Description of Historic Place

The historic place at 56 Powell Street is a three-storey mixed retail and commercial building in Vancouver's historic Gastown.

Heritage Value

Most likely constructed in the early or mid-1890s, this building has heritage value for both its architecture and its historical associations. The building is a good example of the transition from the busy Victorian Italianate and Richardsonian Romanesque Styles to the much plainer Commercial Style. The brick cornice and the rusticated stone string courses below the windows are vestiges of the earlier, more ornate styles, whereas the simple, paired, segmental-headed sash windows are characteristic of the later style. Individually and in combination, these features contribute to the heritage value. The form of the building at the rear is of some interest; it follows the angled line of the railway right-of-way and speaks directly to the railway's role in shaping both the urban form and the commercial viability of the neighbourhood.

When the building was constructed it was likely owned by John Babcock Lovell of Victoria. He is of some note as he served on the municipal council and school board in that city. This was not Lovell's only property investment in Vancouver. He seems to be one of the many British Columbians who chose to invest in real estate in Vancouver in the 1880s and 1890s. By 1904 the building was owned by Angelo Calori. The Calori family owned the nearby Europe Hotel and for a period the upper floors of the subject building were used as an annex for the hotel. This use continued subsequently as residential or housekeeping rooms. It was typical of the neighbourhood, which provided housing to loggers and other seasonal workers.

Through most of its history the ground floor was used for retail shops and services. Over time these included a leather goods merchant, a barbershop, a pool hall, and a cafe. These uses are all typical of the area. The barbershop is of particular interest because it was Japanese-owned and reflects the predominate ethnicity along Powell Street, which from the 1890s until 1941 was known as 'Little Tokyo.'

Also of considerable significance is the tenancy here in the late 1960s and the 1970s of the Georgia Straight newspaper. A key institution of Vancouver's vibrant youth counter culture, the 'Straight' was constantly in trouble with 'authorities', who viewed it as a threat to civilization. Within the counter culture, the Straight also had its critics, including a group of women who took it over, protesting its use of pictures of nude women to sell newspapers. At another point the paper was taken over by its employees. There were also police raids. These actions all reflect the social unrest of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which was a feature of life in Vancouver and many other parts of the world.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of 56 Powell Street include:
- Location on Powell Street, with the front elevation directly on the street and the lot truncated at an angle at the rear by the railway right-of-way
- Decorative architectural details, including the brickwork of the parapet and cornice, the brick and rusticated stone string courses, and the segmentally-arched windows
- Plain treatment of the brick walls on the second and third storeys
- Wood, double-hung, one-over-one vertical sash windows arranged in pairs
- The material and arrangements of the storefront, with the central doorway, and the side entrance to the upper floors
- The use of the main floor for retail purposes and the upper floors for residences