Celebrating our architectural heritage

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by whatnext

I've gone by this building on South Granville hundreds of times but until I stopped to take a photo did I realize what a great compact piece of midcentury design it is, right down to its brass-looking spandrel. All on what looks to be one city-sized lot:

Here it is a few years after it was built. It's called the Block Building, (presumably developed by Block Bros.), completed in 1965, designed by Townley, Matheson & Partners. I'm not sure who designed the Royal Bank at Granville & Broadway, but it's older (1957) and likely to be replaced, as it was acquired by PCI as an investment opportunity.


[source: City of Vancouver Archives]

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Here it is a few years after it was built. It's called the Block Building, (presumably developed by Block Bros.), completed in 1965, designed by Townley, Matheson & Partners. I'm not sure who designed the Royal Bank at Granville & Broadway, but it's older (1957) and likely to be replaced, as it was acquired by PCI as an investment opportunity.

[source: City of Vancouver Archives]

I really like the Block Building too, one of my fav of that style in Vancouver and perfectly scaled for it's location. My favorite thing about it is the art piece above the entrance. Sorry for the huge images, the art piece is above the entrance to the far right of the bottom picture. New modern buildings need wall art like this, it looks like the original doors were quite interesting too, since removed. The glass awnings are not original and don't really compliment the architecture IMO. The RBC building at Granville and Broadway suffered the same 90's awning fate and doesn't work with the late Streamlined Moderne aesthetic.

Personally I like the RBC building facade, the Rose coloured spandrel, black and white enamel steel and thick black granite base are quite nice and reminds me of the colourful cars of the 50's. I have wondered if the building may have been designed a few years prior but wasn't built until the late 50's. Interesting to note the glass in the curved corner windows is actually curved with the facade and not flat. I think it would be unfortunate to lose what was a substantial landmark building at the corner there for decades until the Clock Tower building was built across the street in the 80's. I'd love to see a redevelopment similar to the Post office downtown where larger openings are cut into the granite base for more retail and build a simple slim tower in the open courtyard and possibly the low rise buildings to the east could be amalgamated to a larger development.
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/vanc...-124394386.jpg


I believe Whatnext is referring to the RBC building that was downtown at the corner of Granville and Robson and demolished awhile ago.

https://archives.jewishmuseum.ca/upl...f/LF.00793.jpg

https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/...9ea-A39148.jpg

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

I believe Whatnext is referring to the RBC building that was downtown at the corner of Granville and Robson and demolished awhile ago.

I see the Granville / Broadway Bank as closer in glazing style. I think it was Officedweller who referenced Granville and Robson. That office had similar dimensions, but the style seemed less pure than the Block Building. It was 1963, designed by Underwood - McKinley - Cameron.


[source: Jewish Museum and Archives]

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Here it is a few years after it was built. It's called the Block Building, (presumably developed by Block Bros.), completed in 1965, designed by Townley, Matheson & Partners. I'm not sure who designed the Royal Bank at Granville & Broadway, but it's older (1957) and likely to be replaced, as it was acquired by PCI as an investment opportunity.


[source: City of Vancouver Archives]

Nice find, it looks barely changed, other than the ground floor tenant.

[Vin]

Like the ugly proposed building at Drake and Homer.

https://www.actonostry.ca/project/yaletown-square/

If they are building that thing to celebrate our local "architecture", that would be extremely sad.

[officedweller]

WRT Robson & Granville I was thinking more height and scale on the narrow lot, rather than international style.
But it was a nice clean design anchored by the offset core.

That's a nice sculpture / relief on the Block Building.

[Sheba]

The Cambie, Vancouver’s legendary watering hole, closing in November

One of Vancouver’s iconic watering holes is closing its doors.

Management with The Cambie Bar confirmed to Global News that the building housing the 122-year-old pub has been sold, and the business’s last day will be Nov. 30.

Known for its cheap pints and international crowd, the Cambie and the hostel above it holds a special place (or a special place of loathing) in the hearts of many who spent their youthful drinking years in Vancouver.

Back in 2001, the establishment earned the dubious honour of being ranked the #1 place to “get wasted on the cheap” by Vice Magazine.

Property records show the building changed hands on May 31 for $14.96 million. Its 2019 assessed value was $11.56 million.

Title records indicate the property was sold to a business named “300 Cambie Holdings,” which lists Steven Lippman as a director.

Lippman is known as the landlord behind a number of Downtown Eastside heritage restorations, including Wildebeest, Catch 122, Cuchillo, Kissa Tanto and Mamie Taylor’s, according to Vancouver Magazine.

Critics have accused Lippman’s past ventures of renovictions and of gentrifying the area.

The area around the pub has seen significant changes in recent years, not the least of which was the major redevelopment of the adjacent Woodwards building.

Billed on its website as “Vancouver’s oldest bar,” the building at 300-320 Cambie Street was designed and built in 1899 by Vancouver architects Parr and Fee, according to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

It was not immediately clear whether the business was changing hands or whether the new owners plan to redevelop the property. The building is on Vancouver’s Heritage Register and listed on Schedule A of the city’s Heritage By-Law, which bars its demolition or significant alteration without a heritage alteration permit.

The fate of the second Cambie location in Nanaimo is also unclear.

[Metro-One]

Wow, this one hurts. Been there many times! Love that old classic pub atmosphere.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Sheba

The Cambie, Vancouver’s legendary watering hole, closing in November

Take some of the building's 'history' with a pinch or two of salt. It is old - but not straight after the 1886 fire. It dates back to 1899, when it was built by a drug store company, and in the early 1900s it was a dry goods store. It became a hotel around 1910, with the Carlton Café, and soon after the Carlton Hotel. The building became a single room occupancy hotel known as the Cambie Hotel and then the Gastown Inn, and in 1997 it became the Cambie International hostel with over 120 beds and the Cambie pub downstairs.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Wow, this one hurts. Been there many times! Love that old classic pub atmosphere.

Yes the Cambie is an institution I still love, 25 years after my first uni nights there. This is genuinely a punch in the gut.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Wow, this one hurts. Been there many times! Love that old classic pub atmosphere.

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

Yes the Cambie is an institution I still love, 25 years after my first uni nights there. This is genuinely a punch in the gut.

This all begs the question: What is going in its place?

[Prometheus]

I wonder why its closing? I really hope it is not because the building ownership is applying for a heritage alteration permit in the hopes of demolishing this heritage building, which forms an integral part of Vancouver's only coherent heritage district.

Also, would it not be a part of the public record whether such an application has been made and/or granted?

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

I wonder why its closing? I really hope it is not because the building ownership is applying for a heritage alteration permit in the hopes of demolishing this heritage building, which forms an integral part of Vancouver's only coherent heritage district.

Also, would it not be a part of the public record whether such an application has been made and/or granted?

The new owner is indicated to be Steven Lippman. He has bought a series of DTES Single Room Occupancy hotels, renovated (not seismically, but aesthetically), and re-rented them at much higher rents, with fancier tenants in the main floor. He did the American on Main (although the first version, the Electric Owl didn't do so well, and it reopened as the American more recently). He also did a Powell Street SRO that has the Cuchillo restaurant, and East Georgia with Mamie Taylor.

He also did seven of the buildings on the 100 block of West Hastings, across from Woodwards. Unless he is thinking of redeveloping (which is very unlikely) he would only need renovation permits. It's reasonable to think he could convert the hostel to rentals units, and he could find a restaurant tenant without much difficulty.

[jlousa]

I know Steven Lippman has a bad rep in some circles, but personally I'm glad it's him. I was worried we'd see the Donnelly Group take over the pub.