Paris Block

Built in 1908, 51 W Hastings Street is a five-storey red brick Edwardian apartment and commercial building. Designed by well-known architect Thomas Hooper, it was originally called The Eastern Building. In 1909, R T Perry designed $15,000 of alterations to the building for Mr. John Deeks and by 1910, the building became the Strathcona Hotel with a retail footwear outlet at street level. Originally Starks Shoe store and later McKeen’s, it became Pierre Paris & Sons in 1919. On the east façade, there is still visible a painted sign advertising Pierre Paris Shoes, which was a fixture for almost 70 years. The building’s design and construction are significant as they reflect the transition from Victorian style to the cleaner more restrained and functional Edwardian style, and solid masonry and steel construction.

The building was redeveloped in 2007-08 into live-work units and the ground level retail unit was retained. The adjoining infill building at 53 W Hastings – the Paris Annex – is a modern architectural interpretation of the Paris Block by Gair and shares the name of the historic property, making for an interesting juxtaposition of old and new in Gastown. The project received an Award of Recognition from the City of Vancouver in 2009, a Certificate of Recognition from Heritage BC, as well as the “Best Urban Infill” award for both the Paris Block and Paris Annex from the Urban Development Institute in 2012.

About the Paris Family and Pierre Paris Shoes

Originally from Saint Pée sur Nivelle, in the southern Basque region of France, Jean-Pierre Paris arrived in Montreal in November of 1907 aboard the Pomeranian, aged 19. While Pierre identified more as Basque than French, the Paris family were Francophones and played a significant role in Vancouver's French community.

Upon his arrival in Vancouver later that year, he founded Pierre Paris & Sons Ltd., a shoe and boot manufacturing company that became well-known for the work boots he designed that were popular within the logging, mining and other resource industries. Pierre’s sons, George and Roger, joined their father’s podiatry practice, following in his footsteps as they both took their turn at the helm of the family business. By that time, the business had expanded to include an industrial footwear manufacturing division and an orthopaedic shoemaking division in addition to the family shoe store on W Hastings St.

Roger and his wife Betty raised their 11 children (born between 1944 and 1962) in Vancouver and for a time resided at 1703 Cedar Crescent. Their son Stephen, who had worked his way up through the manufacturing and retail side of the business, assumed control in the late 70’s along with his sister Renée. When the Paris store closed during the 1970s, their design was bought by Dayton Boots, which still manufactures shoes based on the original design under the original name.

In the mid 80's, Stephen founded Paris Orthotics Ltd. as a one-man orthopaedic shoe and foot orthotic shop on the corner of W 4th Avenue and Fir St and his brother, Paul, and sister Renee, joined him a few years later.

Source

City of Vancouver, Heritage BC, Historic Places Canada, Paris Everybody

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8619&pid=0