Sun Tower
| Sun Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | World Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial, offices |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Location | 128 West Pender Street Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Coordinates | 49°16′52″N 123°06′30″W / 49.2810°N 123.1084°W |
| Construction started | 1911 |
| Completed | 1912 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 82.34 m (270.1 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 6,357 m2 (68,430 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | William Tuff Whiteway |
| References | |
| [1][2][3] | |
The Sun Tower is a 17
cornice line can be seen. The terracotta for this building, including the ladies, was made in Tamworth, Staffordshire
, England by Gibbs and Canning Limited.
History
The Sun Tower was commissioned by
The Vancouver World
. 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
The Vancouver Sun bought the building in 1937, it was renamed. Although The Sun newspaper has long since relocated, first to South Granville then to Granville Square
, the building has retained its name.
Formerly 100 West Pender St, the
City of Vancouver
renumbered the Sun Tower's street address to 128 West Pender in 2011 in accordance with its strict street numbering bylaw when a new building was constructed on the vacant lot at the southwest corner of West Pender and Abbott Streets.
Architecture and materials
The Sun Tower was designed by architect
Woodward's building nearby. The building takes the form of an eight-storey, L-shaped block, surmounted by a nine-storey hexagonal-section tower. The tower is capped by a Beaux-Arts dome and cupola. The structure of the tower is steel, which is dominantly clad in a combination of terracotta
tiles and rusticated brickwork. The dome itself, although painted to resemble patinated copper, is steel.
The exterior is adorned with nine terracotta
Haddington Island.[8]
Haddington Island andesite is also used for some of the decorative carvings near the top of the tower, that feature animal skulls surrounded by garlands of fruit and flowers.
Anchor tenants
- 1912–1917: The Vancouver World
- 1924–1937: Bekins Moving and Storage
- 1937–1965: The Vancouver Sun
- 1968–1996: Geological Survey of Canada
- 2001–2005: Navarik
- 2009–2016: Victory Square Law Office LLP
- 2016–present: IT Glue Software
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 CA$6.16 million. The new owners promised to restore the heritage building.[9]
-
Dome Detail -
Cornice Detail -
Neon 'Sun' sign and beacon at night (1946) -
-
.jpg)
In popular culture
The exterior of the Sun Tower is used in
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
.
See also
- List of heritage buildings in Vancouver
- List of old Canadian buildings
- List of tallest buildings in Vancouver
References
- ^ "Emporis building ID 112892". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
- ^ Sun Tower at Glass Steel and Stone (archived)
- ^ "Sun Tower". SkyscraperPage.
- ^ "Faux copper roof on Vancouver's Sun Tower is faux no more". vancouversun.com. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ "Immense throng witnesses "Human Fly" scale Tower building in front of Sun offices: From the pages of the Vancouver Sun, November 1, 1918". Vancouver Sun. Vancouver. February 10, 2012. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "Sun Tower". Canada's Historic Places. Parks Canada. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ISBN 978-1551521565.
- ISBN 0-919216-85-4.
- ^ Derrick Penner (March 19, 2008). "New owners promise Sun Tower restoration". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
