development of much larger Lougheed Mall nearby, this little indoor strip mall was soon left behind.

Although mostly empty, the mall is actually accessible to the public, with some businesses still open inside. These include a small grocery store, pharmacy, restaurant, record store, and a few others.

Take a Look inside

Those looking to visit can walk through themselves, although the empty hallways may feel a bit eerie.

More from Lougheed Village in Burnaby/Coquitlam BC
byu/Buffbigw76 indeadmalls

There is a subterranean dead mall beneath my apartment building
byu/Lutemoth indeadmalls

@uncouver Lougheed Village Mall is a 1970’s time capsule. #liminalspace #deadmall #mallsoft #abandoned ♬ original sound – unCOUVER ™️

Lougheed Village Mall

Address: 9500 Erickson Drive

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Shaped like a dome, it overlooks False Creek and brilliantly sparkles on the waterfront with its 391 lights come nightfall.

Those who come to visit it the centre are treated to much more interactive learning experience. Indeed, it is as fun as it fun as it is educational, with a multitude of engaging activities and displays.

RELATED: Rare Footage of Vancouver’s Expo 86 Will Leave You With Nostalgic Memories

Science World: A Geodesic Dome

Science World at Telus World of Science describes how, “The Science World “golf ball” is actually a geodesic dome, the design of which was created by American inventor R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983).”

To illustrate, this dazzling photo shows the skeleton structure for the dome as it underwent construction.

It first opened in 1985 as the Expo Preview Centre, and then became the Expo Centre for the World Fair in 1986. During this time, the centre showed a movie called A Freedom to Move in the OMNIMAX theatre.

The OMNIMAX theatre sits 400 people, and its screen is 27 meters in width. Impressively, the ramp leading to the theatre is equal to the length of two football fields.

In 1989 it was the largest of its kind in the entire world. Stating that “The 15,000 watt xenon lamp that lights the screen is so bright that if you placed it on the surface of the moon and focused it at a spot on Earth, you could actually see its light.”

Expo 86 was a tremendous success for the city, as it put Vancouver on the world stage. In addition, the fair predicted roughly 13 – 14 million visitors, but over 22 million attended. In 1987, Queen Elizabeth declared that the building was “for the people of British Columbia.”

At the time, it took an impressive sum of financial aid to construct the exhibits and infrastructure of the centre.

Science World explains how, “The Provincial and Federal Governments announce their support of $5 million each, the City of Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Regional District join with a further $1 million apiece and a capital campaign raises $7.1 million from the private sector for a total of $19.1 million to build an addition to the Expo Centre, redesign the interior and develop and build exhibits.

Following the end of Expo 86, the building was re-purposed as a science centre, reopening on May 6th, 1989.

In 2004, Science World Struck an agreement with TELUS. It cost a staggering $9-million to rename the building to “Science World at Telus World of Science.”

Today, Science World attracts people of all ages. It holds feature exhibitions, demonstrations, films, and even theatre sports.

However, because it was originally built as a temporary structure, it has been undergoing maintenance issues the past few years. We are hopeful though that the iconic structure will be around for generations to come.

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Blue Hawk Mine can be found on the east slope of the mountain near Okanagan Lake in Kelowna.

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The Westbank Museum says the area has a history of extensive exploration since the 1930s. Unfortunately, the mind only produced one ore for about a year before becoming abandoned.

While it’s common for abandoned mines to be restructured for tourism purposes, that is not the case for Blue Hawk Mine as it was simply left as it was when production stopped decades ago.

In recent years, it’s become a popular tourist attraction — although, the cave is completely dark and it’s not advised to go inside.

The total horizontal length of the mine is estimated to be roughly 90 metres.  It is an unregulated cave system, making it an extremely dangerous spot to explore with risks of cave-ins to cold-water sinkholes.

 

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The site stands as a ghostly relic, with rusting equipment and overgrown pathways hinting at its storied past. It offers a unique glimpse into BC’s industrial heritage and serves as a reminder of the enduring impact of mining on the landscape.

Blue Hawk Mine

Location: On the east slope of Blue Grouse Mountain near Okanagan Lake in Kelowna

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As a heritage building that wouldn’t be out of place for a scene when some dwarfs and wizards come knocking for a quest, the Hobbit House, as it’s known nowadays, is one of the most distinctive houses in the Lower Mainland.

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In 2017, the Hobbit House made headlines when its happy ending was put into jeopardy after it was put on the market for $2.9 million. With developers itching to construct high-density complexes near the Canada Line SkyTrain stations along the Cambie corridor. The fate of the Hobbit House was on shaky ground.

Thankfully, the developer that eventually bought it incorporated its restoration within rezoning plans for a 20-unit townhouse complex. This allowed for the history behind Vancouver’s Hobbit House to remain for future generations

About the Hobbit House History

As a 75-year-old building, almost half as old as our country, here is the history behind Vancouver’s Hobbit House.

The Vancouver Hobbit House is one of three residential properties conceived by a builder by the name of Brenton Lea and designed by architect Ross Anthony Lort. Lea originally hired Lort in the 1940s to design a residence on Broadway for Lea’s family that would look like a Tudor cottage from the time of Shakespeare.

