The Imperial Bank of Canada opened its new building on April 21, 1958 at Granville and Dunsmuir Streets. It featured this stunning mural by BC Binning. The building is now occupied by a Shoppers Drug Mart, but the mural is still there.
From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
The Mural:
Next time you’re downtown and have a mascara emergency or need some aspirin, drop into the Shoppers Drug Mart at Granville and Dunsmuir. Once you hit the cosmetics area, you might just forget what you came in there for, because opposite the front entrance and right above the gift cards is one of the hidden wonders of Vancouver—a stunning tile mosaic created by legendary artist BC Binning in 1958.
Although it’s probably best not to, if you go up to the second floor, you can actually touch one of the 200,000 pieces of Venetian glass that make up this massive mural that dominates the entire length of the wall. Binning, an artist who taught architecture, was commissioned by the Imperial Bank of Canada to celebrate the province’s booming resource-based economy, from hydroelectricity and forestry to shipping and agriculture, with a “key” to help interpret it.
Made in Italy:
Binning spent more than three months in Venice overseeing its preparation. He climbed a ladder a few times each day to look down at the growing tile and marble mosaic for the overall effect. When the greens weren’t as vibrant as he expected, he had the tiles changed. When the mosaic was finished—all 500 square feet of it—it was shipped to Canada in 12 boxes, to be reassembled on the wall like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
McCarter Nairne (the architects behind the Marine Building, Devonshire Hotel, and Georgia Medical and Dental Building, designed the mid-century building which featured terrazzo floors, polished granite and marble columns.
From Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History
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19 comments on “BC Binning’s Secret Mural”
The things I don’t know about my city. Thanks for the interesting post!
I remember when The Keg was Fairweather’s women’s clothing store in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. I shopped there a lot.
I feel a “mascara emergency” coming on… I’m a fan of mid-century art and it looks as though Binning’s efforts have endured over time. Still, the original building would be my preference.
Thank you Eve, for revealing this hidden treasure.
Thanks for this. Good art is pretty thin on the ground in Vancouver, and this was an excellent find.
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed the post!
This wall is extremely beautiful. I must see it! Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Definitely worth the trip! Thanks for dropping by the blog
Another wonderful piece of history you’ve found for us, Eve. Thanks!
My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed the post!
I’m pleased to see that this has survived. Unfortunately the Shadbolt mural painted on leather in the dining room of the Alcazar Hotel didn’t. The building that now houses The Keg was originally the B.C. Electric appliance showroom and store. I gather portions of decoration of the Post Office on Georgia will be preserved. The 1950’s produced some fun examples of art as part of a building.
I had forgotten that the mural was there, as I don’t go downtown very often. My next trip will include the mural.
I am thrilled to see this .my hometown and I remember this. Wonderful
Thank you.
You’re so welcome!
I want out bc relief map back somewhere. Was at the PNE and was perfect to show visitors in town how big our province is
I remember loving that BC relief map as well. Years after seeing it for the first time, I challenged my grade 7 students to use papier mache on a board to build up a favourite region of B.C. I was impressed with how much further my young students were able to build their relief maps.
Excellent article Eve. One of the downtown walking tours hosted by Vancouver Heritage Foundation includes this stop to enjoy B.C. Binning’s work!
Sooz
I was born in 1972 and grew up in Vancouver and this image so familiar. I think it might have been on a school textbook cover or something? We have to preserve the history, thanks for doing this. It is too bad we have lost so much in Vancouver to new development.
I used to bank at this CIBC branch in the 1990s just so I’d have an excuse to go in every two weeks to deposit my paycheque and gawp at my favourite piece of “public” art. Every time, I’d stand in the middle of the floor and stare at it for a minute or so before leaving. The security guards probably thought I was a nutter. I am glad to see it’s survived, but I don’t imagine the building will for long. I believe the VAG has Binning’s cartoon of the design in its holdings.
[…] Eve Lazarus, author of “Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History”, provides an excellent overview of the history of the mural and a visual key to help interpret the different sections: “https://evelazarus.com/bc-binnings-secret-mural/ […]