May
3
By Jack Krayenhff
You wonder what the picture of this ugly building is about?
It is about what it is hiding: the east aspect of our Legislature Buildings. You can make out just a little strip of them above this monster in the foreground.
Those Buildings are the most important structure in the entire Province of B.C. - agreed?
Not outstanding in their beauty perhaps, but at least: there is dignity, the whole is pretty impressive. And they need a handsome setting to match. From the city side, they have it: a great lawn, fountain in the middle, some beautiful trees on the side, the statue of the World War I soldier and one of Queen Victoria. Very good.
Now walk with me to the west side. That red brick building is not great, but at least it has the dignity of age. Menzies Street is too close. But on the whole, this side is not too bad.
To the south, towards James Bay, the building itself is actually quite beautiful. The statuary, the pillars and arches are well worth spending some time studying, and the grounds with their beautiful fountain are handsome, too. In the future it is even going to get better, as the very plain buildings on the south side of Superior Street will be making room for much nicer ones.
But now that eyesore on the east, which you see coming up Government Street and which blocks the view of the Buildings and ruins their dignity. A second-hand car lot would have about the same effect, except more of the Buildings would have remained visible. Whoever put it there must have thought of it as a temporary solution to an urgent space problem, to be razed as soon as possible. Only that never happened.
Traveling north from James Bay along beautiful tree-lined Government Street the approach to the Inner Harbour and the Empress could be so gracious, with the Buildings in their spacious setting emerging on your left. But now it is spoiled by that ugly shed. Is it an exaggeration to call it an abomination?