Vancouver has seen massive growth since it was founded in 1886.
Compared with many other cities worldwide it's quite young; luckily that means there are photos that document the city's growth over the decades, many of which are with the City of Vancouver archives.
While Vancouver doesn't have an intersection that can definitively be named the centre of the city, the meeting of Robson and Granville has as good a case as any, with Robson's shopping and Granville's entertainment districts meeting.
It's also just a block or two away from the Vancouver Art Gallery (which also has an argument for it, though it's not an intersection), the central library, major music venues (the Orpheum and Commodore Ballroom, among others), and a SkyTrain station.
Over the years it has been central to the growth of the city. Initially, Vancouver was based around Gastown, but that shifted west to what is now considered downtown Vancouver in the city's early days.
Major buildings were built in the area soon after the city was founded. The first Hotel Vancouver was built at Granville and Georgia, and the Vancouver Opera House was built on Granville between Robson and Georgia.
Granville and Robson both continued to grow, with streetcars operating on both of them. A bridge was built at the south end of Granville into Fairview, turning it into a major route into the city for the growing suburbs, including the wealthy Shaughnessy neighbourhood.
Robson was also one of the first major streets in Vancouver; it's been a shopping destination since 1895, and now it has shops and restaurants almost its entire length from BC Place to Stanley Park.
