Description of Historic Place

The historic place at 106 West Hastings Street is a three-storey Italian Renaissance Revival masonry commercial building at the southwest corner of Abbott and West Hastings Streets in Vancouver.

Heritage Value

The value of 106 West Hastings Street is its location in a cluster of three- and four-storey early commercial buildings. Together they represent the patterns of retail shopping and services around the turn of the twentieth century in Vancouver. As late as the 1970s, there were still several large retail outlets including Army and Navy, Fields, Fedco, Woolworth's and Woodward's located in the immediate area. Smaller businesses flourished as they catered to shopper drawn to the larger outlets, as well as to the needs of local residents. These smaller operations included restaurants, banks, grocery outlets, furniture stores, jewellers, newsstands, mens and women's clothing stores, bookstores, drugstores, barbers, and tailors. In the evenings, patrons visited the theatres, clubs, billiard halls, and bars.

Built in 1904-1905 by architects Parr and Fee for the Thompson Brothers, this was the home of Charley Dunn & Company, tailors who would later open a series of successful retail outlets which continue to this day. In 1907, the building became the home of the Bismarck Café, one of Vancouver's elite dining establishments. The Café once had 'a full orchestra, seating for 115 people, eight private dining rooms and an electric fountain.' From 1916 to 1935, this was the location of the Black and White Hat Store. It was the home of Owl Drugs for sixty years; they had the main retail floor 'modernized' in the 1940s, although the specifications called for the use of the original plate glass wherever possible. In later years, the corner store was the home of David Gordon Shoes. The building is now used as stores and rental apartments.

There is also value in the building's architectural style. In an area of narrow lots, the building has an unusually long facade; this is emphasized by the horizontal brick string courses.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of 106 West Hastings Street include:
- its corner location
- its presence in a grouping of three- and four-storey early commercial buildings
- its relationship with other buildings within the Hastings Street strip and adjoining neighbourhoods
- built right to the lot line with no setbacks
- characteristics of the Italian Renaissance revival style, including masonry construction, plain cornice with dentils, pattern of fenestration - one-over-one, double-hung wood sash on the upper storeys, and stone stringcourse
- retail presence on the main floor