Dominion Building (Vancouver)

 office building, high-rise

The Dominion Building is a building in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located on the edge of Gastown, it is Vancouver's first steel-framed highrise. At 53m (175 ft), the 13-story Second Empire-style building was the tallest building upon its completion in 1910 until it was surpassed by the Sun Tower in 1912. A 3-story mansard roof crowns the tower. The 40-foot flag pole flew the British flag for years after the building was completed (Canada did not adopt its own official flag until 1965). The facade features Burmantofts terra cotta from Leeds and polished red granite columns from Aberdeen. The two-storey main entrance is fitted with bronze-plated metal and polished wood. Its architect was J.S. Helver. The financiers of the structure were the Counts von Alvensleban from Germany, who were active in Vancouver's financial scene at the time. It was generally held at the time that they were a front for the Kaiser's money , which carried the suggestion that the Empire's tallest building had been built by its greatest rival. At the time of the tower's completion, the Dominion Trust Company occupied the ground floor while the floors above accommodated 300 offices, 22 per floor.

Today it is a provincially designated Class "A" heritage structure. Owned by Newton Investments Limited, it was restored by restoration expert Read Jones Christofferson. In 1998, it won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award for the restoration.

The building's current tenants include the Haddock film production company, clothing designers, record labels, antiquarian booksellers, Kokoro Dance, professional web developers, and a Lebanese restaurant.

The Dominion Building sits across the street from Victory Square, site of the former provincial courthouse, which was relocated to Georgia Street in 1913. The Dominion Building was at the hub of the city's financial and legal district until that move.