Burns Block

Burns Block is a five-storey plus lower-level stone-clad commercial building built in 1899.

The Burns Block is significant as an important design by William Blackmore (1842-1904), one of Vancouver’s earliest and most prolific architects. Blackmore’s mature work in the Romanesque Revival style helped to establish the character of Gastown as a successful and progressive commercial district. The style had a powerful rhythm and unity of materials that conveyed corporate strength and security appropriate to Late Victorian sensibilities.

The economic boom of the pre-World War I era was reflected by the addition of two additional storeys in 1911, designed in a compatible style by architects Grant and Henderson, to accommodate expanding business needs.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2554&pid=0