Post Office and Federal Building

The heritage value of the Post Office and Federal 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. The Post Office and Federal Building occupies the site of the original District of North Vancouver Municipal Hall, built circa 1906, and a landmark in the Lower Lonsdale area.

The Post Office and Federal Building is of architectural significance as a representation of the buildings erected by the Federal government in the years following the Second World War. Built in the International Style, it reflects the progressive modernism of the post-war era. The austere architecture and prominent location combine to convey the power and authority of the Government of Canada. The building was designed by Gustave Brault, Chief Architect of the Federal Department of Public Works in Ottawa.