Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Heritage Register Update

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On September 23, 1986, Council resolved that the Vancouver Heritage Register (formerly the Vancouver Heritage Inventory) be kept up to date and that amendments be referred to Council on an annual basis.

PURPOSE

This report recommends that Council adopt amendments to the Vancouver Heritage Register including the deletion of demolished buildings and address changes for consistency of by-law administration. Also recommended in this report is the addition of publicly nominated buildings to the Heritage Register and various text amendments to the Heritage Register document. This report also informs Council on the necessary updates to information on archaeological sites contained within the Heritage Register bulletin.

BACKGROUND

The Vancouver Heritage Inventory was adopted by Council in August 1986. In December 1994, Council approved the motion that the Inventory be continued as the Vancouver Heritage Register under the provisions of new provincial legislation.

Council last amended the Heritage Register on April 10, 2001, with the addition of a single building as part of a heritage designation. The last comprehensive "housekeeping" report on the Heritage Register was presented to Council in January 1998. Therefore, this report includes the buildings that have been demolished or have had address changes since 1998, and public nominations to the Heritage Register made since April 2001. As a result of previous Council decisions, there are certain updates and typographical corrections that will be necessary to a number of sites listed on the Heritage Register.

The Heritage Register is the basis by which buildings may be considered for protection through heritage designation or a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA), including incentives to encourage retention and restoration. Over the last three years, a total of 27 buildings were protected. Of these buildings, 12 benefited from an HRA. By comparison, 39 buildings were designated or protected during the previous 36-month period (1996 to1998), of which 16 included an HRA.

DISCUSSION

Deletions From the Vancouver Heritage Register

A review of Enquiry Centre data indicates that between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2001, a total of 15 demolition permits were issued for buildings listed on the Heritage Register. The list of demolished buildings and their evaluation category is attached as Appendix A. The site at 99 Alexander Street, the location of a C-listed building demolished in 1999, will retain its notation as a provincially-designated heritage site. The loss during this three-year period represents 0.7% of a total of 2,153 buildings on the Heritage Register. This is down from the previous three years, when a total of 31 buildings representing 1.4% of the total were removed from the Heritage Register from 1995 to 1997.

Address Changes

A number of address changes have taken place since the last comprehensive review. In order to maintain consistency with Enquiry Centre data, it is recommended that Council amend the Heritage Register by adopting the address changes of the 53 buildings listed in Appendix B. The updates will reflect address changes made between January 1998 and December 2001.

Building Nominations

It is recommended that the 8 buildings listed in Appendix C that have been nominated and evaluated be added to the Heritage Register. All of these are residential dwellings, representing a good cross-section of neighbourhoods and vintage: two in Kitsilano (1907 and 1911), one in the West End (c. 1896), one in Shaughnessy (1926), two in Strathcona (1904 and c. 1909) and two in Hastings (1910 and 1928). The styles range from a plain workers' rowhouse on Jackson Avenue to a large Shaughnessy home on Angus Drive designed by well-known local architects.

Between January and April 2002, staff and the Vancouver Heritage Commission reviewed the 8 buildings that were nominated for the Heritage Register. Nominations were reviewed according to established criteria which includes architectural, historical and contextual significance, as well as the integrity of the resource. All of the 8 nominations are considered to be worthy of inclusion on the Vancouver Heritage Register. The Heritage Commission reviewed the evaluations for these nominations and supports their inclusion on the Heritage Register.

Staff and the Heritage Commission agree on the 'A', 'B', and 'C' listings for all 8 nominated buildings except for 5629 Angus Drive. The nomination for this building was brought forward to the Commission for comments on April 8, 2002. At that meeting, staff presented it as an A-listing candidate while the Commission recommended that its rating be a B-listing as a result of alterations to the building. The building was subsequently re-evaluated, and after careful consideration staff conclude that it is worthy of an A-listing as a result of its architectural features, its contribution to the historical pattern of the area, and overall context. The architectural integrity of this building has not been significantly affected by the alterations, as they are minor and are located at the rear.

Each owner has been informed in writing of the implications of having a building listed on the Heritage Register. All of the nominations except one (734-742 Jackson Avenue) were brought forward by the owners, and no concerns have been expressed. In the case of 734-742 Jackson Avenue, the nominee has an agreement to purchase the property, and the owner has confirmed in writing that there are no concerns regarding its nomination.

The recommended changes to the Heritage Register, other than address changes, can be summarized as follows:

Heritage Register Listings

Buildings on the Heritage Register
as of January 1998

Heritage Register Buildings Demolished
from 1998 to 2001

Buildings Added to Heritage Register between 1998 and April 2001*

Buildings Proposed to be Added to the Heritage Register in 2002

Revised Total **

"A"

247

-

-

2

249

"B"

1128

8

4

1

1125

"C"

778

7

1

5

777

Total

2153

15

5

8

2151

* These have already been approved by Council

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**Subject to Council's approval of recommendations

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Housekeeping Changes

Further to the changes presented in Recommendations A, B and C, a few additional adjustments to the Heritage Register document of a minor housekeeping nature are required (Recommendation D) which reflect previous Council decisions related to additions, deletions, and changes of address. This ensures that the document, which is a primary heritage reference, retains its accuracy and clarity for policy and by-law interpretation for the both the general public and city staff. It is also an opportunity to correct any minor typographical errors that have occurred over time.

