
People love to speculate about the big brown stone building with the clock tower at the corner of Main Street and 15th Avenue.
Some think it was an early city hall, others visualize a church, some think it was a bank. One little boy in the neighbourhood is sure it is a castle. Those in the know call it the old Post Office or the old RCMP building.
Heritage Hall: The Whole Story

The 104 page illustrated Heritage Hall, Biography of a Building, traces the history of the building from its early days as a post office through the federal government years and into the exciting period of restoration as a community facility. Recipient of a 2003 Heritage Society of British Columbia Honour Award and a 2006 City of Vancouver Heritage Award, the book consists of selected oral history and researched documentation. Available for sale through the Heritage Hall administration office for $21.95 email us ([email protected]) if you would like to purchase a copy.
“This well-produced book about Heritage Hall avoids descending into vanity press or promotional fluff and comes up a winner.” – Donald Luxton, heritage consultant and author.
Heritage Hall Architecture

Vancouver’s architectural history between 1880 and 1915, shows an amazing increase in building sophistication in architectural design and technical construction capability.
Built in 1915, Postal Station “C” (now Heritage Hall) is the culmination of this period in terms of both craftsmanship and design. The building design is a competent and quite sophisticated exercise in Beaux Arts Classicism and has outstanding architectural value.
The nearly square, three-storey building with its projecting pavilions, clock tower and high-hipped roof shows the typical Edwardian inclination towards the spectacular, adorned as it is in lavish 18th century ornamentation and stonework.
Sculptured columns and pilasters topped in vaguely Corinthian capitals are set into the two Main Street facades. Sandstone festoons decorate the facade, while a series of sculpted, nameless faces above the second storey windows show exceptional skill. (Only the face of King George V that sits above the main hall entrance is identifiable.) The elaborate ornamental scheme constructed from local stone shows that skilled craftsmen were available to the builders.

The ground floor walls are banded with dark-toned Haddington Island stone between layers of lighter Denman Island stone, giving a variegated look to the street level. The floor above is of brick with stone trim. (The Haddington Island stone was also used on the Hotel Vancouver and the Vancouver Law Courts.)
The building is dominated by a clock-tower with a mechanical clock and a working bell. The impressive bell was built by the J. B. Joyce & Company Ltd of Whitchurch, England. During the extensive exterior renovation of Heritage Hall funded by the City of Vancouver in 2020/21, the clock-tower was seismically upgraded, the clock refurbished and an automatic winder was installed.
The original roof installed in 1916 was red asbestos tile, crowned with copper ornamentation and lanterns. In 1984, the roof was replaced and finished with a type and colour of tiles similar to those installed back in 1916. In 2020/21, Victoria’s Grist Slate & Tile Roofing installed a new tile roof with grey slate from Quebec. The decorative copper, which had served for 105 years, was entirely replaced with stunning new copper forged in Chicago.

Inside the building a significant amount of original detail remains on the main floor, including an exceptional carved red marble staircase. The main floor was re-designed as a grand ballroom in 1983. It had a patterned tile floor, embellished columns, a trompe l’oeil mural, stained glass windows and chandeliers. Paint colours were chosen based on the building’s exterior architectural style. A decision was made to play with the 18th century French Provincial style with the use of softer hues like the sky-blue of the ceiling.
The building was designed by Archibald Campbell Hope and completed in 1916. Hope was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1870 and had practised in San Francisco before moving to Vancouver in 1908. In Vancouver he also designed the Central Hotel and several apartments in the West End. David Ewart was the building’s chief architect.
Heritage Hall was designated a heritage building by the City of Vancouver in 1974 and was included in the first list of buildings identified by the City as having historical importance.
The main floor ballroom was redesigned in 2015 and a new terrazzo floor was installed. The ballroom was repainted in January 2017. The mural still exists but is now covered by a blank wall.