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 A.P. Slade Building , home to Lloyd’s of Gastown and Frances Hill’s.

Check out our previous Building History posts on the Hotel Europe, the Landing, Leckie Building, Hotel Dominion, Holland Block, Packing House, Canadian Fairbanks Building, The Boulder, Springer-Van Bramer, Ferguson Block,  Winters Hotel, Buscombe Building, Malkin Building and City Hotel.

B.C. Plate Glass & Importing Co. Building (also known as A.P. Slade Building) - 159 Water Street
Built:  1906
Architectural Style:  Edwardian Commercial

This building was built in 1906 by Edward Cook, a Vancouver land-owner and contractor, for the B.C. Plate Glass and Importing Company as their warehouse.  The windows were chosen by B.C. Plate Glass to demonstrate the different products they offered.  The second to fifth floor windows are made of large panels of plate glass in a fixed sash.  The windows on the two top floors use the more conventional double hung wood-sash windows.

PHOTO: CVA 99 – 3273. 1920

Originally the building was supposed to be only three stories but due to a huge demand for rental space during this period, the height was increased to seven stories.

PHOTO: CVA 99-2448 March 1930 Fire at A.P. Slade’s warehouse

The building is also known as the A.P. Slade Building as for many years it was home to their produce and dairy distribution company.  They were the major distributor in Vancouver of fresh farm eggs to the commercial trade.

PHOTO: CVA 99 2450 March 1930 Fire at A.P. Slade’s warehouse

A.P. Slade. Then and Now.