Overview
Address
500-502 ALEXANDER St, Vancouver BC
Neighbourhood
Strathcona
type
Residential
Protection & Recognition
- M: Municipal Protection
Description
The Old Sailors Home is a two-storey brick building constructed in 1912. It was designed by William Tuff Whiteway, a notable Vancouver architect who also designed the ‘Sun Tower’ at 100 West Pender Street in the same year and the original ‘Woodwards’ building at 111 West Hastings Street.
This apartment building was designed as a brothel perfectly located in the Red Light District centered on Alexander Street. Ironically, in 1921 this became the headquarters for the British and Foreign Sailors Society whose stated aim was the ‘moral and religious improvement’ of seamen living in the area until the 1940s.
It is also associated with Captain Al Hubbard who had a significant influence on the counter culture movement of the 1960s.
Source
City of Vancouver, VHF's Historic Map Guide of Japantown
Map
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