Central City Mission

In 1908, local citizens founded the Central City Mission to provide food and lodging to local destitute men.
In 1910, the Mission started construction on a two storey building on this site.

The building is an early surviving design by architect William Frederick Gardiner (1884-1951), who designed many institutional and commercial buildings in Vancouver. It was also an early project undertaken by Dominion Construction Ltd., which became one of the most prominent contracting firms in Vancouver’s history.

During construction, the building’s size tripled to six storeys, indicating the great need for such a facility in the area, as well as the deteriorating economic conditions, which exacerbated joblessness and homelessness.
The building was completed in 1911.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2503