After it was completed in 1942, Lea asked Lort to design a similar house on King Edward for a foreman from the Canadian National Railway. Lort then designed a third hobbit house in West Vancouver, before getting around to another heritage home, the Casa Mia on Southwest Marine. All three hobbit houses still stand, notwithstanding restoration and upkeep.

Although it seems like an architectural eccentricity in the history of Vancouver, the Hobbit House is part of the Provincial Revivalism style popular in North America between the First and Second World Wars. Appealing to a North American sense of home as a cozy sanctuary of domesticity, Vancouver would be a double of the Shire if demand kept up.

Designed in the style of an English cottage, the Hobbit House is built entirely from Canadian materials. Its remarkable wavy roof is made of steam-bent cedar shingles, a decidedly West Coast take on thatched roofs. To get a sense of the quality of the craftsmanship, to restore this roof today would cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Since the 1940s, the Hobbit House on King Edward has switched hands once in the 1970s when a doctor and wife purchased the property, and again in 2013 by a townhouse developer who purchased it.

The Hobbit House on King Edward may be the most fully realized vision of this architectural quirk from yesteryear. It appears there are some who are supporting the Middle-earth aesthetic, as this single-family residence has already been bought. Go figure.

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For more history stories, check out our History section.

The post The History Behind Vancouver’s Charming Hobbit House appeared first on 604 Now.

Historically though, it was known as Industrial Island, and then changed to Granville Island after the bridge it was underneath. In 1915, the Vancouver Harbour Commission approved a reclamation project for an industrial area in False Creek.

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Today, Granville Island has completely transformed from being an industrial area to being one of Vancouver’s gems, but let’s take a look back at it’s history.

This photo taken in 1917 depicts a sawmill and shows the beginning of dredging in False Creek and the Granville Bridge, Yaletown and Downtown in the background.

BC Equipment Ltd. built a wood-framed machine shop near the Island’s western end. To this day that structure houses part of the booming Granville Island Public Market.

This photo taken in 1922 shows Schaake Co. Machinery Company, Pacific Sheet Metal Works and False Creek Dock and Warehouse Company Limited.

Taken in 1931, this photo shows how industrial the area was and how it was filled with warehouses.

This photo shows the entrance to Granville Island in 1976.

This photo was taken underneath the Granville Bridge in 1980.

The above photo shows a restaurant patio in 1982.

Here is Granville Island today

Today, Granville Island provides visitors with an extensive marina, the large public market, a boutique hotel, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and many fine art galleries and shopping boutiques.

 

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Fun Fact: Did you know that the City of Vancouver was once called Granville? That was up until 1886, when it was renamed. The name was instead given to Granville Street, which now spans the area known as False Creek.

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As one of the oldest parts of Vancouver, it also has a fascinating history. Let’s take a look back at how the streets evolved over the last century.

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The area was named after “Gassy Jack” Deighton; a steamboat captain who arrived in 1867 and opened the first saloon.

His nickname came from his talkative nature and his love of storytelling. At the time, Gastown was known as a place for trade and commerce at Burrard Inlet, and acted as the city’s wholesale produce distribution centre.

Here is what Gastown looked like 135 years ago in 1880s.

In 1886, the Great Vancouver fire occurred. The fires were originally set to clear land for development, but after an especially dry spring, the fires soon grew out of control.

Here is a photo of Gastown shortly before and after the fire. The first is from Carrall Street looking south and showing “Maple Tree” corner at Water Street. And the second is from Cordova Street looking west from Carrall Street in July 1886, five weeks after the fire.

Jumping ahead, after the Great Depression in the 1930s, the neighbourhood became a forgotten part of the city.

In the 1960s, people showed interest in preserving the area’s historic architecture by campaigning against a proposal to demolish distinctive buildings—to make room for a major freeway.

The protests eventually led the provincial government to declare the area as a historic site—where the heritage buildings have remained protected to this day.

Turning back the clock nearly 50 years ago—this is what Gastown looked like in 1968.

The below photo was taken in 1970 and shows the statue that was built in Maple Tree Square in honour of “Gassy Jack.”

One of Gastown’s most famous landmarks is the steam clock on the corner of Cambie and Water Street, which was built in 1977 to cover a steam grate. While the area has changed over the years—it has managed to keep a lot of its distinctive features that make it both a unique and stylish neighbourhood for locals and tourists alike.

The below photos show Hotel Europe in 1970 and what it looks like today.

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It was on December 28 and 29 of that year when Vancouver was hit with 44 cm of snow.

Highway 1 and transit routes all stopped due to the Vancouver storm. Crews had to quickly clean up the roof of B.C. Stadium as people noticed it started to sag.

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They even cancelled a Canucks game against San Jose Sharks in Vancouver.

YVR airport cancelled most flights because de-icing crews couldn’t keep up. By the time crew cleaned up one side of the airplane, the other side was covered again.

Snow Storm in Victoria

But for those in Victoria, B.C. it was even worse.

