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Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Now & Then: Granville Island Brewing building in 1974 and 2020

Once upon a time, Granville Island was an oil-soaked shanty town full of decrepit warehouses
John Bentley - Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Now & Then
granville-island-brewing
The building that has housed Granville Island Brewing since the mid-1980s, as seen in 1974 and 2020Photos: John Bentley/Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Now & Then and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Archives

It wasn't long ago that Granville Island was nothing more than an oil-soaked shanty town full of decrepit warehouses hidden under the Granville Bridge.

I remember driving there in the early 1980s and getting stuck in the mud. Now it's one of the city's most popular destinations for both locals and tourists.

Many old buildings remain, like this one that has housed Granville Island Brewing since 1984, and there are some pretty exciting plans for the future of Granville Island.

granville-island-brewing
The building that has housed Granville Island Brewing since the mid-1980s, as seen in 1974 and 2020. Photos: John Bentley/Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Now & Then and Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Archives

John Bentley is an architectural photographer who has photographed the inside and outside of thousands of buildings around Vancouver. Using images from the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­Archives he offers a glimpse of the past and present on his site .