by Charna Plottel and Daniel Chasisson
It sits on the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue and Quebec Street, where is has been since 1918, the year in which it was completed, although it was started in 1908. Derelict now, with peeling paint and broken windows, it was at one time the home of the Opsal Steel Company which has since moved to Surrey.
In 2002 the building was placed on Heritage Vancouver’s list of endangered heritage structures. Presently, it is being converted into a residential complex with a residential tower next to the site. The building will literally be taken apart during excavation and construction on the site and then put back together again when that is completed.
The building is the largest surviving example of heavy timber frame construction, with a pitched roof and rooftop lantern vents that were typical of early False Creek industrial buildings.
Peering through the crack where the huge entrance doors don’t quite meet one sees a vast empty area, dusty but dry, and one wonders if street people have found a way in to protect themselves in inclement weather.
Southeast False Creek, where the building is located, has been an industrial area since the late 1800s. Its industrial aspects included sawmills, foundries, shipbuilding, metal-working, warehousing, etc. The City’s Public Works Yard is also in the area.