People opened their doors to a wall of snow, as 65 cm fell on December 29th alone. Within two days, it accumulated 77.7 cm – almost double Vancouver’s amount.

On December 30, the weight of the snow and rain caused an airplane hangar roof to collapse at Victoria International Airport. It destroyed several airplanes and put 80 employees out of work.

Victoria didn’t have the resources to deal with the snow, so they actually had to call in the military.

Bruce Kirkpatrick, a CHEK news reporter, said “it was an out-of-this-world experience.”

Everyone in Kirkpatrick’s neighbourhood was given a shovel to dig in. He mentioned that it brought the community together.

“What stood out to me was the public’s involvement. You know there were ambulances stuck and people were out pushing them,” he said to CBC.

While everyone who remembers likely hopes to never experience that again, there’s always a silver lining.

“You get to know your neighbours really well in a snowstorm,” Kirkpatrick said.

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The last time this occurred was when the majority of Metro Vancouver woke up to snow on Christmas in 2021. Although it’s not uncommon to see snow in December, it usually disappears before all too long, thanks to the rain.

This year however, it feels like we’ve had a warmer than usual December, with only one recorded snowfall in parts of Metro Vancouver on December 9th, that quicky faded away. There is still a chance we’d get a white Christmas, but at this point it looks unlikely.

Here’s a look back at the last time Vancouver had a white Christmas.

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Vancouver White Christmas History

The last time Vancouver had a white Christmas was in 2021, however that was only a light storm that did not hit all parts of Metro Vancouver.

It was still a beautiful sight though as a white layer of snow blanketed over the city.

Before that, the last time there was a white Christmas was fifteen years ago in 2008. It was cold one, when a series of snowstorms broke 44-year-old records for the snowiest Christmas ever in the Lower Mainland.

That year, across Canada and many parts of America, record snowstorms have hit cities on Christmas Day, including Vancouver.

The monthly snowfall in December 2008 was nearly 109 cm in total when all was said and done. That white Christmas Vancouver, also happened to be the whitest Christmas in recent memory as it shattered records.

Prior to that, Vancouver has only experienced a white Christmas two more times. In 1996 and 1998.

Most notably, the snow storm in 1996 drew over 100 cm of snow and was labeled the ‘storm of the century’ in Vancouver and Victoria where everything was forcefully shut down as a result.

Outside of Vancouver, cities in metro Vancouver, especially in areas with higher elevation like North Vancouver and Burnaby Mountain, also became reacquainted with snowmageddon.

According Environment Canada, Prince George is the only city in B.C. that has seen a white Christmas almost every year since 1955.

The post The Last Time Vancouver Had A White Christmas appeared first on 604 Now.

While organizers expected millions of people, no one predicted the incredible turnout. Indeed, they expected 13 – 14 million visitors, but over 22 million attended.

It was a time of glory that would change the city’s landscape forever, as well as create some of its most recognizable architecture. Some notable examples include the Telus World of Science, Plaza of nations, SkyTrain, gondolas, BC Place, Canada Place, and much more.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles

There were a number of memorable moments during the momentous occasion; however, Princess Diana and Prince Charles made a tremendous impression on the city.

For one, Diana was beloved the world over. Not only beautiful, the princess was known for her philanthropy, style, and warm heart. She was a true icon, and her royal presence positively charmed Vancouver.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney joined the pair at the official ribbon cutting ceremony, where Diana stunned crows in a vivid red outfit.

In addition, the pair rode in a car on the newly opened SkyTrain. They disembarked at Patterson Station, where the duo met with officials for a photo op.

As such, the car that they rode in, Car 14, is dubbed the “Royal Car.” Further, Thai Royals also rode in the famous car, so it continued carrying prestigious passengers.

Be sure to check out this rare footage of Expo 86 that will make you want to travel back in time! Also, have a look at the commercials promoting the fair that aired in the 80s.

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Although it’s not uncommon for ice to float down the Fraser River in winter, there was once a time when parts of B.C.’s longest river was frozen solid.

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Not only did the Fraser River used to freeze over so that people could not only walk across it, but you could even skate and play hockey across its smooth surface.

Let’s take A Look Back

These extraordinary photographs from New Westminster Archives capture such a day in the 1920s.

Against the backdrop of the New Westminster Bridge in the distance, you can see nonchalant groups of Canadians chilling out. In fact, these early western Canadians are proof that once we in the Lower Mainland used to take snow days without so much as batting an eye, easily trading our umbrellas for hockey skates.

In fact, we can rely on the old school mode of transport, the river, not only as an express highway but also a skating rink.
Who says snow days have to be stay-at-home days?

Back in the early 20th century, it was easier for the Fraser to freeze since New Westminster wasn’t a heavily populated city. But the people that did live there sure made the most of their situation.

We can only imagine what it must have felt like to play without pay on the natural ice. But what were the ladies getting up to during the snow day?

In one photograph, there are women exploring the frozen terrain and making sure they got in some great shots in the process. Dressed in fur coats, two women are pictured here, making sure that no one in posterity will say to them “pics or it didn’t happen” when they remember that day they walked on the Fraser River.
Dogs were in on the action and it looks like they were having a good time too.

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