King Block

This three-storey commercial building was built in 1911, at the height of Vancouver’s pre-World War I building boom. The architecture is typical of small commercial/residential blocks build during this period. Vancouver architect Edward Evans Blackmore designed this building and several other small commercial blocks. This block represents a good example of both Blackmore’s work and of the commercial architecture of the day. The block is named after George King, whose Fidelity Real Estate offices occupied the entire ground floor. King owned property in Vancouver and its suburbs and had an interest in an bed-making factory. King is representative of many of the small businessmen who invested in and profited from Vancouver real estate in the early twentieth century. From 1916 onwards, there was a grocery store on the ground floor. The residential rooms on the floors above were known as the Shakespeare Rooms. For many years, part of the ground floor and the upper floors have been occupied by the Yee Fong Toy Society.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7890&pid=0