Might your readers be able to help us identify the location of a photo ? We posted it on Flickr but so far commenters have been stumped. We’ve been assuming it was taken in Seattle, as it’s an Engineering Department negative, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Here’s the photo; the comments below it outline the ideas that have be suggested to date.
Julie Kerssen, Archivist
Seattle Municipal Archives
Julie Kerssen, Archivist
Seattle Municipal Archives
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| Mystery Beach, Seattle, Washington. Date and photographer unknown. |
Some ideas were floated on our Flickr page before I appealed for help here. Any leads welcome!
Looks to me like the bathhouse at English Bay in Vancouver B.C. It was built in 1931, and has been “remodeled” since that time. The best pictures I’ve found online for this are at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2R7C_English_Bay_Bathhouse_Vancouver_BC_Canada
Hmmm, Pat, maybe? I found a book on Google Books called “Vancouver: A History in Photographs.” On page 54 is a photo of the English Bay Bathhouse. That brick building looks like it might be it, but the white building and turret is nowhere in this photo. I would paste in the URL, but my comment might be thrown into moderation. Take a look for yourself in Google Books.
I’ve found a photo that shows the concrete bathhouse (the low white building) and the 3-story brick building just down the beach. On Google Books see “Frank Gowen’s Vancouver, 1914-1931, by Fred Thirkell”. Go to page 57, plate 37, and you’ll see the two buildings side by side on the beach. Page 56 gives the history, and seems to indicate that the original concrete bathhouse was built in 1909, and a replacement at the same location in 1931. From all the pictures at different sites the new and old bathhouse designs seem similar, with the arched windows repeating. The light posts on the concrete bathhouse also confirm that the photo in the Seattle Archives is from this location.
As which bathhouse is in the Seattle Archives photo (new or old), and the year of the picture, I’ll leave that to our friends in Vancouver.
I’m looking at page 54.
Isn’t that the white building in the lower photo?
I think it is the bathhouse:
http://briancroft.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobkh/2537553083/
It can’t be the Vancouver bathhouse. The photo as posted by the Archives on
Flickr says it was taken in 1910. The English Bay bathhouse wasn’t built until 1931.
I’m thinking it actually is the English Bay Bathhouse in Vancouver, BC. At least going by Shannon’s link to the Vancouver history book. There are 2 photos on page 54.
The top photo is from 1905, which shows the taller, red brick building with the steep roof (not sure if that’s part of the bathhouse). The longer lower building doesn’t appear to be built yet, but instead a wooden structure exists.
The bottom photo shows a wide shot from 1913, where the longer cement bathhouse is shown along with the red brick building. It seems to match our Seattle Archives photo from 1910. That lookout tower thing may be from a building across the street (Beach Avenue), which may be cropped out of the book’s photo.
Might the 1931 date be from a remodel of the bathhouse into its current Art Deco appearance (slightly different from the our photo)?
Also see pages 57-58 on Google Books in “Frank Gowen’s Vancouver, 1914-1931″
I stand corrected. I was posting mobile-ly and some of the prior posts were not showing up on my phone when I posted my comment. Yes, I do believe we have it “pegged”!
Well done, Pat and the rest!
Well done indeed! Thanks to all of you for helping us solve this mystery. The Vancouver Public Library has two photos online that help confirm the location.
Hi – I do beleive, almost positive looking at old Vancouver shots, the mystery beach is English Bay Beach in Vancouver B.C. , Brendan Power West Vancouver