THE WORLD BUILDING/SUN TOWER

ADDRESS: 128 W Pender St, Vancouver BC

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Downtown

TYPE: Commercial

PROTECTION & RECOGNITION: M: Municipal Protection

SIGNIFICANCE: A: Primary Significance

This Beaux Arts structure was designed by W.T. Whiteway and built in 1911-1912. This structure succeeded the Dominion Building as the highest in the British Empire, a distinction held only for two years.

It was originally the home of the Vancouver World Newspaper, and known as The World Building. Its publisher, Louis D Taylor, was a prominent figure who was elected as mayor eight times. The Vancouver World promoted the war effort during the First World War, while also directly participating in fundraising efforts. In 1915 Taylor lost control of the newspaper and the building due to the recession. In 1924 the tower was sold to Bekins, a Seattle moving company.

In 1937, the Vancouver Sun newspaper moved into the building after its offices across Pender were destroyed by fire. Its been known as the Sun Tower ever since, even after the Sun moved out of the tower in 1965.
In 2011 the Tower was sold to current owners Allied Properties REIT.

SOURCE
Canada's Historic Places, The History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, Sun Tower Building website, Courtney Stickland "The forgotten front": a walking tour of Vancouver during the First World War (2013)