By 1916 automobiles had become a common sight on the city’s streets and South Granville started to see the construction of the first of several gas stations but there was only one automobile dealer. BC Motors had their showroom at 15th. Avenue just west of Granville Street and sold popular though long vanished models such as Premier, King 8, and Lexington, along with Federal trucks. (Pictured above: City of Vancouver Archives photo CVA 99 5160)

A few years later the building became the new home of the Hemphill Automobile and Gas Tractor Engineering School which trained students from around the province in the engineering arts. When the Hemphill school moved out the building became home to the Growers Wine Company before it was torn down for for apartments.

Big Chief Service was at the north west corner of Granville and 15th Avenue.

To the south, 16th Avenue was the city boundary (until 1929) and on the other side and on the top of what locals called “Steep Hill” the Canadian Pacific Railway opened its exclusive Shaughnessy subdivision for land sales in 1907.