I just returned from an Alaskan cruise with my parents, both retired teachers, whose promotion and adoration of ‘continuous education’ extends into all facets of life, including holidays. Needless to say, my 7 days asea were spent absorbing and learning about a beautiful state, its people, and then of course, a little vegging on the ship!   This trip got me thinking about looking at Vancouver from a new perspective – as if I was a foreigner in my own city. How would I view this place? How would I understand the history and culture? One way, would be through the city’s built heritage.    Vancouver’s Heritage Register, adopted in 1986 contains a listing of 2,172 buildings and structures, streetscapes, landscape resources and archaeological sites, which have architectural or historical heritage value.These listings are evaluated with the following criteria:  

• Architectural significance
• Historical significance
• The extent to which the original context of the building and its surroundings remain
• The degree of alteration to the exterior of the building

  Through the sea of towering glass high-rises here in Vancouver, a few heritage jewels stand out amongst the rest. Here’s a snapshot of some of my favourites:   1) The Marine Building / 355 Burrard / 1929-30 A brilliant example of art deco designed by Vancouver’s John McCarter and George Nairne. Inspired by a Mayan temple, the lavish entryway is adorned with sculptures of sea life. A 2-storey vaulted lobby impresses with stained glass and tiled walls. Massive brass-doored elevators feature walls inlaid with 12 varieties of local hardwoods.    2) Sun Tower / 100 West Pender / 1911-12 Commissioned to house The Vancouver World newspaper, the beaux-arts style tower designed by W.T. Whiteway was named the “Tallest Building in the British Empire” at 269 feet. From 1937-65 it was home to The Vancouver Sun newspaper. The top features nine caryatid sculptures of young maidens by sculptor Charles Marega, the same man behind the lions at the Lions Gate Bridge.    3) Sylvia Hotel / 1154 Gilford / 1912 The Sylvia was originally designed as an apartment building by W.P. White, a Seattle architect, and was built for a Mr. Goldstein who named the building after his daughter.  This 8-storey landmark was eventually converted into an apartment hotel and now operates fully as a hotel.  It’s had a lot of firsts, from opening the first cocktail bar in 1954 to being the first hotel to become ‘pet friendly’.  Today its brick and terra-cotta exterior is almost completely covered in vines and its patio is still one of the best places for enjoying a beverage while savouring a sunset over English Bay.     4) Heritage Hall / 3102 Main Street / 1914 Designed by A. Campbell Hope and David Ewart and built by T.J Whiteside and G.E. Williamson, the building was originally constructed as a Post Office and is currently used as a community arts venue. Its impressive stone and brick architecture and prominent clock tower are classic examples of Beaux Arts design.   With the recent demolition of The Pantages Theatre on East Hastings, the oldest remaining vaudeville theatre in Western Canada, and the constant demolition of heritage homes in my Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, it’s become increasingly apparent that retaining heritage buildings in our city is something that needs to be prioritized.  We must all recognize and respect the value of these buildings and do our part to maintain and preserve them, so future generations can honour and learn from them.  For a full list of the top 10 endangered heritage sites, click here.   Today, several developers including Amacon (The Beasley, District), Aqualini (Maynards Block), PCI (Exchange), and Salient (Trapp Block, Terminus, The Paris Block, Bowman Block, Taylor Building), are marrying heritage components into new building design, and deserve recognition for retaining and celebrating these important buildings of our past.   Heritage buildings shape the city, provide a sense of identity, add character and help us understand where we came from.  Let’s ensure we respect our past so its future is bright.   Krista Shirreff