52 Powell St

52 Powell Street is a five-storey warehouse and store, built c.1909-10

The warehouse most likely built to the designs of Vancouver architects Parr and Fee, who were noted for their utilitarian facades employing white glazed brick and wide, vertically centre-pivoted sashes. It bears similarities with other Parr and Fee buildings in the area.

The building has a “cheater floor” which shoe-horned five storeys onto the lot. Under planning laws of the time the lot would otherwise only be able to achieve four floors. The cheater floor is unusual outside Vancouver’s Chinatown, where the practice was commonplace at this time.

The use of the building by a succession of wholesale grocers and foodstuff distributors echoes a local concentration of such uses, perhaps promoted by this block’s direct access to railway sidings.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7877&pid=0