Hogan’s Alley (Black Strathcona)

In its heyday from the 1930s to 40s, Hogan’s Alley was a collection of small cottages, Southern-style restaurants and makeshift nightclubs. Depending on who you spoke to, it was either a den of crime and squalor, or the most interesting and vibrant place in Vancouver.

In the 1960s, the music came to an end when the City decided that Hogan’s Alley, and parts of Chinatown, would be leveled for a freeway. Due to resistance from the community, the freeway was never built. However, the Georgia Viaduct was constructed in 1972. The Viaduct destroyed the western end of Hogan’s Alley. That demolition, and the fact that it was now easier for Blacks to find housing in other parts of the city brought an end to the first and last Black neighbourhood in Vancouver.