470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5
- Building Permit: May 31, 1911
- Year of Completion: 1912
- Architect: A.W. Gould & Champney
- Vancouver Heritage Register Status: A
The Rogers Building, located at the corner of Granville Street and Pender Street in downtown Vancouver, was completed in 1912. Designed by Seattle architects A.W. Gould & Champney for original owner and prominent land developer, Jonathan Rogers, the Rogers Building was one of the most impressive buildings in the city upon its completion.
Ten storeys in height, the Rogers Building features a cladding of white terra cotta tiles, a projecting cornice with dentils, and an elaborate entranceway on Granville Street, which features large granite pillars shipped from Aberdeen, Scotland. Though no longer part of the building, the Rogers Building originally featured a full cafeteria and barbershop in its large basement.
Over its near one-hundred year history, the Rogers Building has remained an impressive visual landmark on Granville Street. The building permit for the Rogers Building was issued on May 31, 1911 with a listed building value of $550,000.
The following is an excerpt from Building the West:
Vancouver’s prosperity during the Edwardian era was indicated by a large number of impressive terra cotta commercial structures. Jonathan Rogers, one of the city’s most successful land developers, chose prominent Seattle architects Gould & Champney to design a prestigious skyscraper.
Gould & Champney maintained a branch office in Vancouver from 1910-12, and Augustus W. Gould for several years afterwards. The completed Rogers Building, with its glacial white cladding, demonstrates the deft way that classically-trained architects of the time could manipulate traditional elements in a thoroughly contemporary manner.
