Canada’s 150th birthday is happening this weekend and Victoria is filled to the brim with options for you to celebrate.
The whole weekend will be a chance to look back at history and we’ve found the perfect video to get those throwback vibes started.
Many of Victoria’s downtown buildings have storied pasts, including (believe it or not) the new Lush on Government St, which has an underground storage area consisting of two decommissioned bank vaults.
Going back even farther, the BC Legislature has overlooked the inner harbour since the 19th century. And the newly renovated Empress Hotel has also welcomed guests for over a hundred years.
But rather than just offer blurbs, we thought we’d share some footage and show our city in all its turn-of-the-century glory!
With film courtesy of the Library and Archives Canada YouTube channel and some sound and speed editing from Guy Jones, here are three minutes of Victoria in 1907.
Viewer Guide:
Breakdown of Victoria area clips:
- The footage – taken on a streetcar – begins moving south on Douglas St
- 0:15 right turn onto Yates St
- 0:44 left turn onto Government St
- 2:15 the Empress under construction, panning to the Legislature and Inner Harbour
- 3:13 the video shifts to equally interesting, but less local, footage of Vancouver
