East Asiatic House

Mid-century modern buildings

When called upon to design a new downtown office building in the early 1960s, rather than go full-on high-rise, architect Gerald Hamilton designed a more intimate 8-story complex; a cluster of three towers (1 low and 2 mid-rise) artfully finished in white marble resting on green arched columns above a raised courtyard. He adorned nice minimalist embellishments on its facade too, very effective in creating depth, texture and shadow.

Combining the design styles of Brutalism and New Formalism – a break away movement which combined modernist techniques with classical elements such as arches, patterns and refined adornments – Hamilton would later incorporate these principals into his plans for the iconic H.R. MacMillan Planetarium.

The East Asiatic House opened in 1963 is one of our favorite buildings in Vancouver.