Lighting up the past: A year-in-review at Vancouver Archives

The City of Vancouver Archives is celebrating a remarkable year of uncovering treasures and connecting with the city’s vibrant past. From neon signs that lit up the streets to visionary designs that shaped its green spaces, 2024 highlighted the unique stories that define Vancouver. 

Discoveries from 2024 

• Neon Signs: Vancouver’s Glow-Up 
  The records of Neon Products, Vancouver’s first neon sign company, are now available to researchers. Known for creating iconic signage like the Niagara Hotel and Stanley Theatre marquees, these records include detailed sketches and capture the artistry that made Vancouver a “Neon City.”
• Designing Green Spaces
  Fully processed collections from landscape architects Desmond Muirhead, Clive Justice, and Harry Webb showcase mid-20th-century visions of family-friendly gardens and landmark parks that shaped Greater Vancouver’s outdoor living. 
• Snapshots of History 
  The description of 50,000 Vancouver Sun photographic assignments provides a visual timeline, documenting everything from daily life to major cultural milestones. 

A Treasure Trove of Vancouver’s Past

Since 1972, the Archives has been located in Vanier Park, preserving: 

• 7.2 million photographs of Vancouver’s social and cultural history. 
• Over 6,000 maps, dating back to the late 1700s. 
• Thousands of architectural plans and historical drawings. 
• Sound and moving images, including documentaries and radio broadcasts. 
• A collection of 2,500 books on British Columbia history. 
• Together, these holdings span an incredible breadth, reaching as far as 8.8 km of records that document Vancouver’s history. 

Explore the Archives 

Learn more about the Vancouver Archives, including how to visit, search, and donate, at vancouver.ca/archives or browse digitized records at searcharchives.vancouver.ca.