VanSPC in collaboration with Capture Photography Festival Presents
Follow the Rabbit
On April 16, 2022, VANSPC hosted a Capture Photography Festival event in the form of a photographic scavenger hunt. Participating photographers had 90 minutes to solve 12 pre-posted clues leading them to locations in the downtown core of Vancouver. Those who came up with a minimum of nine correct solutions were entered into a draw for copies of a recent VANSPC zine.
Some of the landmarks featured were:
the sculpture Spring, near Robson Square
the Angel of Victory sculpture at Cordova & Seymour
the 725 sign at Georgia & Granville
the Marine Building
How well did people know their city?
Here are some of the results.
The world's second-largest Victoria’s Secret store is housed in an A-class heritage building, which was formerly the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library from 1957 to 1995.
photo by doris fiedrich
photo by sharon wish
photo by ivan lee
photo by sophie n.
Installed in 1981, Spring, a steel coil sculpture by Alan Chung Hung, appears to hold up the upper level of Robson Square near Hornby and Smithe streets.
photo by ian galsworthy
photo by jon chater
photo by shelley lai
photo by carol how
725 Granville was redeveloped in 2014 and currently provides access to Pacific Centre Mall and the Canada Line, as well as housing various offices, including Microsoft. Historically, it was the site of the first and second Hotel Vancouver.
photo by ariela badenas
photo by carol how
photo by allan florendo
photo by ian galsworthy
photo by kathryn ford
The 21-storey Marine Building, designed by McCarter Nairne and opened in 1930, is considered one of North America's most impressive examples of Art Deco architecture.
photo by ariela badenas
photo by ivan lee
photo by sharon wish
This unique vertical bus and wet-weather shelter was introduced on Howe Street when šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square (formerly named the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza) was redesigned in 2017.
Hale the Pole became VanSPC's unofficial mascot in 2019, after Autocorrect changed a post lauding the popular reflective surface so that “hail” became “hale”. The photogenic landmark was discovered by a few members at an early photowalk meetup.
photo by justin trueman
photo by kathryn ford
photo by sharon wish
photo by jon chater
photo by carol how
Angel of Victory, created by Coeur de Lion MacCarthy, was installed in 1922 to honour those who perished in World World One, with identical statues erected in Winnipeg and Montreal. The angel originally held a laurel wreath with which to crown the fallen soldier.
photo by ariela badenas
photo by doris fiedrich
photo by ian galsworthy
The Fantasy Factory opened in 1996 and is one of the only remaining adult stores on the Granville Strip, after extensive redesign in preparation for the 2010 Olympics.
photo by jon chater
photo by kent harkness
photo by jon chater
The Vogue Theatre is an Art Deco / Art Moderne style building, designed by Sprachman & Kaplan as a movie house and completed in 1941. It was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1993.
photo by allan florendo
photo by jon chater
photo by sophie n.
At the northwest corner of Burrard and Alberni sits the Tiffany's store, whose granite facade was inspired by the American Deco luxury high rises and skyscrapers of New York City in the 1930s and 40s.
photo by carol how
photo by ivan lee
photo by kent harkness
photo by sophie n.
In the 1950s Vancouver had approximately 19,000 neon signs -- more than Los Angeles or Las Vegas. The Studio sign at Studio Lounge & Nightclub stands out as one of the largest in the city today.
photo by kent harkness
photo by allan florendo
photo by sharon wish
Alley-Oop, launched in 2016, was the City of Vancouver's first muralled laneway project intended to encourage play, exercise and socializing in the busy downtown core. Today, it is mostly used for creating photos and videos.
photo by ariela badenas
photo by ian galsworthy
photo by jon chater
photo by sharon wish