This 1948 warehouse is still going strong. That’s surprising, as it’s in the heart of the Downton South (realtor’s Yaletown) residential area, and covers an entire city block. Like the other Yaletown warehouse structures, it’s been repurposed as office space. When it was built it was the Hudson’s Bay company warehouse, with limited window openings. In acquiring the Zellers brand in the mid 1970s, local retail entrepreneur Joe Segal also picked up the warehouse, which he once said was valued at $600,000 at the time. The Zellers and Fields stores were soon sold on to Hudson’s Bay, but the Segal’s Kingswood Capital retained the warehouse, initially converting it to a wholesale showroom, called Showmart, seen in these 1981 images. Kingswood developed a new showroom, rebranded as the Fashion Exchange in 2001, and the businesses moved to the False Creek Flats.
In 2002 the newly converted office space was occupied by Crystal Decisions, a Vancouver software developer acquired by Seagate Technology. Kingswood totally updated the office space in 2003 when Omicron designed a new skin for the building, adding an extra floor of windows by diamond drilling through the concrete walls. Crystal Decisions were acquired in 2003 by Business Objects, and they in turn were acquired by German software company SAP in 2008, who continue to operate the building as office space.
Image source: City of Vancouver Archives CVA 779-E18.13 and CVA 779-E18.14
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Changing Vancouver 