Proposed pagoda for Pender Street, from the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect. In a 1969 article from the Calgary Herald, ‘Corny’ Architecture Rapped at Meeting, it mentions that Vancouver is importing a genuine pagoda from the Orient, to be used as a pagoda; I presume this is the pagoda they are are referring to. Instead of the extravagant pagoda seen here, the city would eventually get the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, which was built in 1985 and completed just in time for Expo 86. I for one am glad we got the garden over the pagoda; in this particular location, the pagoda seems clearly out of proportion to the street and surrounding buildings. One final detail to note; as you can see in the second photograph, Pender Street was once a one-way street heading west at this junction.
Cover image of Chinatown, from the October 1968 issue of Canadian Architect, artist unknown. The scene illustrates E Pender Street, looking towards Carrall. Inside this issue are a number of fantasy concepts which I hope to feature in a series of upcoming posts. Click here for the Google Street View today.
Restoration Report: A Case for Renewed Life in the Old City, a brochure originally published circa 1969 by the City of Vancouver Department of Planning & Civic Development and Birmingham & Wood, Architects. Illustrations inside this urban plan for a revitalized Gastown would not look out of place in today’s landscape.
You can see this brochure in the Vancouver Heritage Foundation Reading Room, established thanks to a generous donation by Yosef Wosk.
717 East Pender by Marlene Yuen, a book artist, and seen at the Alcuin Society Wayzgoose 2011. From the limited edition accordion book A Haunting History of Vancouver, hand printed silkscreen images with glow-in-the-dark ink, published October, 2011.
Flyer 2912, painting number 6 in a series of 24 paintings of the old buses of Vancouver, by Cindy Buckshon. Featuring the number 4 bus turning up Granville Street in front of the Rogers Sugar building at West Pender. Acrylic on wood, 48 x 24 inches. From April 1 – April 23, Cindy has a painting of Brill 2282 on exhibit at a juried show “Celebration of Spring – A Fresh Start” held by the Burnaby Arts Council at the Deer Lake Gallery.
Where was the hostel again? by Bambi Edlund, posted Friday, February 1st, 2008 at http://www.lepenquotidien.com/
