VANCOUVER Historic Chinese Clan Association and Society Buildings Vancouver’s Chinatown is a bustling commercial district located downtown in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods. Chinese immigrants, primarily men, first came to Vancouver in the late 1800’s, recovering from tidal marshland the area that would become known as Chinatown. As more people of Chinese heritage came to Vancouver, clan associations were formed to help the newcomers assimilate in their adopted homeland and to provide friendship and support. The buildings owned by clan associations were built with an eclectic blend of architectural styles, both western and Chinese, and many them contained features unique to Chinatown including recessed balconies and long narrow building footprints. Today, Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the largest in North America. A popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Chinatown’s unique shops, fine restaurants, classical Chinese gardens, historic buildings and unique architecture combine to create a lively and vibrant community. Corner of Main and Pender Streets in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. For more information: http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/historic-study-of-the-society-buildings-in-chinatown.pdf http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/chinatown-revitalization.aspx Many of the area’s existing historic buildings have received heritage status from various levels of government. Vancouver’s Chinatown was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2011. The Province of British Columbia recognized Vancouver's Chinatown as a Historical Site of Significance as one of the Legacy Initiatives in 2016. 1
Transcript
VANCOUVER
Historic Chinese Clan Association and Society Buildings
Vancouver’s Chinatown is a bustling commercial district located downtown in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods. Chinese immigrants, primarily men, first came to Vancouver in the late 1800’s, recovering from tidal marshland the area that would become known as Chinatown.
As more people of Chinese heritage came to Vancouver, clan associations were formed to help the newcomers assimilate in their adopted homeland and to provide friendship and support.
The buildings owned by clan associations were built with an eclectic blend of architectural styles, both western and Chinese, and many them contained features unique to Chinatown including recessed balconies and long narrow building footprints.
Today, Vancouver’s Chinatown is one of the largest in North America. A popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Chinatown’s unique shops, fine restaurants, classical Chinese gardens, historic buildings and unique architecture combine to create a lively and vibrant community.
Corner of Main and Pender Streets in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown.
For more information:http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/historic-study-of-the-society-buildings-in-chinatown.pdf http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/chinatown-revitalization.aspx
Many of the area’s existing historic buildings have received heritage status from various levels of government. Vancouver’s Chinatown was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2011. The Province of British Columbia recognized Vancouver's Chinatown as a Historical Site of Significance as one of the Legacy Initiatives in 2016.
Historic Chinese Clan Association and Society Buildings
Click on the building name or address to learn more about each site:
NAME MAIL ADDRESS YEAR BUILT
Canada Quan Lung Sai Tong Association 164 Hastings Street East 1913
Cheng Wing Yeong Tong Benevolent Society 79 Pender Street East 1911
Chin Wing Chun Tong Society Of Canada 158 Pender Street East 1925
Chinese Benevolent Association 104 Pender Street East 1909
Chinese Nationalist League Of Canada 525 Gore Avenue 1920
Dart Coon Club 116 Pender Street East 1907
Hing Mee Society Of Vancouver 553 Prior Street 1905
Hoy Yin Association 459 Pender Street East 1901
Ing Suey Sun Tong Association 389 Hastings Street East 1901
Kong Chow Benevolent Association Of Canada 251 Pender Street East 1928
Lee Kwong Kai Association 532 Keefer Street 1905
Lee's Benevolent Association Of Canada 313 Pender Street East 1911
Lim Sai Hor (Kow Mock) Benevolent Association 531 Carrall Street 1903
Lung Jen Benevolent Society 240 Keefer Street 1933
Lung Kong Tien Yee Association 135 Pender Street East 1923
Lung Kong Tien Yee Association 100 Pender Street East 1911
Mah Society Of Canada 137 Pender Street East 1913
Ming Sun Benevolent Society 439 Powell Street 1890
Natives Of Toi Shan Benevolent Society 237 Hastings Street East 1908
Sam Duck Society 462 Union Street 1907
Shon Yee Benevolent Association Of Canada 408 Jackson Avenue 1912
Shon Yee Benevolent Association Of Canada 258 Pender Street East 1914
Soo Yuen Society 158 Pender Street East 1925
Tsung Tsin (Hakka) Association 542 Keefer Street 1905
Wong’s Benevolent Association 121-123 Pender Street East 1910
Wong’s Benevolent Association 27 Pender Street East 1910
Yan's Fraternal Society 518 Cordova Street East 1910
Yee Fung Toy Society Of Canada 226 Georgia Street East 1911
Yin Ping Benevolent Society Of Canada 414 Columbia Street 1910
Yue Shan Society 33-47 Pender Street East 1889
2
Canada Quan Lung Sai Tong Association
164 Hastings Street East, Vancouver, BC Built in 1913
This building housed many businesses over the years including offices for the fisherman’s union, cigar stand, shoe shine, billiard hall and rooming house. At one time there was even a steam bath in the basement.
