Photo: City of Nanaimo, Christine Meutzner, 2004
- Construction
- 1955
- Reconnaissance
- 2002
- Par
- Administrations locales (C.-B.)
Le texte du répertoire, mot pour mot
Description
The Jean Burns Building is a two-storey, International style building situated at a key intersection in downtown Nanaimo. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.
Valeur patrimoniale
Designed by prominent local architect Thomas McArravy and built in 1955, the Jean Burns Building is a good example of the International style. A notable design feature is the 2nd floor access stairway which is exposed to the street by a paneled glass wall. The building has been renovated but remains largely intact and represents an important trend towards a more modern, progressive architecture in post-war Nanaimo.
The building is significant for its association with Jean Burns, who operated a Ladies and Children's Wear Shop from this site for over forty years. Burns opened branches at other Vancouver Island locations and is best remembered for the elegant, upscale merchandise and service she provided.
The Jean Burns Building forms part of a significant cluster of heritage buildings located at the intersection of Commercial and Wallace Streets and Victoria Crescent. The building backs onto a significant pedestrian thoroughfare called the China Steps in honor of the early Chinese settlement once located in the area.
SourceCity of Nanaimo, Development Services Department, file #6800-20-H01-02/6-10 Commercial Street
Éléments caractéristiques
Character-defining elements of the Jean Burns Building include:
-All of the elements of the International Style as expressed in the simple horizontal form, concrete and glass construction, smooth and uniform wall surfaces and glass paneled stairway wall.
-The location within a cluster of heritage buildings at a prominent downtown intersection and adjacent to a heritage interpretation site.
Fin du texte du répertoire
Emplacement
49.16400° N, 123.93600° W
Itinéraire (s’ouvre dans un nouvel onglet)L’inscription au répertoire ne rend pas un lieu accessible au public. Beaucoup sont des résidences ou des commerces privés; admirez-les depuis la rue.
Chargement de la carte…
À proximité
Les 127 lieux de Nanaimo
Lieux semblables
Les lieux dont la description du répertoire se rapproche le plus de celle-ci.
Tiré du Répertoire canadien des lieux patrimoniaux, dans sa dernière mise à jour du 12 décembre 2025. Le texte du répertoire est reproduit mot pour mot.