B.C. Telephone Building

The heritage value of the B.C. Telephone Building is associated with its location in Lower Lonsdale, the commercial core of North Vancouver, and the earliest, most historic area of commercial buildings on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet. Lower Lonsdale grew explosively from the turn of the twentieth century until the general financial depression in 1913 halted the ambitious construction of the previous years. The streetcar, ferry to Vancouver and the Pacific Great Eastern railway converged at the south foot of Lonsdale Avenue, the major transportation hub on the North Shore. The area represents a formative period in B.C.'s economy, driven at the time by major industries including logging and shipbuilding.

Built in 1926, the B.C. Telephone Building is valued as an early commercial building in the City of North Vancouver. It was designed by the B.C. Telephone Building Department for use as the Company's local office space. The necessity of such a building indicates the growth of consumer technology, and the increased development and population growth of the area. The building is designed in a modest Classical Revival style, dominated by strong symmetry and a prominent triangular parapet, recalling classical architecture on a modest scale. The design intent was utilitarian, but was crafted with finely detailed elements, including interior elements such as mosaic tiles and fine oak millwork.