B.C. Collateral & Loan Co.

The BC Collateral and Loan Buildings at 77 East Hastings Street are comprised of two masonry buildings constructed in 1902 and a three-storey masonry building on the west.

Since 1918, the business has provided credit to customers at this location. Now commonly known as a pawnshop, the business provided small loans mostly to lower income residents of the Downtown East Side.

The exterior of the building shows changes in building styles over the twentieth century. By 1934, the façade of the two-storey building had been renovated to an Art Deco appearance to reflect the contemporary aesthetic of the day, and by the 1970s, the rotating neon sign was mounted on the façade of the three-storey building.

The building has recently been converted to mixed housing for low income renters.

Source

Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/activists-worry-new-vancouver-project-will-raise-downtown-eastside-rents/article14017163/