BC Collateral and Loan Buildings

The BC Collateral and Loan Buildings are of heritage value to the downtown east side for the business’ continuous local entrepreneurship for nearly 90 years. They are also valued as examples of commercial buildings that have been adapted to continuously suit the needs of one business.

Since 1918, the business has provided credit to customers at this location. Now commonly known as a pawnshop, the business provides small loans mostly to lower income residents of the downtown east side. The fact that a business has sustained itself through numerous economic cycles for so long is rare for a business in this area.

The buildings’ alterations and expansions are examples of how buildings were adapted to suit the needs of a growing business. This business started in the two-storey building (lot 19) and expanded into the adjacent three-storey building (lot 20) in the 1960s.

The alterations are also important to the history of the buildings because they reflect how Vancouver was changing both commercially and physically in the twentieth century. By 1934, the façade of the two-storey building had been renovated to an Art Deco appearance to reflect the contemporary aesthetic of the day, and by the 1970s, the rotating neon sign was mounted on the façade of the three-storey building.