1920 David Spencer Limited City Map or Plan of Vancouver, British Columbia

This is a c. 1920 David Spencer Department Store city map or plan of Vancouver, British Columbia. The map depicts the city from the University of British Columbia to Boundary Road and from First Narrows and Stanley Park to the Fraser River. A large arrow indicates the location of the David Spencer Limited Department Store, which is identified by large lettering in Vancouver Harbor. Concentric circles centered on the store emanate from here, informing the viewer of the distance in miles from the store to different parts of the city. Apart from emphasizing the location of the department store, an incredible level of detail is present. Myriad streets throughout the city are labeled and blocks along major thoroughfares are numbered. Parks, country clubs, and beaches are identified, as are several neighborhoods.

David Spencer Department Stores

David Spencer Limited was a department store chain that operated in British Columbia in the late 19th and early 20 century. Founded by David Spencer (1837 – 1920), the first store opened in Victoria in 1873 followed by a flagship store in Vancouver in 1907. In 1926, Spencer had a new flagship building built in Vancouver, which occupied nearly the entire 500 block of Hastings Street, stood five stories tall with another four below street level, and had 320,000 square feet of retail space. Spencer's operated from here until it was acquired by the T. Eaton Company in 1948. Today, the building serves as the 'Harbour Centre' campus of Simon Fraser University.

Publication History and Census

This map was created for and published by David Spencer Limited Department Store c. 1920. We have been unable to locate any other examples.