109 East Hastings Street, The Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret, a coloured drawing dated June 1986 by Keith McKellar, also seen published in the book Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Cafe and Street. The Smilin’ Buddha was the place to be seen in the city from the 1950s onward. An alternate work featuring the Buddha is viewable here on Keith’s website. From the Museum of Vancouver website:

The Smilin’ Buddha is one of the most iconic pieces of neon from Vancouver’s colourful history of neon signs. The Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret at 109 East Hastings Street was at the centre of Vancouver’s changing entertainment scene for decades. In the 1950s, the nightclub was a symbol of Vancouver’s post-war prosperity and bustle as captured in the photographic work of Fred Herzog. In the 1960s psychedelic era, it hosted acts such as Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. In the late 1970s, as punk and alternative music took hold in North America, the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret was ground zero for Vancouver’s new independent music scene. In 1992, after the club had closed, the rock band 54-40 acquired the sign, restored it, and the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret became the name of their 1994 release. The eight hundred-pound sign features neon on both faces. The Buddha’s chin and belly appear to jiggle, as bands of neon light flicker.

Big thanks to 54-40 band members Brad Merrit, Neil Osborne and Matt Johnson for saving this piece of Vancouver’s history, which can now be seen in the You Say You Want a Revolution gallery at the MoV.

Today, a community garden has taken root beside the former cabaret. Next time you walk past 109 East Hastings Street, pay your respects to the Buddha and Vancouver’s entertainment past.