Alexander Street was renowned for its brothels in the early 1900s, including this building at number 500 which was originally built as a rooming house in 1912.
In 1918 it was listed as the Sailors Home (rooms around two bucks a week) until it closed in 1954.
It later housed a business belonging to Al Hubbard, an eccentric entrepreneur who was known as the “Johnny Appleseed of LSD.”
Ultimately, the dilapidated structure was acquired and renovated by the Atira Development Society.
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.
