Plan calls for three towers to rise above old Vancouver post office

The plan for the old Vancouver Post Office has been unveiled, and it’s a shocker.

The design by Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership calls for three new glass-faced towers to be added on top of the heritage building at 349 West Georgia, including a 17-storey office tower and two residential towers of 18 and 20 storeys.

The towers would form a big glass wall along Georgia and Dunsmuir, but would taper in between, like a big U. The building looks like it would be oriented toward the plaza of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to the east.

A rezoning application on the city’s website says there will 799 residential units in the complex, of which will be 427 market rental and 372 condos. This works out to 795,886 sq. ft. of residential.

The existing seven-storey building will become a “podium” for the towers with a mix of retail, office and residential space. A sign on the building dubs it “The Post.”

The view looking west from Dunsmuir.

There will be six levels of parking in the project, with 1,004 to 1,474 parking stalls and 1,038 bicycle stalls. There will also be a 49-space child care facility.

The main floor will be redeveloped with a glass facade, which means that the famous bas-relief of a postman at the southwest corner of the building will be moved.

A handsome mural by Orville Fisher depicting “early transportation methods in British Columbia” will also be cut out and moved.

The developer and city will be holding an open house on the project on Tuesday, Nov. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hotel Vancouver at Georgia and Burrard.

The old post office was designed by McCarter and Nairne architects, and opened in 1958 on a full block bounded by Georgia, Homer, Dunsmuir and Hamilton streets. It is an example of the International modern style, and pretty much looks the same today as when it was constructed.

In 2013, the federal government sold the building for about $130 million after paying out land claims brought by four First Nations. The new owner is to BCIMC, a pension fund.

jmackie@postmedia.com

This view looks north from Homer, showing the Georgia Street side of the building.

The existing Post Office on West Georgia Street.

The bas relief of the postman at Georgia and Homer is one of the building’s most famous features.