Cheng Wing Yeong Tong Benevolent Society
79 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1911
Located in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the Cheng Wing Yeong Tong Society Building is three-storeys high with a Tong meeting hall on the top floor.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7836
158 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1925
The Chin Wing Chun Tong building is an excellent example of the Chinatown style of architecture built during a period of rapid growth. The narrow, four-storey brick and stucco building houses meeting rooms over a street-level store.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7803&pid=0
Chinese Benevolent Association
104 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1909
This building has been the headquarters of the Chinese Benevolent Association since they purchased the land in the early 1900’s. The ground and second floors were originally used as a hospital.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7800&pid=0
Kuomintang Building - Chinese Nationalist League of Canada
529 Gore Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1920
The Chinese Nationalist League or Kuomintang built this building in 1920 as their western Canadian headquarters. It sits on the eastern edge of Chinatown.
Find out more: http://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2744
Dart Coon Club - Chinese Freemasons Building (Chee Kung Tong)
116 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1907
The Chinese Freemasons have played a role in the history of the Chinese community in Vancouver and British Columbia since the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858. Vancouver’s oldest active Chinese Buddhist temple was first established in this building. As part of a renovation done in 1961, a balcony and three arches were added to the front façade.
The permit for the original house was issued to George Skinner. A grocery store was added in the 1930’s. The Hing Mee Society moved here in the 1970’s after their original headquarters were expropriated during the Strathcona urban renewal project.
Hoy Yin Association
459 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1901
One of the original houses on the block, the first tenant was J.M. Gore. The Hoy Yin Association moved here from their previous building in 1980. In 1981, the association raised funds to lift the building and create a new ground floor. The building is listed as Heritage Register "C" with the City of Vancouver.
6
Ing Suey Sun Tong Association
389 Hastings Street East, Vancouver, BC Built in 1901
The Ing Suey Sun Tong Association purchased their headquarters on Hastings and Dunlevy through donations from members in 1920. The building was originally built for Thomas Jeffs by contractor Robert E. Maxwell. Jeffs was the coroner for Vancouver in the early 1900’s, an alderman in 1906 and police commissioner in 1907.
Find out more: http://www.vancourier.com/news/the-iron-safe-sun-yat-sen-and-a-history-shared-1.1322948
Kong Chow Benevolent Association of Canada
251 Pender Street, East, Vancouver, BC Built in 1928
313 Pender Street East, Vancouver, BC Built in 1911
The Lee’s Benevolent Association moved to this building in the 1980’s after their original headquarters was destroyed by fire.
