Vancouver’s Hidden Design Gems

Woe unto you, O People of Vancouver, if you ignore these paragons of local architecture and design. Condominiums with more sales pitch than closet space aren't properties worth gushing over, but they get the most attention in Vancouver. Forget them. What we wanted to know is, What are Vancouver's ten most neglected of underappreciated masterpieces? We got our answers from three industry experts: – Celine Pitre of Celine Interiors

Dal Grauer Substation | 970 Burrard Street
This mondernist masterpiece, an innovation in style when completed in 1954, now sits in drab contrast to the glitz of the Burrard Street revamp. The Dal Grauer was designed by architect Ned Pratt and artist B.C.

Ovaltine Cafe | 251 East Hastings
Every city has a fantastic diner. This is not ours. Sure, it’s had a starring role in every movie of the week made in Vancouver, but its downmarket flavor leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Asks Cynthia Penner “

Arbutus Mall | 16th & Arbutus
Step in the way-back machine on the corner of 16th and Arbutus, home of the Ridge Theater and Varsity Bowling. It’s charm is as tangible as the scent of mildew. “I like the theater’s street appearance. It is

The Pantages | 152 East Hastings
An early part of vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages’s empire, this down-at-heel relic is Vancouver’s oldest theater. The once opulent showhall was designed by Edward Evans Blackmore but what will its future

The Lido | 518 E. Broadway
It captured the imagination of all who stumbled past. A decrepit grocery store with decades-old stock and, once cleared out, over $400,000 in bills worth more as historical artifacts than currency. It’s now a Chulo Pony out

1885 Yew St.
A psychedelic throwback to the days when Kitsilano was a hotbed of all things hippie. Adding to the vulgarity are the top-floor party animals who are known to drop a rubber spider onto unsuspecting passers-by. It’s the only apartment bui

Sam Kee Building | 8 Pender Street
Anything motivated by spite is bound to thrill. In 1913, the City of Vancouver increased the width of West Pender Street, which, they must now have known, Sam Kee owned. The nerve! Not to be bullied by “the man,&qu

Vancouver Maritime Museum | 1905 Ogden
The triangle – nature’s perfect polygon – runs riot at the Maritime Museum, but who cares? Certainly not the army of school kids who grudgingly daytrip this drydock, which is home to the St. Roch, a

Maxine’s Hideaway | 1215 Bidwell
Once a house of ill repute connected to the home of sugar czar B. T. Rogers by a secret tunnel, this grande dame of the West End ain’t what she used to be. Currently occupying the space is a dinner cabaret. &ldquo

Finn Slough | South Richmond
Nestled on the Fraser River sits Finn Slough, Vancouver’s Venice, kinda. It’s a century-old Scandinavian fishing community that stands on stilts, and if it looks like an off-the-grid squatters colony, there’s a re


Woe unto you, O People of Vancouver, if you ignore these paragons of local architecture and design.

Condominiums with more sales pitch than closet space aren’t properties worth gushing over, but they get the most attention in Vancouver. Forget them. What we wanted to know is, What are Vancouver’s ten most neglected of underappreciated masterpieces? We got our answers from three industry experts:

– Celine Pitre of Celine Interiors
– Cynthia Penner of Box Interior Design
– Bronek Proschek of Environmental Design Group

Did we miss your favourite? Don’t be afraid of the comment box below.

(Special thanks to photographer Christine McAvoy.)