Got an empty lot near you? A crumbling building? A bridge to nowhere? Have no fear, The Tyee's Place Detective is here! Our monthly series will explore mysteries of uncommon places and common places with mysterious pasts.
We'll take a magnifying glass to powerful forces in B.C. — from colonialism to resource extraction to real estate speculation — and how they manifest in your corner of the province.
If you have an idea for a place you think we should explore in a future story, get in touch via email.
In This Series
On East Hastings, the Case of the Empty Temple
A government entity has owned 301 E. Hastings since 2001. Why is it still vacant?
In Gastown, the Case of the Misunderstood Clock
Tourists flock to appreciate a past that never was. But the kitschy attraction nonetheless holds the story of the neighbourhood.
In Powell River, the Case of the ‘White Tower’
What is this weird building? Does it feel lonely, huddling between the highway and the sea walk?
The Case of the Nearly Lost Mural that Lionizes Workers
Fraser Wilson’s Maritime Labour Centre painting is a 1947 ode to what union members have accomplished.
At Metrotown, the Case of the Bridge to Nowhere
The end of the mall is nigh, but the building of a new pedestrian walkway is not.
In Northwest BC, the Case of the Missing Nuke
Secrecy hangs around the site of a 1950 plane crash in the Kispiox Mountains. Who is it protecting?
In False Creek, the Case of the Leg in the Boot
How did the popular square get its unique name? The answer bobs to the surface.
In Northern BC, the Case of the Mummified Mining Town
Why was the town of Kitsault suddenly abandoned, then preserved as a 1980s time capsule?
A Peek Inside the Mysterious Glass House on Deer Lake
How did this modernist gem end up on a public body of water in Burnaby?
The Case of the Ghostly Trestle
On the northern Sunshine Coast, a popular lake preserves the remnants of early settler history.
In Downtown Vancouver, the Case of the Vacant Hotel
Dunsmuir House was a fancy hotel, then housed low-income people. Now it sits empty.
Uncovering the Bitter History of Vancouver’s Sugar Refinery
This 134-year-old waterfront factory, still in use, has a dark past. Latest in our ‘Place Detective’ series.
Finding Heaven, Hell and Parking at Crystal Mall
The case of the weirdest underground lot in the Lower Mainland. And why there's method to the madness.
The Case of the Building That Couldn’t Be Bought
In downtown Vancouver, the Del Mar Hotel still bears the marks of an epic fight against gentrification.