Community Heritage Register
Zorkin Building
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Also known as Adirim's Junk Store
Exterior view of the Zorkin Building
Photo: City of Nanaimo, Christine Meutzner, 2005
- Built
- 1931
- Recognized
- 2002
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The Zorkin Building is a two storey, vernacular commercial building located on the main commercial thoroughfare of one of Nanaimo's oldest neighbourhoods, adjacent to the downtown core. The historic place is confined to the building footprint.
Heritage value
The Zorkin Building is significant for its association with realtor Mladen Zorkin, who developed numerous recreational, commercial and residential properties on mid-Vancouver Island. In addition to opening the first strip mall in British Columbia at Terminal Park in Nanaimo in the 1950s, Zorkin later developed other areas of Nanaimo and properties at French Creek and Columbia Beach in the Parksville/Qualicum area.
Zorkin is also significant for his role in the publication of the Vancouver Island-based Croatian Voice newspaper. Zorkin used the pro-Croatian newspaper as a platform to advocate for Croatian independence. During the course of his lobbying effort, he met with Prime Ministers Lester Pearson, John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien.
The Zorkin Building is part of a grouping of similarly scaled historic commercial buildings on the north side of this city block.
SourceCity of Nanaimo, Development Services Department
Character‑defining elements
The character-defining elements of the Zorkin Building include:
-the building's location, within a group of similarly scaled historic buildings, on the main commercial thoroughfare of one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods.
End of the register’s text
Location
418 Fitxwilliam Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R, Canada
49.16560° N, 123.94200° 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.
Loading map…
Similar places
Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.
From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.