Pither & Leiser Building

Gastown is the historic core of Vancouver, and is the city's earliest, most historic area of commercial buildings and warehouses. The Pither and Leiser Building is representative of the importance of Gastown as the trans-shipment point between the terminus of the railway and Pacific shipping routes, and the consequent expansion of Vancouver into western Canada's predominant commercial centre in the early twentieth century. As Vancouver prospered, substantial warehouses were built on piles on infilled water lots between Water Street and the Canadian Pacific Railway trestle. Pither and Leiser were importers of wines, liquors, and cigars from around the world, and were one of British Columbia's most successful import businesses at the time of this building's construction. The firm was based in Victoria, and as their business expanded, this building was opened as their Vancouver warehouse and distribution center.

The Pither and Leiser Building is valued as an example of Edwardian era commercial architecture. Designed by Hooper and Watkins, one of the province's leading architectural firms, the refined building elements illustrate the development of Gastown as a progressive business district, and Vancouver as a modern city at the turn of the last century. The strong design features of this building, based on restrained detailing and simple proportions, are typical of Edwardian era warehouses.

As the warehousing and light industry functions in Gastown became obsolete, a number of early warehouse structures were adapted to other uses. This structure's early adaptive reuse within the context of the redevelopment of Gastown as a heritage district represents the changing nature of the local context and economy from warehousing and manufacturing to commercial, retail and residential uses.