Other Building Names

B.C. Hydro Building (1961-93)

The Electra (1993- )

Street Address

970 Burrard Street

Architect

Thompson, erwick & Pratt

Dates From

1957

Material Type

building

Heritage Designation

Heritage Building, Municipal Designation

Source

Western Business: Vol. 29, Sep 1955, p. 35-6, B.C. Electric's new skyscraper, illus.

Financial Post: Vol. 51, Mar 23, 1957, p. 57, Ultra-modern diamond-shape building on B.C.'s skyline.

Sun: Mar 29, 1957, p. 1-16, Shining symbol of service ..., illus.

Province: Mar 29, 1957, p.1-20, Shining symbol of service. Special section.

Tomorrow's Tall Building. B.C. Electric Building ..., 1958, illus. (NW 725.2 B86to Pam).

City Directory.

City of Vancouver Development Division.

Sun: Mar 29, 1957, p. 3, Centuries-old mosaic art ...

Sun: Mar 29, 1957, p. 11, "Native colours" in BCE building.

Sun: Mar 29, 1957, p. 12, We are proud to have been selected by the B.C. Electric to install all exterior glass mosaic tile ...

Sun: Jun 15, 1959, p.5, Incipient boomerang - that's Vancouver's BCE building, illus.

Journal of Commerce Weekly: Jun 2, 1962, Allied Arts Medal awarded Binning.

Sun: Mar 13, 1973, Binning exhibits works.

Sun: Aug 2, 1961, Government property now ... B.C. government announced take-over of B.C. Electric and Peace River Power ..., illus.

Sun: Jun 21, 1957, p. 11, Striking Renaissance here in patterns of mosaic tile.

Cavalcade of Steel, 1956, p. 70, B.C. Electric Building, Vancouver, illus. (R 338.74 D67c).

Sun: Sep 18, 1984, p.D10, Heritage worker. [Dan Cornejo].

Sun: Nov 22, 1988, p. A1, Hydro to sell landmark building.

Sun: May 27, 1989, p. C1, Skalbania group to buy Hydro building.

Province: May 28, 1989, p. 35, Nelson in Hydro coup, illus.

Province: Aug 1, 1989, p. 23, Nelson snares hi-rise, illus.

Sun: Jul 15, 1989, p. E2, Debate heats up over hydro building, illus.

Sun: Feb 24, 1990, p.H2, Robin Ward's Vancouver, illus.

Sun: Sep 4, 1993, p.D15, Robin Ward column.

Sun: Sep 15, 1993, p.B3,B7, From a visit to a not-so-tall tower, a tale of this city.

Province: Sep 24, 1993, p. A32, Heritage office tower to become 242 condos, illus.

Sun: Nov 17, 1993, p.B9, Noon-hour blast.

Sun: Dec 17, 1993, Noon-hour blast about to be shut off for awhile.

Province: Feb 4, 1994, p. A2, Hydro horns silenced for now.

Province: Feb 6, 1994, p. A23, We've all been warned: everybody's blowing his horn, illus.

Sun: Feb 12, 1994, Letter to the editor from Ned Pratt re Dal Grauer Substation & B.C. Binnings' suggestion of colour for B.C. Hydro Building.

Vancouver Heritage Inventory, City of Vancouver Planning Dept., Feb 1994, p.12.

Music Market Canada: May 1977, p.18. Vancouver's Version of Big Ben.

Vancouver Sun: Jul 23, 1994, p.D14, Robin Ward, illus.

Globe and Mail: 21 Aug 93, p. C2. Traditions begin with thoughts of heritage.

Sun: Sep 10, 1994, p.D20, Horn blowing hits a wrong note [letter to the editor by John Atkin, president, Heritage Vancouver].

Vancouver Sun: Mar 25, 1995, p.E11, An electrifying transformation, by David Smith, illus.

Vancouver Sun: Mar 9, 1996, p.D7, Ned Pratt: an architect ahead of his time, by Robin Ward, illus.

Notes

Legal description: D.l. 541, Blk. 70.

Office tower, 1957-93.

Developer: British Columbia Electric Company

Contractor: John Laing & Son (Canada) Ltd.

Height of building: 21 storeys.

Converted to condominiums, 1993-1995, designed by Paul Merrick, with 100,000 square feet of commercial space included in the project..

Ten giant trumpets, each symbolizing one province of Canada, were installed on the roof of the Power Tower in 1967 to celebrate Canada's Centennial. At noon hour they sounded the first four notes of "O Canada". Silenced Feb 1994 and moved to Canada Place..

Less detail