Chuck Davis, Vancouver Historian

In the words of a Globe and Mail reporter, 72-year old Chuck Davis collects "factual tidbits about the city of Vancouver the way a skinny squirrel hordes acorns in autumn." Historian, author, quizmaster, radio host and columnist, Davis has written more than 15 books including The Vancouver Book (which he describes as an urban almanac) and The Greater Vancouver Book (which he describes as an urban encyclopedia).

When and why did you begin researching Vancouver's history?
I was doing a daily "items" column for the Province back in the '70s and, while driving over the Burrard Bridge for about the 10,000th time, wondered, for the first time, who DID all this stuff? It's a very handsome, ornate bridge with all sorts of art deco embellishments. The City Archives is very near the end of the bridge, so I drove over there and did some fast research on the bridge and made it the basis of my next Sunday column. Reaction to the piece was good, and I liked doing it, so I did another history column the following Sunday. I ended up doing 194 consecutive history columns.

What do we know of early tourism in Vancouver?
On June 27, 1902, the Vancouver Information and Tourist Association - the precursor to today's Tourism Vancouver, began operations at 439 Granville Street. A shingle hanging outside read: "Headquarters for visitors and tourists - Free information bureau".

Who are some famous people who were born, lived or died in Vancouver over the years?
Likely the most famous person who ever died here is actor Errol Flynn. He was just 50 when he died in Vancouver in 1959. Well-known people who were born here include actress Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster), actor John Ireland, Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies), and Jennifer Granholm, the governor of Michigan.

What is Vancouver's connection to Guinness beer?
Guinness money was behind the purchase of what is now known as the British Properties in West Vancouver. To quote my web site: "In October, 1931, West Vancouver agreed to sell 4,700 acres to a syndicate called British Pacific Properties for $75,000, just under $16 an acre. (The syndicate was financed with Guinness Brewing money.) In 1931, that was a lot of money, especially considering that the West Vancouver property had no access to downtown Vancouver. Development would be slow at first, and even the opening of the Lions Gate Bridge in 1938 (also built with Guinness money) would not be a real spur to growth because of the Second World War." So the Guinness people paid for the bridge to bring people to their north shore holdings.

Vancouver is often described as being an architecturally new city, but we have many historic buildings. What are some of these buildings and what neighbourhoods do you recommend for architecture buffs?
Architect Arthur Erickson says the best building in Vancouver is St. James Anglican Church, at Gore and Cordova. I tend to agree. The architect had just come back from an assignment in Egypt and the church reflects some of that. It's beautiful. The Hotel Vancouver (1939) is a big, handsome structure. The beautiful Marine Building is an art deco gem, and its placement at the western end of Hastings Street is one of the great urban vistas in the country.

Davis is currently working on his sixteenth book called The History of Metropolitan Vancouver, a year-by-year narrative of the region stretching from Bowen Island to Langley. www.vancouverhistory.ca.