150 West Hastings Street

The value of 150 West Hastings Street lies in its location near Vancouver's centre of commerce in the early twentieth century. From about 1907 on, construction of prestige office and bank buildings of a new scale and design occurred at an unprecedented pace in Vancouver. Despite outward appearances of earlier design, they were among the most advanced buildings of their time, using steel girders and concrete in their structural systems.

Built in 1903 as a bicycle repair and tailor shop, it is typical of the small commercial buildings which rose by the scores in the early years of the twentieth century. The building's simple design demonstrates the change in public taste from the highly decorated facades of the Victorian era to the more sedate facades of the Edwardian age. By 1906, it had become a retail outlet with diverse tenants, such as contractors, gasoline engine manufacturers, real estate agents and a billiard parlour. By 1910, it housed several of the investment companies which sprung up in Vancouver in the early years of the twentieth century, when the city was experiencing unprecedented growth. Changes in tenants mirror the economic conditions of the surrounding area - fully occupied by a variety of businesses during the good times and vacant during the downturns.