Vancouver's Canada Post building

 

Picture from the 1950's of the Canada Post Building, downtown Vancouver

My husband worked in this building in the 1960's.  They wanted to demolish it and rebuild an office tower.  However, it was built so well built, trucks and trailers could drive in fully loaded, park, unload and reload.  Helicopters could land on the roof.  The building was massive, and very well built!  They found demolishing it was too difficult and costly so they kept the building, gutted the inside an added to the top!  They moved the entire downtown postal operation to a huge building close to the Vancouver airport.

Covering a full city block, "the Post" on Georgia is the largest heritage revitalization project in British Columbia. The former Main Post Office building, an International Style landmark in Vancouver, is reimagined as a centrepiece for the growing downtown community with high tech office space, restaurants, retail, and a new public plaza. Two new office towers create a contemporary extension of the existing building while being respectful of the existing heritage.

The developers did an amazing job preserving the facade of the plant while making massive structural changes. On a recent visit, we were thrilled to see they had saved the wonderful Nairne & Partners, artworks that were commissioned in 1955-56 : a 4.9-metre carved granite postman bas-relief on its façade and tile mural of a woman and child in the postal hall, both by Paul Huba (1956); a stone inscription on the southwest corner of the building (1955); and a large painted mural near the Homer Street entrance showing early postal transportation methods in BC by Orville Fisher. When you visit, be sure to walk around and locate these memorable pieces of art as well as display cases with archives.

While Amazon has leased most of the office space in the two high rise building addition, the lower floors are an amazing array of restaurants, cafes and retail space. There is an enormous Loblaws City Market. You need to walk around and view the historic mementos and art works on display.

The redeveloped building is called "The Post" is at 349 West Georgia Street