{"id":44549,"date":"2012-09-05T05:32:39","date_gmt":"2012-09-05T11:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=44549"},"modified":"2020-06-20T20:50:44","modified_gmt":"2020-06-21T00:50:44","slug":"jimi-hendrix-shrine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=44549","title":{"rendered":"Jimi Hendrix Shrine"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the beginning of the Adanac Bikeway, next to the Red Cross building, and at the junction of Main and Union Street is a little red brick building that is a piece of Vancouver’s music history. It is the Jimi Hendrix Shrine, a non-descript building that probably would have disappeared long ago if not for Hendrix fans.<\/p>\n

As the story goes… the building was part of a series of structures that made up Vie’s Chicken and Steak House<\/em>, the place where Nora Hendrix (Jimi’s grandmother) worked and where Jimi stayed and played music in the 1960s as a young musician. <\/p>\n

However, the building is more than a shrine to Jimi. It’s a testament to the life of Nora Hendrix<\/a> and gives us a glimpse into Vancouver’s African American history. <\/p>\n

Across the street from the shrine is what used to be Hogan’s Alley, a place where black musicians gathered and played music into the night. Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Harry Hogan all played the Alley and contributed to the area’s vibrant community. <\/p>\n

In later years the area developed a rather infamous reputation for prostitution and gambling. This most likely had an influence on the city’s decision to construct the Georgia Viaduct over Hogan’s Alley, which subsequently destroyed the community.<\/p>\n

This little shrine is all that remains to remind us of this piece of Vancouver’s history. <\/p>\n