Every now and then I run a story under a series I call “Our Missing Heritage – What were we thinking?” It came out of my frustration from researching my books on home histories. Often I’d hear or read about a great story that happened in a house, or see a picture of an amazing building only to find out that it had turned into a parking lot, a boxy condo tower or a monster house.
Last week I looked at missing theatres that included the Strand, the Empress, the Rex, the Pantages and the Vancouver Opera House. Other posts have focussed on the Georgia Medical-Dental Building, the Devonshire Hotel, the Birks Building and the second Hotel Vancouver. Occasionally I take a look at a residential building such as Legg House in the West End, and lesser known ones such as the Fred Hollingsworth West Coast Modern house now missing from North Vancouver’s Edgemont Village.
Sadly, I have a growing list of buildings to add to future posts that have now been bulldozed out of existence. My question to you this week is – what’s your favourite building that we should have kept? It can be anywhere in B.C., commercial or residential, and it doesn’t have to be architecturally jaw dropping or eccentric. It may be a simple house that belonged to someone interesting or it may just have had a great story to tell. In other words, I’m looking for buildings that would have made our heritage a little bit richer if we’d let them stay around.
For more posts see: Our Missing Heritage
15 comments on “Our Missing Heritage – What should we have kept?”
Merry Christmas to you, Eve……Your posts and photos a appreciated…….Rob Cardinal.
Thanks Rob!
Hi Eve, (and Rob Cardinal) I remember visiting the always pleasant Dr. Tully in the Georgia Medical-Dental Building and loved all the artistic atmosphere. In 1989 I had just moved back to Vancouver after being in Toronto for two years, and thought it was a sad homecoming, watching it being blasted into oblivion. Young people nowadays seldom get to experience these types of buildings, where there were exquisite details everywhere, carvings and paintings, even the elevator ride was exciting. At least the new one has copies of the statues that adorned the outside, but ornate details are usually viewed as unnecessary expenses.
Keep up,the good work.
Seems like building demolitions are the “new” equivalent to public hangings …
Thanks for these interesting (although sad) posts on our lost buildings. I think the three most bone-headed demolitions were:
1) The 2nd Hotel Vancouver: for most of my adult life I never knew this incarnation of the Hotel Vancouver even existed. When I stumbled across articles and archival photos, I was completely blown away by the beauty and elaborate detail of this building, and I marveled that something this incredible once existed downtown.
2) The 2nd Pantages Theatre: again, both the exterior and interior were stunning – on par with any of the movie palaces in LA or New York. It was demolished in 1969 and turned into a parking lot. Can you imagine if this had become our civic theatre instead of the QE?
3) The Birks Building: an Edwardian beauty with an unusual curved corner. Unfortunately I was too young to have become familiar with it when it was demolished in the early 70’s. Heartbreaking when you look at what replaced it.
The whole complexion of Downtown Vancouver would have been so much richer and more interesting had those buildings been allowed to remain.
I agree with all of these, and thanks for reminding me of the second Pantages Theatre. Definitely should be on the list of dumb decisions that impact our city
It may not have been the most exciting old building in Vancouver, but the Orillia, on Robson Street at Seymour, was beloved by many.
A photo I made in 1984, just before demolitionof the early mixed-use project, shows the poor thing plastered with “Save Me!” entreaties — which went unheeded. The site is now dominated by an ugly glass box 16-floor office building.
I’m English and, sadly, only an infrequent visitor to Vancouver which I first visited about 1976/77. It was a fascinating place, full of quirky character and charm, even the rough and ready GasTown – which we loved.
I returned in 1999 and try to get back every two years and, especially since 2006, I have noticed a definite feeling of stark and ugly brutality in the architecture.
I have always loved the quirkiness of buildings and the charm and grace of proud old houses, and once upon a time I found a lot of this in Vancouver. We have amazing, and well protected, old buildings in the UK – of all types and styles – and there was always something lovely about the youth and impetuous variety of the buildings in Vancouver. They had traces of Europe, but with there very own special and unique designs, quirks and foibles. In the last ten years I started to see some of that beauty, age, charm, variety and simple grace, replaced by soulless monsters of buildings that could have been in any city anywhere. I still love Vancouver, it’s still one of my favourite cities, but I wish you had learnt the lessons it took us in Europe so long to learn – protect and keep your history. It’s not just in the recorded word, but also in the buildings, the land and the culture – and it’s almost impossible to replace. We now guard our old treasures like a dragon hoarding gold – I wish you would do the same before you find it’s gone for good (or for bad).
Hi Carrie: thanks so much for your insightful comments. I also wish we could see the value of heritage before it’s too late
Thanks so much for these posts, Eve .. I just learned of them today via Vancouver Vanishes (how apropos!).
Growing up in Vancouver since the 60s, it’s so hard to see (and remember) so many structures that are now gone which once made our city environment so diverse.
I don’t know the address, or if the buildings had special names (I bet they did, though), but every time I’m near the southern entrance to the Stanley Park causeway I think of the row of old heritage buildings on the SW corner of Georgia .. the ones where, on the ground level you could rent bikes and roller skates (now I’m dating myself) back in the late 70s. They were replaced by that multi-level tower style single residence with not much else going for it. I think I recall being told one of the buildings was supposed to have been one of the oldest in Vancouver. When those went I think that’s when my respect for the city-planning decision makers also was demolished.
I also seem to recall some controversey around then that no tall structures that could obstruct views of the harbour or park were supposed to be built at the north end of Denman … which is basically Coal Harbour now. I keep hearing this is ‘progess’ but I’m not so sure what’s progressing! And maybe my recollections are as shaky as some of the buildings that have been toppled, but I welcome any insight you may have if you know anything about this.
However sad these postings seem, I do appreciate your contributions .. so, again, Thanks!
The “Pillars” 1201 Pendrell. Replaced with a big box apartment building.
Just found a picture of the old house in the archives. It was beautiful, thanks so much for passing it along. I’ll include it in an upcoming post on our missing West End houses. Eve
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“Boxy condo tower?” That is an insult to tens of thousands of people – many of them families – that call those places home. After that, there was no need for me to read the rest. Multi-res have a much smaller ecological footprint than a low density, cold, inefficient old balloon frame house. We recommend you stay out of dabbling in urbanism.
There’s nothing offensive about the words “boxy”, “condo” or “tower”. They’re simple descriptors, and they apply, regardless of who lives in them.