All posts tagged: Architecture

Forest Fire Smoke, Hope British Columbia 2018

Forest fire smoke hangs low over downtown Hope British Columbia in August 2018. For the second summer in a row heavy forest fires in the province have spread haze over BC, blocking sunlight and causing health issues for some residents. There is concern that recent hot dry summers will continue and with them so will the forest fires.

Castle Inn, Cache Creek, British Columbia 2017

A long time eye catcher as the highway splits at Cache Creek, this old motel appeared to be undergoing renovations when photographed last year.  Eight months or so later on a more recent road trip and there appears to have been little accomplished on the renovation front. Hopefully the Castle Inn will eventually  be restored to it’s former 50’s road side architectural glory.

Hair salon and Murphy beds, Langford, British Columbia 2017

Architecture, of course, like everything works in cycles of fashion. The A-frame entrance to suburban housing, at least in British Columbia, was common enough in the 60’s and 70’s. It’s perhaps rarer to see this vernacular architecture at use in commercial buildings from that era, certainly with the use of the double A-frame on the structure, which you can’t see in this image(the A is …

Box House, Bevan Avenue at Third Street, Sidney British Columbia 2017

A great example of why it’s important to photograph a unique, even if insignificant on a larger scale, piece of architecture when you have the opportunity. This small square box of a house was bulldozed less than two weeks after I took this image. The house was very basic but unlike anything else on the street. I’m sure it’ll be replaced by a larger box, …

Resto Lafleur, Dorval, Quebec 2017

Travelling a bit further afield than usual. I was in Montreal in June for work and spent two nights at a hotel near the airport in the suburb (city?) of Dorval. The hotel was located in the middle of an industrial district which was deserted sit was the weekend. I’d gone for a walk in the evening looking for a someplace other than the hotel …

Curio and Antique Store, Victoria British Columbia 2017

This little shop in downtown Victoria seems like a throwback to a different era with it’s amazingly eclectic collection of goods, from toys to Indigenous art. There’s certainly a recent history of toys visible in the objects for sale. Normally I would have tried to reduce the reflections in the window glass but I think the buildings reflected are useful visual information about the street.

Scooter and KFC, Langford, British Columbia 2017

Commercial signage in very different mediums. A real scooter on a roof promotes a scooter shop below (at left, not actually visible) while a fake oversize bucket of chicken promotes a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) franchise outlet. The tub company makes do with just a sign. In the background a new condo or apartment building rises in the background.

Bus stop shelter and new house, Victoria British Columbia 2017

The house in the background was just recently completed, built in a current ‘modern’ square style somewhat at architectural odds with the other older homes on the same street. I find it somewhat ironic that the ‘old’ bus stop shelter in front, mirrors the new build. That square style of bus shelter, which offered riders a largely enclosed (to the elements) structure but with windows …

Taber Music School, Saanich British Columbia 2017

  This low building has seen several different commercial lives but currently houses a music school, readily apparent not only from the sign but but by the musical note decor painted on the outside. It looks though it may have been a garage at one point.

Ladysmith Car Care, Ladysmith, British Columbia 2017

The red and white paint job on this former garage and corner store always catches the eye when passing by Ladysmith on the highway. It has been shut down for a while now although there are a few vehicles inside so not sure if someone still uses the premises. It looks a little more decrepit all the time though so I really expect to go …

British Columbia Documentary Photography #2

I recently read an interview with a local archives manager. He talked about the work and purpose of the archives and about acquiring material for the facility. He is  always on the lookout for unique local photographs showing the community’s history but he made a a comment that I thought every documentary photographer should consider. He said that it was easy to find/receive images of …

Robin Hood Motel, Victoria British Columbia 2016

There’s something about old signage. The Robin Hood Motel on Gorge Road seems a throwback to the 60s anyhow but it’s obvious in both the retro style and content the sign has not been changed in a long time. Despite the changeable sign below advertising wifi, the main sign still touts that they offer COLOUR television. The motel is one of the last of its …

Travellers Hotel and Swastikas, Ladysmith, British Columbia 2016

The first time I photographed the Travellers Hotel in Ladysmith on the town’s main street my attention was held by the dilapidated hotel sign over the main doors. I really didn’t look up at the higher stories and facade which at a quick glance seemed to be just fairly plain brick. A closer look on a more recent visit revealed a line of swastikas girdling …

Former Toyota Dealership, Victoria, British Columbia 2015

This style of building, an architectural homage to to the Japanese heritage of the car dealership’s home country, was not unique for this Victoria Toyota car lot. I’m not sure if at one point all Toyota dealerships looked like this but I remember another in Kamloops. It was remodelled years ago and is now a fast food restaurant box, all Asian influences removed. The Victoria …