Vancouver is moving to preserve a downtown building whose heritage significance extends beyond the city.

City planners have endorsed the protection of the Standard Building at 510 West Hastings Street, which was once one of the tallest commercial buildings in the British Empire.

If approved by council, the measure will shield the 15-storey structure against “unsympathetic exterior alterations that would diminish its heritage value”.

The designation of the 1914 era highrise as a protected heritage property will likewise ensure that it will not be demolished.

Jason Olinek, assistant director of planning with the City of Vancouver, prepared a report to council.

Olinek related that the site consists of three parcels located at the southwest corner of West Hastings  and Richards streets.

“The heritage building is characterized by a commanding 15-storey height in tripartite hierarchy, articulated by its engaged pilasters, regular fenestration pattern, and dominating highly ornate, faience-clad crown and unobstructed views on all sides,” the city planner wrote.

Olinek then proceeded to explain the heritage value of the Standard Building:

The heritage building is a landmark Edwardian-era Beaux-Arts structure designed by architects Russell, Babcock & Rice. It is valued as one of the earliest high-rise office structures in Downtown Vancouver, and as a representation of the Edwardian-era economic boom and the westward shift of the business district.

The soaring verticality of the heritage building is articulated by its engaged pilasters, its repetitive fenestration, and its tripartite hierarchy in “Francis I Style”, with highly ornate projecting cornices where one section transitions to another. Of utmost significance is the high degree of embellishments of its five upper levels, along with the use of faience cladding on all elevations.

The deliberate ornamentation of building’s base, shaft, and capital was attributed to the fact that its permit was taken out just before the passing of a by-law restricting the height of the buildings in the neighbourhood to ten storeys. At the time of its construction, the heritage building was deemed one of the tallest commercial buildings in the British Empire, featuring steel-frame and concrete construction, and finished with unreinforced masonry cladding (granite, buff brick, and faience or glazed terra cotta).

The Straight noted in a report on November 25, 2021 that the Standard Building is home to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.

The proposed designation of the structure as a protected heritage property is included in the public hearing agenda of council on March 3.