A survivor from 1909, Burns Block at 18 W Hastings St outlived its next-door neighbour the Pantages Theatre, a popular movie and vaudeville house.
On Google Maps you can make out the triangular shape of the building, caused partly by a rail line right-of-way (whose ghostly footprint can still be seen, cutting diagonally through several city blocks).
Until recently, you could rent a 236-square-foot micro-loft and live downtown for cheap in the building. In 2021, Burns Block was purchased by BC Housing for conversion into residences for women experiencing homelessness.
You might notice I really cheated on the perspective of this shot: the original was shot from a window in the building across the street, and I was on the ground.
John Bentley is an architectural photographer who has photographed the inside and outside of thousands of buildings around Vancouver. Using images from the Vancouver Archives he offers a glimpse of the past and present on his site Vancouver Now & Then.
