History
The building was conceived by Lt. Commander J.W. Hobbs, an entrepreneur from Toronto. Hobbs recognized that the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 would greatly increase Vancouver's importance as a commercial port, and decided that the city needed a grand building, in the vein of the newly constructed Chrysler Building in New York. [4] The design was assigned to McCarter Nairne and Partners, who had never worked on the design of a skyscraper before. [4] Construction started on March 13, 1929 [2] [1] as reported by a local newspaper:
Yesterday morning, His Worship Mayor W.H. Malkin blew a blast on a golden whistle and with it set in motion the steam shovel that will excavate the site for the new Burrard Street Marine skyscraper.
The building was completed on 7 October 1930. At 97.8 metres (321 ft) (22 floors) it was the tallest skyscraper in the city until 1939. [5] According to the architects, McCarter & Nairne, the building was intended to evoke "some great crag rising from the sea, clinging with sea flora and fauna, tinted in sea-green, touched with gold." [6] The building cost $2.3 million to build – $1.1 million over budget—but due to the Great Depression it was sold to the Guinness family of Ireland for only $900,000. The 2016 property assessment is $90 million.
There was an observation deck, but during the depression in the 1930s the 25-cent admission price proved unaffordable for most. Currently, there are no public galleries in the building.
Inside the massive brass-doored elevators the walls are inlaid with 12 varieties of local hardwoods. All over the walls and polished brass doors are depictions of sea snails, skate, crabs, turtles, carp, scallops, seaweed and sea horses, as well as the transportation means of the era. The floor presents the zodiac signs. The exterior is studded with flora and fauna, tinted in sea-green and touched with gold.
During a renovation from 1982-1989 to update the electrical, mechanical and air-conditioning systems, the "battleship linoleum" (imported from Scotland) in the lobby was replaced with marble. The former Merchant Exchange was also gutted, and is now a restaurant called Tractor Foods. This building was also the management centre for Oneworld, of one of the three largest airline alliances in the world, from its founding in May 2000 until it was relocated to New York City in June 2011.
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, formerly and still informally called the Hotel Vancouver, is a historic hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. Located along West Georgia Street the hotel is situated within the city's Financial District, in Downtown Vancouver. The hotel was designed by two architects, John Smith Archibald, and John Schofield. The hotel is currently managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is the public library system for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2013, VPL had more than 6.9 million visits with patrons borrowing nearly 9.5 million items including: books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs, video games, newspapers and magazines. Across 22 locations and online, VPL serves nearly 428,000 active members and is the third-largest public library system in Canada.
One Wall Centre, also known as the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre North Tower, is a 48-storey, 157.8 m (518 ft) skyscraper hotel with residential condominiums in the Wall Centre development at 1088 Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The tower was designed by Perkins+Will Canada, and completed in 2001, and went on to win the Emporis Skyscraper Award for the Best New Skyscraper the same year. As of March 2018 it is the fourth-tallest building in the city.
The Burrard Street Bridge is a four-lane, Art Deco style, steel truss bridge constructed in 1930–1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The high, five part bridge on four piers spans False Creek, connecting downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano via connections to Burrard Street on both ends. It is one of three bridges crossing False Creek. The other two bridges are the Granville Bridge, three blocks or 0.5 km (0.31 mi) to the southeast, and the Cambie Street Bridge, about 11 blocks or 2 km (1.2 mi) to the east. In addition to the vehicle deck, the Burrard Bridge has 2.6 m wide sidewalks and a dedicated cycling lanes on both sides.
Burrard Street is a major thoroughfare in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the central street of Downtown Vancouver and the Financial District. The street is named for Burrard Inlet, located at its northern terminus, which in turn is named for Sir Harry Burrard-Neale.
Granville Square is a prominent tower located at 200 Granville Street in the Financial District within the city's downtown core of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Completed in 1973, the building stands at 138.4 metres tall. The tower and its plaza are located atop the tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and adjacent to Waterfront Station.
Royal Centre, also known as RBC Tower or Royal Bank Tower, is a skyscraper complex located at 1055 West Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver's Financial District. The skyscraper stands at just under 145m tall and 37 storeys. Royal Centre was the tallest building in Vancouver upon completion in 1973 and remained so until it was overtaken by Harbour Centre in 1977.
Park Place is a signature skyscraper located at 666 Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver's Financial District. Park Place has 35 storeys, and was completed in 1984. It stands at 140 m (459 ft) and is one of the tallest buildings in the city. It is currently managed by Quadreal Property Group.
Harbour Centre is a skyscraper in the central business district of Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which opened in 1977. The "Lookout" tower atop the office building makes it one of the tallest structures in Vancouver and a prominent landmark on the city's skyline. With its 360-degree viewing deck, it also serves as a tourist attraction with the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant, offering a physically unobstructed view of the city.
The Bentall Centre is a 1.5 million square foot office complex and underground shopping mall, located in Downtown Vancouver's financial district. It is owned and managed by Hudson Pacific Properties. The shopping mall under the complex is known as "The Shops at Bentall Centre", and includes approximately 50 stores and a food court. The mall has a direct connection to Burrard Station of the SkyTrain network.
Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north shore of the False Creek inlet, which cuts into the Burrard Peninsula creating the Downtown Peninsula, where the West End neighbourhood and Stanley Park are also located.
Kansas City City Hall is the official seat of government for the city of Kansas City, Missouri, United States. Located in downtown, it is a 29-story skyscraper with an observation deck. Completed in 1937, the building has a Beaux-Arts and Art-Deco style with numerous architectural features and ornamentation throughout. One Kansas City Place was modeled as a 1980s version of City Hall, and is the tallest building in Kansas City.
The Seaforth Armoury is a Canadian Forces armoury located at 1650 Burrard Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the home of The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, a Primary Reserve Infantry unit. The building was designed by the architectural firm of McCarter and Nairne, and is now listed as a Class A Heritage Building.
750 Burrard Street is a building in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at the northeast corner of Robson Street and Burrard Street.
The Financial District is a highrise office commercial area within the central business district of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located roughly along Burrard and West Georgia Streets on the Downtown Peninsula, the Financial District contains more than 60% of Greater Vancouver's office space, and is home to headquarters of forest products and mining companies. The area contains numerous federal and non-governmental organizations (NGO) offices, overseas missions and consulates, and headquarter and branch offices of national and international banks and financial services, accounting and law firms, and luxury hotels.
The Law Courts building is part of the landmark Robson Square complex in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was designed by renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. The Law Courts building occupies the southern block of the three city block complex, provincial government offices the middle block, and the Vancouver Art Gallery the northern block. The building is used exclusively by the two higher courts of the Province of British Columbia: the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
The City of Vancouver Archives is the City of Vancouver's official archival repository for government documents, as well as the home to many personal and corporate records telling the story of the community. The archives serves as the repository for historical records generated by the City of Vancouver, including the Mayor's Office, the Parks Board, the Board of Police Commissioners, the Vancouver Police Department, and the Office of the City Clerk. It also contains numerous collections from private donors, businesses, and community groups. The archives are part of the City Clerk's Department.