8
Lim Sai Hor (Kow Mock) Benevolent Association
525 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC Built in 1903
This four-storey (with 'cheater' storey) brick and timber frame building located at the southwestern edge of Vancouver's Chinatown district, consists of former mixed-use Chinese Association meeting rooms, retail stores and a rooming house.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2809&pid=0
135 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1923
Description: This three-storey brick commercial building, with a store at street level and a Tong Association meeting hall above has historical value for being representative of the dominant building type erected during the neighbourhood's construction boom in the early 1920s, with respect to its architectural design, its uses, and its occupants. The Hoi Ping Association and the Lee Kwong Kai Society operated out of the building in early 1900’s.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7795
Sun Ah Hotel (Lung Kong Tien Yee Association)
100 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1911
This building was built in 1911 for a Chinese merchant who made his fortune in the Gold Rush. It has been owned by the Lung Kong Tien Yee Association since 1926. Heritage value is also found in the architecture and the important role the building played in shaping East Pender Street, Chinatown’s main commercial and community street. The ground floor Ho Ho Restaurant (opened in 1954) and the Sun Ah Hotel upstairs have become neighbourhood fixtures.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7761&pid=0
137 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1913
The heritage value of the Mah Society Building lies in the way its original construction and subsequent alteration reflect key periods in the establishment of the Chinese-Canadian community in Vancouver.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7802&pid=0
Originally built as the Russ House Hotel, the property was purchased in 1902 by Japanese immigrants Kinu and Chiyomichi Uchida who turned it into a boarding house. Chiyomichi was an advocate for Canadian citizenship and was one of the first men to be naturalized. The Ming Sun Benevolent Association purchased the building in the 1970’s to use as a meeting hall and to provide housing. The association was one of the first Chinese Canadian organizations that incorporated itself under the B.C. Societies Act.
Find out more: https://friendsof439.wordpress.com/stories-from-residents-of-the-building/
Phoenix Hotel (Natives of Toi Shan Benevolent Society)
237 Hastings Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1908
This building is historically significant for its position in the streetscape among six other buildings whose architectural styles speak to the changing public taste from the ornate decoration of the late Victorian era to the more refined ornamentation of the Edwardian age. It is currently the home of the Toi Shan Benevolent Society, providing apartments to members of the Chinese community.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8501
This building is currently the headquarters for the Shon Yee Benevolent Association.
Find out more: http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/historic-study-of-the-society-buildings-in-chinatown.pdf
May Wah Hotel (Shon Yee Benevolent Association of Canada)
258 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1914
The May Way Hotel is an excellent example of the building requirements that resulted from the City of Vancouver’s 1910 Lodging House Bylaw that was introduced to improve pre-First World War living standards. When it was first built it was one of the largest rooming hotels in Chinatown.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7861&pid=0
158 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1925
This building was erected in 1925 as the headquarters for a number of smaller Chinese clan associations. It is an excellent example of the blending of influences in Chinatown’s architecture with the combination of Chinese-style recessed balconies and neo-classical Western columns.
Find out more: http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/MGChinatown_web.pdf
Tsung Tsin (Hakka) Association
542 Keefer Street, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1905
This 4-storey building was built in 1905 as a single-family dwelling. The Vancouver Tsung Tsin Association purchased the property in 1986 and did a major renovation to the structure. It now serves as an administration office and meeting place for the Hakka-speaking members of the association. The building also contains space for a recreation facility and lodging for low-income families.
Wong’s Benevolent Association (Chinese School Building)
121 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1910
The Chinese School building at 121 East Pender Street is a wide, mid-block, four-storey structure housing tong meeting rooms and a Chinese school over a row of stores on East Pender Street, the 'main street' of Vancouver's Chinatown.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7794&pid=0
Wong’s Benevolent Association
27 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1910
The four-storey brick building is an early example of an architecturally distinct ‘Chinatown style’ and is recognized for its association with a number of economic and social activities that were important to Chinatown.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7834&pid=0
518 Cordova Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1910
Yan's Fraternal Society was established in 1986. Located near Vancouver's historic Chinatown district, the building was originally a residential house, whose owner gifted the house to the Yans for use as a family association.
Find out more: http://www.ginsunhall.org/canada.htm
Yee Fung Toy Society of Canada
222-226 Georgia Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1911
The King Block was built in 1911 with retail shops on the ground floor and apartments above. The Yee Fung Toy Society moved to this building in 1951.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7890&pid=0
414 Columbia Street, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1910
This building is unique because it has an inner courtyard, the only one in Chinatown.
Yue Shan Society Buildings
33 - 47 Pender Street East, Vancouver, B.C. Built in 1889
The Yue Shan Society Buildings include a complex of three buildings that surround a central courtyard. It is the only remaining example, still in residential use, of this style of urban architecture that was common in early 20th century Chinatown.
Find out more: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11192&pid=0
