About
On July 5, the provincial government announced updated plans for the former Salvation Army Temple at 301 East Hastings. The building is to be demolished and included in a land assembly with three adjacent lots, one of which is a donation from the 625 Powell Street Foundation. The plan is for an eight-storey building with community health services on the ground level, and above, supportive homes for people at risk of homelessness as well as homes for those with low to moderate incomes.
The public statement from the province emphasizes the collaborative effort by multiple provincial ministries and community partners to realize the proposed project to serve the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Community. The Minister of Housing expressed clear intention to end SROs overtime as housing, with this project being an example of an innovative solution that is a safe and appropriate housing option. The most recent public announcement prior to the July 5 one came in late 2015 when a request for proposal for architectural services suggested that the building might be demolished.
There has been attention on the site over the years since Vancouver Coastal Health took ownership in 2001, after the Gold Buddha Monastery sold it to move to its current location in Mount Pleasant. Sitting empty after 2001, heritage advocates have asked that the building be adaptively reused since the interior has good, intact amenity space such as a stage, theatre style seating, gyms, library space, a dining hall and functioning kitchen in relatively good condition for example.
The building is also on the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Register and the Canadian Register of Historic Places, recognized for its Moderne architectural style which is rare in Vancouver. A 2023 article in the Tyee asking why the building was still vacant also included voices not from heritage that saw opportunities for the building to serve a community role such as art space and housing. One person in the article saw this act of not caring for the building and keeping it empty as “demolition by neglect”.
Why on Top10
The Salvation Army Temple is a heritage building and on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2016 news coverage of the potential demolition of the site, Vancouver’s assistant director of planning at the time, was quoted as saying, “It is a Heritage C building, and we would work with them to explore the onsite heritage.”
Following this year’s announcement, Daily Hive reported that BC Housing and the City of Vancouver will work on the design of the new building with healthcare providers, Indigenous partners, and the Downtown Eastside community over Summer 2024. However, we are not aware of any correspondence to heritage organizations about plans for the building, the decision to demolish and what to do about the different aspects of heritage of the building.
Perhaps there is a belief that the building is at odds with the proposed housing project and that the physical heritage is in the way. Perhaps it is the perception that people use heritage to oppose everything, and that heritage advocates are insensitive to the situation in the DTES and the people there. The context in the DTES is complex and different groups of people attach different meanings and memories from this building and part of Hastings Street. To some, the building and architectural style may mean little, to some people who have memories and experiences of this area during a very different time in the city. To them, the building or some reminder of it, may be very culturally important. There are very different attitudes about the building. That’s why you need discussion and process.
One of the most important purposes of heritage that is very often not publicly discussed is that it gets people to engage with what has meaning to them and what has meaning to others. It is a people-centred process that involves citizen participation, learning from others, and negotiation of meanings. This process is a part of heritage and is necessary whether you demolish or conserve.
Additional Information
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/moderne-vancouver-landmark-endangered
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HOUS0117-001059
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/301-east-hastings-street-vancouver-social-housing-redevelopment-dtes
https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2023/03/13/East-Hastings-Empty-Temple/
We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia
