Ferguson Block

Before the Great Fire of 1886, a wood framed structure stood on this site. It was owned by Alfred Graham Ferguson, a CPR tunnel contractor. The fire destroyed the building.

In 1887 architect William Tuff Whiteway designed this building for Ferguson. It demonstrates one of the first local uses of the Victorian Italianate style, and is one of the first masonry buildings erected after the Great Fire.

It housed the CPR land office and the City Magistrate’s law office during the rebuilding of the city after the fire.

Almost immediately after it was built, the building was sold to Hugh Whitmore Chamberlain, and was renamed the Chamberlain Block. Chamberlain added one-storey to the rear, and a two-storey addition to the side of the building, resulting in the structure we see today.
An inscription of the original architects name can still be seen on the cornerstone. Today the building is occupied by street level retail and an upper level bar restaurant.

Source

Canada's Historic Places, Exploring Vancouver, The Architectural Guide by Harold Kalman & Robin Ward

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2522