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Second Rogers Block

412 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1986/09/23

Exterior view of the Second Rogers Block; City of Vancouver, 2005
Front elevation
No Image
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Other Name(s)

Second Rogers Block
Rogers Block

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1898/01/01 to 1899/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/08/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Second Rogers Block is an asymmetrical three-storey masonry building with an elaborate rough-dressed sandstone front facade trimmed with metal cornices. It is located mid-block on West Hastings Street between Homer and Richards Streets within the context of other commercial buildings of a similar age and scale.

Heritage Value

The Second Rogers Block is valued for its association with a pioneer Vancouver developer and for its links to the Klondike gold rush building boom. The initial outfitting of the Klondikers occurred on Cordova Street, but as money and investment poured into the city, West Hastings Street was transformed into one of the most prominent retail and commercial streets in early Vancouver. Located in close proximity to regional transportation facilities and the booming commerce of Gastown, this structure was constructed hastily in 1898-99.

This building is significant for its associations with Jonathan Rogers (1865-1945), an early Vancouver developer, contractor and financier. He had arrived on the first passenger train to Vancouver in 1887, and attended the first sale of Canadian Pacific Railway lots. Despite the severe economic slump of the mid-1890s, he demonstrated his faith in the new city in 1894 by announcing his intentions to stay and invest in its future. His optimism was justified just a few years later, when prospectors poured into the city to outfit themselves for the trip north, allowing him to start this building in 1898 and several other projects in the area. He continued to ride the crest of the great western boom, culminating in his construction of a third Rogers Building on Granville Street, 1911-13. Highly respected in the community, Rogers was chair of the Vancouver Parks Board for nine years, an early promoter of comprehensive town planning and one of the founders of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

The urgency of the times is illustrated by the construction history of this building. It was started in October 1898, when building operations were usually suspended for the winter. For the first time in Vancouver an immense umbrella was erected over the workmen to protect them from the wet weather. Rogers was determined to push on with this project with the greatest speed and have it completed by the spring.

Additionally, this building is of heritage value for its commercial architecture, which exhibits the late persistence of the influence of the Romanesque Revival style. The front facade features rough-dressed sandstone cladding, opus quadratum work, smooth dressed granite window surrounds and elaborate sheet metal cornices and brackets. The eclectic nature and picturesque appearance of the design demonstrate the sensibilities of the Late Victorian era, at a time of transition towards the influence of the Classical Revival styles. The robust expression of the front facade conveyed an image of strength and security through contrasting textures and a unity of materials. This building also displays the emerging impact of technology on commercial buildings. As construction techniques improved, window sizes were increased to take advantage of available light. The Second Rogers Block was designed with a notably large amount of glazing on its front facade.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Second Rogers Block include its:
- location in an area of historic commercial buildings on Hastings Street
- contribution to the streetscape as part of an unbroken streetwall with continuous retail storefronts
- siting on the front and side property lines, with loading dock at rear
- form, scale and massing, as expressed by its asymmetrical three-storey height, flat roof and rectangular plan
- masonry construction, as expressed by granite foundations, rough-dressed sandstone front facade, smooth-dressed granite window surrounds and sills, common red brick rear and side walls, sandstone window sills on rear facade and brick internal chimney
- Romanesque Revival design influence, as expressed by rough-dressed sandstone front facade with opus quadratum courses above and below the smooth-dressed window surrounds, deeply recessed windows divided by stone piers, and stone lintels, sills and surrounds
- exterior features, such as the sheet metal cornices, with elaborate brackets, at the parapet level and above the storefront, and the iron I-beam storefront header with rosettes
- fenestration: large rectangular storefront display windows, regular punched window openings on the front facade, and segmental arch window openings on the rear facade

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

City of Vancouver

Recognition Statute

Vancouver Charter, s.582

Recognition Type

Community Heritage Register

Recognition Date

1986/09/23

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Office or Office Building

Historic

Commerce / Commercial Services
Shop or Wholesale Establishment

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

DhRs-562

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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