A Sad Town: Spectacular Vintage Photos of Vancouver from 1972 to 1982 by Greg Girard

Greg Girard is a renowned photographer and documentarian, but before he became widely known, he was a teenager roaming the streets of Vancouver before it was globalized. He looked at the Terminal City and its residents at the time and thought they looked stuck in the ’50s or earlier, even though it was the early ’70s.

I was something of an interloper, but my youth protected me. It’s curious to consider these pictures now, practically unseen since they were made, in terms of a Vancouver, they might have some potential to invent

Girardfelt that Vancouver was a sad town. The natural beauty around the city might have something to do with the more down-at-heel parts of town. Girald’s early work in Vancouver ended in 1982 when he left for Asia and didn’t return for a few decades. He collected his photos from that era in his book ‘Under Vancouver: 1972-1982’.

#1 Camaro in Alley, 1981

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#2 Silver Grill Cafe, 6am. 1975

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#3 Sailors Home, Alexander Street. 1973

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#4 A-2 Cafe, 6am, 1975

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#5 Boxer in Cafe, 1973

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#6 White Rose Cafe, 1973

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#7 Chinese Voice Newspaper Office, 1981

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#8 Building and Car, Franklin Street, 1981

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#9 Buildings on Railway Ave, 1975

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#10 Man with Bandaid on Nose, 1974

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#11 Commodore Lanes, Lunch Counter, 1973

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#12 Blue Eagle Cafe, 1975

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#13 Arco Hotel. 1981

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#14 American Hotel, Rear Entrance. 1975

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#15 Hotaka Maru. 1981

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#16 Waterfront (Cars and Ship), 1980

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#17 Coin City Arcade, 1974

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#18 Adult Entertainment, Playland, 1973

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#19 Playing Cards for Men, 1981

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#20 Western Sports, Hastings Street, 1975

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#21 Soup. Steams Cafe, 1974

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#22 Lunar New Year, East Pender Street, 1978

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#23 200 Block East Hastings, 1975

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#24 Billboard, Commercial Drive, 1982

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#25 Canadian Pacific Freight Yards, 1981

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#26 Car and Houses, Marine Drive, 1980

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#27 Tracks behind Princeton Hotel, 1982

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#28 Tracks and Snow near Waterfront, 1980

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#29 West German Visitor, 1982

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#30 Freighter, 1973

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#31 Kit Kat Klub, 1975

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#32 Pool Hall, Hastings Street, 1973

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#33 Lux Theatre, 1975

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#34 Lucky Strike Lanes, 1975

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#35 Granville Street Bridge, 1975

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#36 Roller Coaster, 1981

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#37 Chinese Sailor/Movie Poster. 1981

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#38 Pumps’, Cordova St., 1982

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