Contributor: Christine Hagemoen

Portrait

Christine Hagemoen is a 3rd generation Vancouverite who’s been working in the culture and heritage sector for over 15 years. An avid photographer, historical researcher and self-identified flâneur, Christine is constantly looking around her city and discovering things she wants to know more about. Christine loves delving into Vancouver’s history and reflecting on how it informs our present and future.

You Should Know

Vancouver’s Cruel and Ridiculous Lack of Public Toilets: A History

Despite its world class pretensions, this city has always made it hard for its citizens to find relief on the go.

You Should Know / Chinatown

How Chinatown’s ‘Ding-Ho’ Once Ruled Vancouver’s Take-Out and Delivery Game

Christine Hagemoen shares how a trailblazing Canadian-Chinese fast food restaurant indelibly changed our food scene.

You Should Know / Main Street

How Mt. Pleasant Narrowly Escaped Having a Massive Cop Shop and Jail

In early the early 1950s, the City of Vancouver had big plans to build a new police station where Kingsgate Mall is today.

You Should Know

The Origins of Vancouver’s Fitness Fetish

We trace the story of the government-sponsored program that once had Vancouverites sweating en masse.

You Should Know

You Should Know About Vancouver’s Long, Explosive Relationship With Halloween

Christine Hagemoen dials back the local clock to understand how and why our city associates Halloween with fireworks.

You Should Know / Main Street

Iconic Mt. Pleasant Spot Gets a Name Change

A curious new entry on Google Maps inspired a neighbourhood history lover to learn about the formidable Gertrude Guerin.

You Should Know / Downtown

How Bikes Liberated Vancouver

In her latest "You Should Know" story, Christine Hagemoen reminds us of how the bicycle first took our city by storm.

You Should Know / Gastown

You Should Know That Gastown Was Home to Canada’s First Movie Theatre

In this edition of 'You Should Know', we remember the groundbreaking Edison Electric Theatre on W. Cordova Street.

You Should Know / Downtown

Once Upon a Time, Street Photographers Worked Our Sidewalks Hard

In her latest essay, Christine Hagemoen reminds us of a disappeared facet of daily life in downtown Vancouver.

You Should Know

Vancouver Once Had a City Architect, and He Was As Prolific As He Was Controversial

The 'You Should Know' series continues with a look at A.J. Bird, the architect behind some of Vancouver's most iconic buildings.

You Should Know / Downtown East Side

You Should Know About Pigeon Park

How commercial interests, social engineering politicians, pigeons and people shaped the Downtown Eastside's "living room".

You Should Know

You Should Know About ‘Newsie Jack’

At just 5'1", newspaper seller Jack Kanchikoff may have been small in stature, but he left a big impression on Vancouver.

You Should Know / Main Street

The Hidden Last Vestige of Old Mount Pleasant

In the shadow of a new, 21-storey luxury condo development sits a forgotten piece of neighbourhood history.

You Should Know / New Westminster

Once a Local Prison, Now a Preschool and Pub

The remnants of the old BC Pen in New Westminster have come a long way in their storied history and you should know about it.

You Should Know / North Vancouver

How 1,000 Vancouver Women Fought World War II from the North Shore

Our 'You Should Know' series continues with a look at the historical importance of a swathe of North Van waterfront.

1,000 Cool Things About Vancouver

From Humble Beginnings Came This Outstanding, Week-Long Beer Festival

Our '1,000 Cool Things About Vancouver' series continues with a no brainer: Vancouver Craft Beer Week

You Should Know / Downtown

Vancouver’s First Public Art Superstar

Carlos Marega made a huge impact on the look and feel of early Vancouver, and many of his works remained treasured civic icons.

You Should Know

Hunting Vancouver’s Forgotten Sidewalk Prisms

17 Places

These historic gems were common a 100 years ago. Now they're disappearing fast. Let this map/essay lead you to those that remain.

You Should Know / Sunshine Coast

How TV Introduced the West Coast to Canada

A look back at The Beachcombers, the long-running TV show that put Gibsons on every Canadian's radar.

You Should Know

How to Find the Old Streetcar Scars of East Van

9 Places

In this You Should Know photo essay, Christine Hagemoen traces evidence of the route of the old Georgia East streetcar line.

You Should Know / Main Street

You Should Know the Story of the Building at the Heart of Mount Pleasant

The 1947 scalene icon sits like a sphinx at the intersection of Main and Kingsway, hiding a sexy secret beneath its rough stucco.

You Should Know / West Side

The Oldest Part of Vancouver Might Not Be Where You Think It Is

Vancouver is often said to have begun at Hastings Mill at the foot of Dunlevy Street, but the area we now know as Marpole is just as old.

You Should Know / Strathcona

The Vancouver Park with the ‘Hobo Jungle’ Past

Before it was a magnet to beer league baseball players and dog walkers, this green space was home to a dump and a homeless camp.

You Should Know / Downtown

You Should Know Vancouver Was the Last City on the Continent to Drive on the Left

The people of Vancouver woke up on New Year's Day in 1922 to a streetscape that was the same but forever changed.

You Should Know / Burnaby

Ghosts, Cults, Students and Art: the Bizarre History of the Fairacres Mansion

Long before it became the Burnaby Art Gallery, this comely pile on Deer Lake was home to a cult and a bunch of college kids.

You Should Know

How Lulu Island Got Its Sweet Name

True story: the island that grew into the City of Richmond was named after a teenaged American showgirl.

You Should Know / West End

Where Icons & Giants Once Took the Stage in Vancouver’s West End

The Georgia Auditorium might be long gone, but the old concert hall will forever be a big part of our entertainment history.

You Should Know / Downtown

Vancouver’s First Film and its Connection to the Titanic

110 years ago William Harbeck attached a 35mm film camera to the front of a Vancouver streetcar, Go-Pro style...