The City that Erickson Built

The Evergreen Building (1) 

Where 1285 W. Pender St. When 1987 Look For descending terraces overflowing with greenery, recalling a manmade hillside; an ideal expression of architecture as landscape

The Macmillan Bloedel Building (2)

Where 1075 W. Georgia St. When 1965 Look For the skyscraper’s profile, which reveals Erickson’s secret homage to the forests that MacMillan Bloedel made a fortune harvesting. The tower draws ever so slightly inward as it rises, mimicking the trunk of a massive tree.

Robson Square (3)

Where Two city blocks bordered by Hornby, Georgia, Howe, and Smithe streets When 1973 Look For the “stramps” of the interior square, Erickson’s hybrid stair-and-ramp invention. Also: the secret garden knoll, accessed off Robson Street, created by Erickson’s longtime landscape designer, Cornelia Oberlander.    

The Scotiabank Dance Centre (4)

Where 667 Davie St. When 2001 Look For the confrontation of old and new. A metal curtain and a wall of glass cling to, or leap from, the historic façade of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Respect for architectural history, or tokenism?

The Waterfall Building (5)

Where 1540 W. Second Ave. When 1996 Look For the tight mix of uses, with hipster boutiques rubbing shoulders with residents upstairs and offices at the heart of the interior courtyard