When Sharilyn Kuehnel worked at Opus Art Supplies on the ground floor of the Dominion Building, she had a couple of ghostly encounters. The store had occupied what was once a bank. The manager’s former office had been repurposed into the store’s community classroom, while the bank’s vault became the inventory room.
“As the manager, I spent many early hours, as well as some late nights in that space and had several run ins with spirits,” she says. “There were countless times when staff felt uncomfortable in the bank manager’s office. My own kids hated being alone in that room. It was a room you just didn’t want to hang around in.”
One morning in the middle of summer, Sharilyn and a co-worker were at work when they encountered a cold spot.*
She says that there was no air conditioning to explain the cold air that hovered in the hallway leading to the bank manager’s old office.
“My co-worker walked through the cold spot and came into my office and joked that she had encountered a ghost. So of course we went back out to investigate. Sure enough there was an icy-cold spot. The entire store was sweltering hot, except for this one spot.”
The cold spot disappeared about an hour later when the store opened and filled with customers.
There is an emergency staircase that runs up the back of the building and is not easily accessible to the public. One day Sharilyn and a co-worker heard a woman calling for help from the back stairwell. When they went to check, nobody was there. “The cries started again as soon as we were back in our store. Once again, we checked and nothing. This went on for a bit until I guess whoever it was got help or got bored!”
*Interview with Greg Mansfield, author of Ghosts of Vancouver on Cold Case Canada Halloween episode 56
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Are there any stories of anyone who has died in the building ?
So, far the only one I know of is the fake story that says the architect fell down the stairs and killed himself. It never happened.
Hi Eve. We have met and talked before. I think I may have told you about my encounter with a ghost (spirit, apparition) in the Dominion Building. It was on a Friday afternoon, just before the long weekend in July. This was about 1964 to 1967, I don’t remember the actual year. I was a delivery driver working the downtown route. My last delivery was to a business on the 4th floor (I do remember that) and it was about 5:00. Typical of Vancouver before a long weekend, the building was virtually empty. I thought maybe somebody might still be there, or possibly I could leave it with another office. When I reached the fourth floor and knocked on the door I felt a weird presence right behind me, and something seemed to touch my shoulder. I turned quickly and nothing was there, yet I felt goosebumps on my arm and I was scared. I literally ran down the stairs and out the door, and jumped in the truck. I still recall that feeling vividly and driving by the building or seeing pictures of it still bring back that memory.
You didn’t tell me about this, but I’m glad you have now! We’ll have to do a whole Halloween episode on the Dominion Building next year.
Great story on the perfect day 👻
Thanks so much Tracy, glad you enjoyed it!