Earles Road Substation

The Earles Street substation was built in 1912 to supply electricity to the Central Park Line that ran along Vanness Avenue. BC Electric Company architectural engineer Robert Lyon designed the substation. He created large window openings with small windowpanes and a keystone motif, and provided a plain cornice. Originally Earles Road (1903), it was changed to Earles Street by 1910. With the cancellation of interurban service in the 1950s, the substation was shut down and boarded up. In 1990, architect Linda Baker converted the substation into twelve strata apartments. A three storey wood frame structure was built within the substation’s concrete shell. The building was purchased by Earles Station Properties LTD, a group of individuals who wished to avoid the building losing its heritage. The owners received a 1991 City of Vancouver Heritage Award. In 2009, they received a Restore It! grant from the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. The substation was a stop on VHF’s 2010 Heritage House Tour.

Source

VHF Heritage House Tour Brochure 2010, VHF Files, Vancouver Building Permits

More information

https://www.heritagesitefinder.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Guidebook-2010-final-low-res.pdf