Exterior view of the B.C. Telephone Exchange Building, 2004
Photo: City of Nanaimo, Christine Meutzner, 2004
- Built
- 1900–1910
- Recognized
- 2002
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The B.C. Telephone Exchange Building is a vernacular Edwardian style building located in the downtown core. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.
Heritage value
The B.C.Telephone Exchange Building is a very good example of a vernacular Edwardian style commercial building. The taller building, purchased by B.C. Telephone in 1908, was built around 1900 as a lodge for the Knights of Pythias and featured classical columns and pediments. In 1926, B.C. Telephone purchased the smaller adjacent building and undertook an extensive renovation to visually unify the two buildings. They were later joined with an addition that now forms the main entry.
The B.C. Telephone Exchange Building is significant as an early example of the adaptive reuse of buildings to suit corporate needs. The facade redevelopment modernized the B.C.Telephone Building and projected a more utilitarian, progressive image, appropriate for a service provider, than the original elaborate facade.
The B.C. Telephone Exchange Building housed the local telephone exchange for almost 60 years and is significant because of its long association with a key community service.
SourceCity of Nanaimo, Development Services Department, file #6800-20-H01-02/70-76 Bastion Street
Character‑defining elements
Character-defining elements of the B.C. Telephone Exchange Building include:
-All of the elements of the vernacular Edwardian style as expressed in the brick construction, overall simple, restrained appearance and cornice.
-The downtown location within a grouping of historic buildings.
End of the register’s text
Location
70 Bastion Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R, Canada
49.16700° N, 123.93700° W
Get directions (opens in a new tab)Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.
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Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
B.C. Telephone BuildingNorth Vancouver, British Columbia
BC Telephone Company ExchangePort Moody, British Columbia
Steveston Telephone ExchangeRichmond, British Columbia
North Telephone ExchangeEdmonton, Alberta
St. John's Telephone Exchange BuildingWinnipeg, Manitoba
Inglewood Telephone BuildingCalgary, Alberta
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.