Description of Historic Place

The Pither and Leiser Building is a three storey plus lower level commercial masonry building on the north side of Water Street in the historic district of Gastown, now rehabilitated for commercial purposes.

Heritage Value

Gastown is the historic core of Vancouver, and is the city's earliest, most historic area of commercial buildings and warehouses. The Pither and Leiser Building is representative of the importance of Gastown as the trans-shipment point between the terminus of the railway and Pacific shipping routes, and the consequent expansion of Vancouver into western Canada's predominant commercial centre in the early twentieth century. As Vancouver prospered, substantial warehouses were built on piles on infilled water lots between Water Street and the Canadian Pacific Railway trestle. Pither and Leiser were importers of wines, liquors, and cigars from around the world, and were one of British Columbia's most successful import businesses at the time of this building's construction. The firm was based in Victoria, and as their business expanded, this building was opened as their Vancouver warehouse and distribution center.

The Pither and Leiser Building is valued as an example of Edwardian era commercial architecture. Designed by Hooper and Watkins, one of the province's leading architectural firms, the refined building elements illustrate the development of Gastown as a progressive business district, and Vancouver as a modern city at the turn of the last century. The strong design features of this building, based on restrained detailing and simple proportions, are typical of Edwardian era warehouses.

As the warehousing and light industry functions in Gastown became obsolete, a number of early warehouse structures were adapted to other uses. This structure's early adaptive reuse within the context of the redevelopment of Gastown as a heritage district represents the changing nature of the local context and economy from warehousing and manufacturing to commercial, retail and residential uses.

Source: City of Vancouver, Heritage Planning Street Files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Pither and Leiser Building include:
- location on the north side of Water Street, in close proximity to the waterfront of Burrard Inlet and the Canadian Pacific Railway yard
- siting on the property lines, with no setbacks at the front or sides; original loading bay area at rear
- contiguous relationship with 171-175 Water Street
- form, scale and symmetrical massing as expressed in its three storey plus lower level height, flat roof and rectangular plan
- Edwardian era elements, such as the tripartite articulation, regular fenestration pattern and the projecting bracketed sheet metal cornice
- masonry construction: tan brick front facade; common red brick side and rear walls; sandstone piers flanking the storefront; and brick corbelling above the third floor windows
- front facade fenestration, including the original upper floor double assembly central pivot wood-sash windows with transoms, divided by fluted vertical mullions
- rear facade fenestration: double-hung 6-over-6 wood-sash windows in segmental arched openings
- heavy timber frame internal structure
- original interior features such as wooden floors