References to Archaeological Sites

The management of archaeological sites is a provincial responsibility. The City assists the Province by notifying both the owner and the Archaeology Branch (now in the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management) if a proposed development might affect a listed archaeological resource. A city administrative bulletin has been recently produced and is available in the Enquiry Centre listing contact information at the Ministry. The wording in the Heritage Register document will be updated to reflect identical information, including the new Ministry name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail and web site addresses. It will also include a reference to the provincial government's web site addressing frequently asked questions about archaeological sites. No Council decision is required in this regard.

CONCLUSION

It is recommended that the Heritage Register be amended to delete 15 buildings demolished between 1998 and 2001, to reflect changes that have occurred to the City's street files over that time period, and to add 8 buildings to the Heritage Register that have been brought forward as nominations since April 2001. The report also recommends that staff undertake general housekeeping of the Heritage Register document reflecting previous Council decisions, intended to provide clarity in the interpretation of existing provisions, and to correct minor errors. In addition, information on archaeological sites will be updated to reflect current contacts in the provincial government.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A

DEMOLISHED BUILDINGS TO BE DELETED
FROM THE VANCOUVER HERITAGE REGISTER

EVALUATION GROUP A

EVALUATION GROUP B

EVALUATION GROUP C

1 Building at 99 Alexander Street to be deleted from Register as a C-listing; however, heritage site retains its provincial designation.

APPENDIX B

ADDRESS CHANGES FOR BUILDINGS ON THE
VANCOUVER HERITAGE REGISTER

ORIGINAL ADDRESS SPECIFICS REVISED ADDRESS

1850 West 5th Avenue Reeve House 2150 Cypress Street
2990 West 5th Avenue 2980 West 5th Avenue
203 East 6th Avenue Ashnola Apartments 2152 Main Street
(Supplemental address) See 2200 Arbutus 2096 West 6th Avenue
14 East 7th Avenue 12 East 7th Avenue
2016 West 7th Avenue St. Augustine's Church 2028 West 7th Avenue
348 East 8th Avenue G.W. Ledingham House 2425 Brunswick Street
364 West 10th Avenue Grauer House 366 West 10th Avenue
1183-1185 West 10th Avenue 2588 Alder Street
4397 West 10th Avenue 2590 Trimble Street
1144 West 14th Avenue L'Ecole Bilingue 1166 West 14th Avenue
2498 West 37th Avenue St. Mary's Anglican Church 2490 West 37th Avenue
3269 West 49th Avenue 6476 Blenheim Street
210-224 Abbott Street Dominion Hotel 210 Abbott Street
5590-5600 Balaclava Street Knox United Church 5590 Balaclava Street
2836-2838 Birch Street 2888 Birch Street
1117-1119 Broughton Street Fee House 1401-1411 Pendrell Street
337 Carrall Street Merchants Bank 1 West Hastings Street
800 Cassiar Street Industrial Girls' School 868 Cassiar Street
103-113 Columbia Street Anchor Hotel 90 Alexander Street
1700-1706 Commercial Drive 1704 East 1st Avenue
72-76 West Cordova Street 306 Abbott Street
101 West Cordova Street 101 West Cordova 247 Abbott Street
103-109 West Cordova Street 109 West Cordova 247 Abbott Street
2132 Cypress Street 2158 Cypress Street
1092-1098 Davie Street 1240 Thurlow Street
1100-1104 Davie Street 1209 Thurlow Street
1029 East Georgia Street 1027 East Georgia Street
847-851 Granville Street Coronet Theatre 855 Granville Street
869-873 Granville Street Palms Hotel 855 Granville Street
1196 Granville Street Scotia Dance Centre 677 Davie Street
1150 Hamilton Street 1155 Mainland Street
1950 Haro Street 1930 Haro Street
450-492 West Hastings Street Rush Building 422 Richards Street
515 West Hastings Street Harbour Centre 555 West Hastings Street

APPENDIX B

ORIGINAL ADDRESS SPECIFICS REVISED ADDRESS

950 Homer Street 948 Homer Street
700 Main Street Hotel Pacific 208-212 East Georgia Street
2403 Main Street Crosbie Block 156 East 8th Avenue
1638 Marpole Avenue 1628 Marpole Avenue
284-296 East Pender Street Nationalist League Building 525-545 Gore Avenue
785 East Pender Street 795 East Pender Street
2-12 Powell Street 6 Powell Street
59 Powell Street 58 Alexander Street
1200-1222 Richards Street former Canadian Linen Bldg 1238 Richards Street
1036 Salsbury Drive former Glen Hospital 1098 Salsbury Drive
Stanley Park Pavilion 610 Pipeline Road
Stanley Park Rose Garden Cottage 615 Pipeline Road
1388-1390 Thurlow Street 1390 Thurlow Street
44 Water Street 46 Water Street
93-95 Water Street 134 Abbott Street
162-170 Water Street 220 Cambie Street
348 Water Street 407 West Cordova Street
2625 Yale Street former Babies Cottage 650 North Penticton Street

APPENDIX C

PUBLIC NOMINATIONS TO BE ADDED TO THE
VANCOUVER HERITAGE REGISTER

EVALUATION GROUP A

EVALUATION GROUP B

EVALUATION GROUP C

* * * * *

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