VHF’s Heritage Hour (formerly Evening Lectures) series offers illustrated talks that look at the history of Vancouver, covering the events, movements and people that have shaped our city. Since the first event in 2012, the series has included a diverse range of subjects and perspectives in over 50 talks from more than 30 presenters. A listing of many of them can be found below.
Heritage Hour talks will continue in person for the fall 2024 season. Join us at University Women’s Club at Hycroft from 7pm to 8:30pm to enjoy fascinating pieces of Vancouver’s heritage with a selection of local speakers.
You can earn 1 Heritage Conservation Education credit per Heritage Hour talk or Lunch and Learn, to a maximum of 3 towards VHF’s Heritage Conservation Certificate.
Thank you to our event partner
Tuesday, January 20th 7pm - 8:30pm
University Women's Club at Hycroft Manor
$20/15+tax
Join us for an evening of conversation at Hycroft as we kick off our celebration of 15th Anniversary of the Places that Matter project. Created in 2011 to celebrate Vancouver’s 125th anniversary, it now includes and helps to recognize over 100 community-nominated sites, highlighting some of the people, places and events that tell the stories of Vancouver’s history. VHF’s Community Engagement Manager Jessica Quan will moderate a discussion with community members John Atkin, Imogene Lim and Naveen Girn that explores the beginning of the Places that Matter, as well as the ongoing importance of the project.
About the Moderator
Jessica Quan is a lifelong Vancouver resident with a passion for connecting with communities. Jessica has been with Vancouver Heritage Foundation since 2012, and her current role is Community Engagement Manager. She is the keystone manager of Places That Matter, Vancouver’s register of community nominated heritage places and stories that are not acknowledged through traditional heritage recognition avenues.
About the Speakers
Dr. Imogene Lim, 林慕珍, is a retired anthropologist and a descendant of head-tax payers from Cumberland’s and Vancouver’s Chinatowns. She is a founding director of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, and the Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC.
John Atkin is a civic historian, author and heritage consultant. He offers an interesting and offbeat insight into the city’s architecture, history and neighbourhoods through a series of unique and popular walking tours. These combine his interests in urban planning and development, a love of architecture and a fascination for the curious
Naveen Girn is a recognized leader in community engagement and stakeholder relations, with a focus on fostering collaboration and trust across diverse sectors.Naveen is co-host of The Nameless Collective Podcast, which uncovers untold stories from Vancouver’s past, and often speaks at public events and to the media about intercultural dialogue, community history, storytelling, and community engagement.
Photo Caption: Arbutus Grocery PTM plaque presentation in 2012 (Credit VHF)
Preserving Fronds, Not Fonds: Conservation and Digitization of a Fern Album
Tuesday, March 24th, 7pm - 8:30pm
University Women's Club at Hycroft Manor
$20/15+tax
From digitizing Council minutes to a curious fern album donated to the City of Vancouver Archives in 1938, the latest piece of scanning equipment acquired by the Archives opens the possibilities of what can be digitized. Join us in a conversation with City of Vancouver Archives staff as they discuss the interesting technical challenges that are involved with these projects. Using a early 20th century fern album, they will speak to the considerations, challenges and work that goes on behind the scenes to make digitized records accessible to researchers.
About the Speakers:
Heather Gordon is the City Archivist and responsible for overall strategic planning for the Archives and its day-to-day operations.
Bronwyn Smyth is an Archival Assistant who provides access to the Archives’ holdings.
Dorcas Tong is the Digital Conservator who is responsible for overseeing and facilitating the preservation program at the Archives.
Mandy Roddick is the Digitization Technician who, with a background in graphic design and photo editing, has meticulously digitized nearly 140,000 images over the course of 14 years at the Archives.
Photo Caption: A photo of pressed Asplenium bulbiforum included in the book (Credit: City of Vancouver Archives LEG4839.1.04)
The Francophone Pioneers of the Lower Mainland
Tuesday, April 21, 7pm - 8:30pm
University Women's Club at Hycroft Manor
$20/15+tax
From the very earliest decades of European settlement in the Lower Mainland, Francophones played an active part in the social, economic and religious development of the area. From Gastown to Langley, including, of course, Maillardville, familiar names will be encountered, right up to the new Francophonies that more recently augment this linguistic group.
About the Speaker
Originally from Ottawa, Maurice Guibord has resided in Vancouver for 35 years, where he obtained a Masters in History from SFU. His curiosity about the lack of information in B.C. historical publications on the Francophones that played an active part in the development of the province led to his present position as Executive Director of the Société historique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique.
