Sun Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sun Tower is a Beaux-Arts, 17 storey (82 metres/270 feet) tall building in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is known for its large, green, "copper" dome on the top of the tower, actually painted green to imitate weathered copper cladding. Also nine naked muses, the "nine maidens" supporting the cornice line can be seen. The terracotta for this building, including the ladies, was made in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England by Gibbs and Canning Limited.
Parts of the TV series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven were filmed here.
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[edit] History
W. T. Whiteway designed the tower for the Vancouver World newspaper and was to be seen throughout the newspaper's circulation area. John Coughland and Sons of Vancouver had fabricated 1,250 tons of steel for construction. When it was completed in 1912, it was originally called the World Building and considered the tallest building in the British Empire at 82 meters. It exceeded the previously tallest building, that was just around the corner, the Dominion Building. For two years, it was the tallest building in Canada until Toronto's 20-story Optima Business Centre opened in 1914. Later, when the Vancouver Sun bought the building in 1937, the building's name was changed to the Sun Tower. Its address is 100 West Pender Street.
[edit] Stunts
The city's population turned out in droves to watch Harry Gardiner, the "Human Fly", climb up the outside of the building in 1918 and again Vancouver crowded around the building in 1920 when Houdini suspended himself from the top.
[edit] Occupants
- Vancouver World – 1912-1917
- Bekins Moving and Storage - 1924-1937
- Vancouver Sun – 1937-1965
- Geological Survey of Canada – 1968-1996
- Navarik Corp. – 2001-2005
[edit] Images
[edit] See also
List of old Canadian buildings