With the help of the Gastown Business Improvement Society and the Vancouver archives you can now learn about each building in Gastown through the Gastown Blog Building History Series. Enjoy and keep posted for more history from the Gastown Blog.

In this week’s addition, we are profiling the Canadian Fairbanks Building, home to Vancouver Rug Import. Check out our previous Building History posts on the Hotel Europe, the Landing, Leckie Building, Hotel Dominion, Holland Block, and Packing House

Canadian Fairbanks Building (also known as The McLennan & McFeely Building) – 111 Water Street
Built: 1905
Architectural Style: Edwardian Commercial
Architects: William Tuff Whiteway & Edward Evans Blackmore

Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives. BU.P.504.N.4. Year 1905

The Canadian Fairbanks Building is a three-storey masonary commercial building located on the North West corner of Water and Abbott Street. It was originally built for hardware merchants McLennan and McFeely; However they never occupied it as they had already started construction of a larger warehouse at 55 East Cordova Street.

The building was leased to the Canadian Fairbanks Company which was the largest machinery and mill supply company in Canada. This reflects the growing importance of the resource industry in B.C. and the need for a large-scale supplier of machinery and equipment to B.C.’s logging and mining industries

Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives BU.P.504.2. Year 1905

Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives. BU.P.504.N.723.1. Year 1905

Like many of the buildings on the north side of Water Street, the Canadian Fairbanks Building was built on piles on infilled water lots. By the 1980’s, it’s foundation had decayed to the point where collapse was inevitable. Extensive renovations in 1987 reclaimed the nearly condemned building for office and retail use.

Photo Credit: City of Vancouver Archives. BU.P.504.N.723.1. Year 1905