Stories
Your Connection to Vancouver Block
A building's history is not only found in archives and registers. It lives in the memories of the people who passed through its doors, looked up at its clock, or watched it change through the years.
Community Memory
Every Building Has Many Stories
Vancouver Block has stood at 736 Granville Street for more than a century. In that time, thousands of people have worked inside its offices, visited its lobby, walked past its terracotta facade, and checked the time on its clock tower. Each of those encounters is a thread in the building's larger story — a story that belongs not only to the architects and developers who built it, but to the community that has lived alongside it.
We are collecting stories from anyone with a connection to Vancouver Block. Whether you were a tenant, a visitor, a Granville Street regular, or someone who photographed the building on a heritage walk — your memory adds something that archival records alone cannot capture. The texture of daily experience, the small details that made the building part of someone's life, the way a place feels to the people who know it.
If Vancouver Block has been part of your life in any way, we would like to hear about it. Share your story using the form below, or contact us to discuss contributing photographs, documents, or longer oral history interviews.
Community Voices
Stories from the Building
These sample stories represent the kinds of memories we hope to collect. They are illustrative examples, not real submissions.
Working on the 12th Floor, 1987-1995
"Every morning the elevator doors opened onto a view of the North Shore mountains through the office windows. The building had a character that newer towers never quite matched — the marble lobby, the brass fixtures, the way the light came through those tall windows in the afternoon."
Tenant Stories
The Clock I Watched Every Morning
"For fifteen years I caught the bus at Granville and Georgia. The Vancouver Block clock was how I knew whether I was late. It became part of my internal map of the city — a fixed point in a landscape that kept changing around it."
Granville Street Memories
Photographing the Facade
"The terracotta catches the light differently depending on the time of day and the weather. On overcast winter afternoons the building seems to glow against grey sky. In summer the shadows thrown by the ornament create a whole secondary pattern you only see from across the street."
Architecture & Photography
My Grandfather's Office
"My grandfather had an accounting practice in Vancouver Block in the 1960s. I only visited once as a child, but I remember the terrazzo floor in the lobby and how serious everything felt. He kept a photograph of the building on his desk for the rest of his career."
Family Connections
Heritage Day Tour, 2019
"During a Vancouver Heritage Foundation walking tour, our guide explained how the building was designed to be read from the street — the base, the shaft, the crown. Once you learn to see that structure, you start seeing it in buildings all over downtown. It changed how I look at the city."
Heritage Events
What We Collect
Story Categories
We welcome stories across a range of connections and experiences.
Tenant Stories
Memories from people who worked in or occupied offices in Vancouver Block.
Granville Street Memories
The building as part of daily life on one of Vancouver's most important streets.
Architecture & Photography
Observations, photographs, and reflections on the building's design and materials.
Family Connections
Stories passed down through families connected to the building or the street.
Heritage Events
Experiences from heritage tours, open-door events, and conservation activities.
Film & Media Appearances
Sightings of Vancouver Block in film, television, photography, and media.
Share Your Story
Tell Us About Your Connection
Use the form below to share a memory, a photograph, or a reflection about Vancouver Block. All submissions are reviewed before publication.
Share Your Story
Vancouver Block has been part of Granville Street for over a century. If you have a memory, photograph, or connection to share, we would like to hear from you.
Story submissions will be available soon. This form is a preview of the community collection feature under development. No data is sent or stored at this time.
All stories are reviewed before publication. Privacy is respected.
Coming Soon
Growing the Archive
We are building a living archive of community memory around Vancouver Block.
Oral History Collection
We plan to conduct recorded oral history interviews with long-term tenants, building staff, heritage professionals, and community members who have significant connections to Vancouver Block. These recordings will form part of a publicly accessible archive.
Photo Archive
A curated collection of historical and contemporary photographs contributed by the community. If you have photographs of Vancouver Block from any era — exterior views, interior details, street scenes, or archival prints — we would be grateful to hear from you.
Community Events
Future programming may include storytelling evenings, heritage walks led by community members, and collaborative exhibitions that bring together the stories collected through this site. Watch this space for announcements.
Want to contribute? If you have photographs, documents, or memories related to Vancouver Block that you would like to share, please get in touch. We are especially interested in hearing from former tenants, long-time Granville Street residents, and anyone with archival photographs of the building.