Quote:
Originally Posted by Overground
Personally I wish they would have kept the square like this. As you can see from shadows there used to be buildings on the south side of Robson that would have created a traditional, enclosed square. Something this city lacks. With landscaping and or paving the square, I think it would have been better than what we currently have.
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agreed.
old robson square.
(all images from vpl archives)
view of the square from east side of howe street, at grade:
from south of robson, overhead view:
so, opposite the square on the northeast corner of howe and robson, you had the york hotel, with retail at the street level:
then, on the southeast corner of howe and robson, you had the court house block (offices):
across the street, effectively closing the square was the sprott-shaw building on the southwest corner, and the clement block from midblock, which also had some retail at street level:
the best photo i can find of the sprott-shaw building, later ckmo radio building (on the left)
clement building (dance school upstairs)
view of the southeast corner of hornby and robson (sprott-shaw at the end), with partial view of the entire block: