The Big Cover-up - Part Two

So in my earlier post we found that covering up old storefronts and building facades became "the thing to do" starting in the 1950's. Finding old photos of downtown Vancouver during this period has proven a bit difficult. But the Vancouver Archives has another great image of the 400 block of West Hastings Street taken back in 1974 (CVA 718-144). This picture has been used on many other blogs as it's a great illustration of how the city used to look decades ago. But for my purposes it's a great example of how old buildings and storefronts were covered up!

The covering for the Sheppard Shoes storefront was probably porcelain enamel panels. This baked on finish offered brighter colours and was highly resistant to fading and weathering. It was first used for gas stations and their related signage which are highly collectable today. The Reitman's Store is great example of slipcovering with corrugated aluminum. In both cases the upper stories of the buildings were covered over and were probably used for storage or inventory. This provided lots of space for signage. One of the largest suppliers of aluminum slipcovering was the Kawneer Company originally from Niles Michigan. Although they were a US company they did have a factory to supply the Canadian market in Toronto Ontario. Here are a few images from an old Kawneer catalogue from the 1950's promoting the use of their siding called Zourite (don't you love that name?) to modernize old buildings and storefronts.

Today the siding that was once covering the Reitman's store has been taken down revealing the old turn of the century building underneath. Back in the 1980's the Sheppard Shoes building was taken over by the Millar and Coe fine china shop next door. Interestingly both storefronts were then covered with aluminum siding which was exactly when slipcovering was starting to go out of style. Today Millar and Coe are long gone and the space is being used by Mott Electric but the metal siding is still there. It would be great if they removed the paneling as I'm sure their are some fine looking old buildings hiding underneath. Interestingly in both cases the buildings are not being used for retail purposes anymore.

The Big Cover-up - Part One

Well, after a bit of a hiatus Storefront Vancouver is back with more great posts for 2018!

If you've ever been in downtown Vancouver you've probably noticed the building that houses the Church of Scientology at the North West corner of Hastings and Homer Street. Today it looks a bit odd with its funky mirrored paneling. But interestingly enough it's a great example of what happened to many old buildings in downtowns around North America in the 1950's, 60's and 70's. They were covered up!

By the late 1950's the move was on to the suburbs and retail was shifting to the shopping mall. Many downtowns had older stone or masonry buildings constructed in the late 1800's or turn of the century which were now looking a bit dated. The building at 401 West Hastings was a prime example of this as it dates from 1909. This photo was taken by W.J.Moore in 1931. Moore is of course known for his panoramic images of Vancouver. (Vancouver Archives str N281.2)

So in order to try and lure shoppers back to the downtown buildings and storefronts were covered up with slipcovers of paneling and corrugated metal siding. The new facades could then be covered with large modern signs. This 1974 image below from the Vancouver Archives (CVA 778-145) shows Peoples Jewellers with its modern looking mirrored panels which are still there today. The building next door was covered with metal siding and was home then to Reitman's.

By the 1980's slipcovering of older building began to go out of style and many downtowns rediscovered the older buildings that had been hidden away for decades. Today there are only a few buildings and storefronts left in Vancouver that are still covered up.

Check out Part Two in this series of The Big Cover-up!