Photo caption: Pierre Paris Shoes on Hastings St., Vancouver in 1945 (Credit VPL 5007)
Chinese Canadian Architects and the Vancouver They Built
Tuesday, May 26th, 7pm - 8:30pm
University Women's Club at Hycroft Manor
$20/15+tax
Despite the various threads in the narrative about Vancouver’s architects and architecture, there has been a lack of research focusing on the collective experiences of Chinese-Canadian architects within the city’s architectural and social history. In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, this talk traces the legacy of Chinese-Canadian architects in shaping Vancouver’s urban landscape, exploring how architecture serves as both an artistic expression and a social function.
About the Speaker
Edith Yiting Pan (PhD, Architecture, Cambridge) is a Jack and Doris Shadbolt Fellow in the Humanities at SFU, specializing in 19th- and 20th-century construction history and architectural heritage.
Photo Caption: Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden (Credit: Yiting Pan)
From the VHF Archives
Visit our YouTube page for more heritage and history themed videos including previously recorded evening lectures, including Hippie Vancouver: Activism in the ‘60s and ‘70s and its legacy with Michael Kluckner, Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow with Catherine Clement, and Japanese Hall 1928-2018: The Extraordinary Story of Community Resilience, Survival and Transformation with Laura Saimoto. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell to be notified when we upload new videos.
Yucho Chow photo courtesy of Peter Chow Collection in the Yucho Chow Community Archive. Please note this photograph is for research and study purposes only. Other uses require permission from the families.
Virtual Evening Lecture Recordings
Online
$16+tax
Join us from the comfort of home to enjoy fascinating pieces of Vancouver’s history with a selection of speakers. These illustrated lectures take a look at the history of Vancouver, covering the events, movements and people that have shaped our city from a diverse range of perspectives.
Recordings from past VHF virtual evening lecture are available. A link will be sent for each virtual evening lecture following your purchase and the video will be available for viewing on YouTube up to a month after your purchase.
Past Talks
- April 10th- Learning Heritage: An Evening with Robert Lemon
- May 20th -The Hollywood Theatre: A Development Love Story
- September 23rd -Uncovering a Lost Chapter of Canada’s History: An Evening with Catherine Clement
- October 28th – Blood in the Boonies: Crime and Misadventure in Old South Van
- November 25th – An Imaginary Line: the HBC, the US, and the Fight against the 49th Parallel
- May 21 – It All Started with 22: A Look Back at Fifty Years of Heritage in Vancouver – John Atkin and Jeannette Hlavach
- October 22 – Forgotten Stages: The Lost Theatres of Vancouver – John Atkin and Tom Carter
- November 26 – Places of Belonging: Looking at Chinese Societies in Vancouvers’ Chinatown – Larry Chin
- March 28 – Linking Time: Contemporary Cemetery Design within Historic Settings – Bill Pechet
- April 18 – (Re)Making home away from home: South Asians’ 120 Years in Vancouver – Dr. Satwinder Kaur Bains
- May 16 – White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver – Henry Tsang
- October 24 – The Queer Frontier – Glenn Tkach
- October 31 – Halloween: Costumes, Customs and Clothing in the 20th Century – Ivan Sayers
- March 15 – Hippie Vancouver: Activism in the ‘60s and ‘70s and its legacy – Michael Kluckner
- April 26 – Women’s Labour History in Vancouver – Bailey Garden
- March 2 – Vancouver’s Stained-Glass Heritage: Artists & Studios, 1889-1940 – Jim Wolf
- April 6 – Race, Regulation and Resistance: Understanding Vancouver’s South Asian community history – Milan Singh, Naveen Girn, Paneet Singh
- May 4 – Building BC: The Photography of Leonard Frank and Otto Landauer – Michael Schwartz
- September 28 – BC’s Black Pioneers: Economic, Political and Social Influences – Fran Morrison
- October 26 – Lower Mount Pleasant: Industry, Immigrants and Institutions – Christine Hagemoen
- November 30 – All Aboard! A virtual tour of Vancouver’s neon past and present – John Atkin and Angus McIntyre
- March 3 – A Century of Planning Vancouver: From Bartholomew to City Plan – Michael Kluckner
- October 27 – Chinatown Through a Wide Lens: The Hidden Photographs of Yucho Chow – Catherine Clement
- November 17 – Vancouver After Dark: Stories of the City’s Historical Nightspots – Aaron Chapman
- December 1 – The Changing Landscape of Vancouver’s Private Gardens, 1890-2020 – Adrienne Brown
- February 26 – Vancouver’s Hidden Heritage Building: The Resurrection of the Heather Pavilion – Donald Luxton
