Sun Tower

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Sun Tower.

The Sun Tower at night in 1946.

The Sun Tower is a Beaux-Arts, 17 storey (82 metres/270 feet) tall building in Vancouver, British Columbia, located at 100 West Pender Street. 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.

[edit] History

The Sun Tower was commissioned by L. D. Taylor to house his newspaper, the Vancouver World. It was designed by architect W. T. Whiteway, who also designed the original Woodward's building nearby. The intention was that the building would be visible throughout the World's circulation area as the tallest building in the city. John Coughland and Sons of Vancouver had 1,250 tons of steel fabricated for construction.

When it was completed in 1912, it was called the World Building and was the tallest building in the British Empire at 82 metres, surpassing the previous record-holder, the Dominion Building located just around the corner. For two years, it was the tallest building in Canada until Toronto's 20-story Optima Business Centre opened in 1914. In 1918, droves of Vancouverites turned out to watch as Harry Gardiner, the "Human Fly", scaled the outside of the building. When the Vancouver Sun bought the building in 1937, it was renamed the Sun Tower. The Sun newspaper has long sinced relocated, first to South Granville then to Granville Square, but the building has retained the name.

Parts of the TV series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven were filmed here.

[edit] Future

It was announced on March 19, 2008 that the Sun Tower had been sold to new owners on March 17. The purchase price was not announced, but the building had a 2008 assessed value of $6.16 million. The new owners are promising to restore the heritage building.[1]

[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

Dome Detail

Cornice Detail

[edit] See also

• List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
• List of old Canadian buildings
• List of tallest buildings in Vancouver

[edit] References

• History of Metropolitan Vancouver
• Discover Vancouver

Coordinates: 49.2810° N 123.1084° W

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