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Vancouver Now & Then: The West End's majestic Queen Charlotte in 1928 and 2020

From a pre-WWII apartment building to present-day $1 million condos
Queen Charlotte
The Queen Charlotte at 1101 Nicola St in Vancouver's West End, seen in 1928 and 2020

The West End experienced a massive building boom during the 1920s, including the Marlboro apartments, and the Queen Charlotte, pictured here, at 1101 Nicola St.

It was built by Dominion Construction for a businessman and politician named Henry Herbert Stevens, whose beliefs in white supremacy led to his active involvement in the shameful Komagata Maru incident.

The Queen Charlotte was restored by the late Robert Ledingham and now consists of 25 million-dollar condo units.

The Queen Charlotte
The Queen Charlotte at 1101 Nicola St in Vancouver's West End, seen in 1928 and 2020. Photos: John Bentley/Vancouver Now & Then and Vancouver Archives

John Bentley is an architectural photographer who has photographed the inside and outside of thousands of buildings around Vancouver. Using images from the Vancouver Archives he offers a glimpse of the past and present on his site Vancouver Now & Then