- April 9 – Japanese Hall 1928-2018: The Extraordinary Story of Community Resilience, Survival and Transformation – Laura Saimoto
- April 30 – The Francophone Pioneers of Vancouver: A Little-known History and Legacy – Maurice Guibord
- October 1 – “Just what is it that makes the modern house so different, so appealing?” – Greg Bellerby
- October 29 – The History and Legacy of the Vancouver Park Board – John Coupar & Terri Clark
- November 26 – “Land of Destiny”: A History of Vancouver Real Estate – Jesse Donaldson
- February 27 – Stanley Park: Digging Deeper and Rethinking Cultural Heritage – Rena Soutar (Cha’an Dtut) & Geordie Howe
- March 20 – Squat City: An Informal History of Squatters in Vancouver – Daniel Francis
- April 24 – Themes, Subthemes and Memes: Telling History in a Different Way – Donald Luxton
- September 18 – Private Property, Public Regulation, and the History of the Arbutus Corridor – Douglas Harris
- October 9 – Vancouver’s Police Museum: Stories from 240 E Cordova – Rosslyn Shipp & Elizabeth Peterson
- October 30 – Granville Street: 1886 to Today – Commerce, Entertainment and Historic Buildings – Aaron Chapman & Michael Gordon
- February 21 – Stanley Park Sites and Stories: Then and Now – Adrienne Brown
- March 28 – Rum-runners and Border Wars: Prohibition in BC – Daniel Francis
- April 25 – Ten Myths About Vancouver: The Real Stories – John Atkin
- September 19 – Shaughnessy’s Backstory – Michael Kluckner
- October 24 – What a Mess: False Creek, the Industrial Waterway – John Atkin
- November 7 – Kitsilano Indian Reserve: Contact to Today – Douglas Harris
- February 16 – Selling Vancouver to Tourists: 1890 – 1960 – Michael Kluckner
- April 5 – How Streetcars and Real Estate Shaped Vancouver – John Atkin
- May 29 – The Crescent: From the CPR and the Garden City to Today – Adrienne Brown
- October 18 – Sawmills and Opera Houses: The Origins of Chinatown – John Atkin
- November 1 – The Legacy Sites and Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – Jason Beck
- November 29 – Who was Major Matthews? – Heather Gordon
- January 21 – Vancouver as a Sustainable City – Dr. Tom Hutton
- March 4 – Challenges & Trends: Public Engagement for Community Planning – Dr. Maged Senbel
- April 15 – Arts & Crafts Movement of the Pacific Northwest – Larry Kreisman
- September 30 – Gentrification, Heritage & the Future of Vancouver – Michael Kluckner
- October 21 – Samuel Maclure in Shaughnessy – Jim Wolf
- November 4 – Vancouver’s Vaudeville: the Great White Way – John Atkin & Tom Carter
- February 19 – How Chinatown became a National Historic Site – John Atkin & Jeanette Hlavach
- March 19 – History of electric car – John Stonier
- April 16 – Marriage of architecture and gardens – Christine Allen
- September 17 – Big Bands in Vancouver – Dal Richards & John Mackie
- October 15 – 1913’s 100 year building boom – John Atkin
- November 5 – COV’s Archivist’s picks, new acquisitions & the challenges of archiving digitizing records – Heather Gordon
- January 17 – History of Exterior Paint Schemes – Donald Luxton
- February 21 – History of Neon Light in Vancouver – John Atkin
- March 6 – History of Stained Glass – Jim Wolf
- September 25 – Vancouver’s early transit system – Henry Ewert
- October 2 – Architectural History of Vancouver – Donald Luxton
- October 30 – Catalogue Homes in Vancouver – John Atkin
A packed audience at Hycroft Manor for Dal Richards and John Mackie in 2013.
Dal Richards and John Mackie chat about big bands in Vancouver in 2013.
Audience member at one of the 2014 evening lectures at Hycroft Manor.
Author and artist Michael Kluckner spoke about gentrification that began as early as the 1950s in Vancouver during his 2014 lecture.
John Atkin launches the 2012 spring evening lecture series at Hycroft with a talk on the history of neon in Vancouver.
Donald Luxton gives a presentation on the resurrection of the Heather Pavilion in 2019.
Dr. Tom Hutton gave a lecture on Vancouver as a sustainable city in 2014.
Drawing Room in Hycroft Manor
Atrium in Hycroft Manor
A packed audience at Hycroft Manor for Dal Richards and John Mackie in 2013.
Dal Richards and John Mackie chat about big bands in Vancouver in 2013.
Audience member at one of the 2014 evening lectures at Hycroft Manor.
Author and artist Michael Kluckner spoke about gentrification that began as early as the 1950s in Vancouver during his 2014 lecture.
John Atkin launches the 2012 spring evening lecture series at Hycroft with a talk on the history of neon in Vancouver.
Donald Luxton gives a presentation on the resurrection of the Heather Pavilion in 2019.
Dr. Tom Hutton gave a lecture on Vancouver as a sustainable city in 2014.
Drawing Room in Hycroft Manor
Atrium in Hycroft Manor