Crass Advertising

 Update May 31, 2011

Being a Vancouverite, I always believed that the CPR owned the Waterfront Station.   Wrong.

At the very least, if not CPR, then Translink.    Wrong.

Vancouver?  Wrong.

Province of British Columbia?   Wrong.


Waterfront Properties is owned by Ontrea Inc. (which is wholly owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board), and managed by Cadillac Fairview Management Services.


Oh.

Please note that no signs or lettering shall be inscribed, placed, or affixed in the leased premises or the building which are visible from the exterior of the building or common areas unless authorized by Cadillac Fairview.

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 May 30, 2011

Today was a very busy day down at Waterfront Station, at 601 West Cordova Street.   No cruise ships in port, but still the masses were churning out of the station and heading, mostly, towards GasTown.   The first photo opportunity to catch the tourist's attention is a bronze Angel of Victory Statue:

........ crafted by London-born sculptor Coeur de Lion McCarthy. It was commissioned in 1922 in memory of the 1,100 CPR employees who died in World War I. A plaque that also memorialized those who perished in World War II was added in the late 1940s.     Source

Source

600 W. Cordova CB CPR Station Bronze War Memorial -  Angel of Victory
       - See Note Below on Vancouver Heritage sites

 The Angel of Victory was originally situated at the western edge of the Canadian Pacific Railway Station on Water Street.  In 1978, the statue was moved to the eastern end of the building.

Google Street View. The Angel of Victory is at the far right corner of the building, ground level

May 30, 2011

To commemorate those in the service of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company whom at the call of King and Country left all that was dear to them, endured hardship, faced danger and finally passed out of sight of men by the path of duty and self sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others may live in freedom. Let those who come after see to it that their names are not forgotten.    Source

1914-1918
1939-1945

On this particular day, May 30, 2011, photographers got more than they bargained for.

May 11, 2011           Flags of countries?

May 30, 2011       Menu beside a War Memorial

Coincidentally, or planned, the Menu is exactly at the same elevation as the plaque on the statue.  The Menu couldn't be any closer either, unless the eastern legs were cut shorter.

Read the plaque, look sideways, Read the Menu.



I wonder though, what our visitors were thinking about how we treat our war memorials.

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Municipal Heritage Designation

Vancouver Heritage Register   http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/Guidelines/V001.pdf
Formerly known as Vancouver Heritage Inventory dated August 1986   Snip

2.1                      A - Primary Significance
Represents the best examples of a style or type of building; may be associated with a person or
event of significance.

2.2                     B - Significant

Represents good examples of a particular style or type, either individually or collectively; may
have some documented historical or cultural significance in a neighbourhood.

2.3                     C - Contextual or Character

Represents those buildings that contribute to the historic character of an area or streetscape,
usually found in groupings of more than one building but may also be of individual importance.
While the category is a useful reference, the key is that whichever category a building is placed
under, it has heritage value.

2.4        Heritage Protection and Recognition

In addition, other notations are found on this listing, including those indicating legal protection

and other formal recognition.

An “M” or “P” following the building evaluation, indicates buildings or sites that are protected
by a legal heritage designation by the City of Vancouver (“M”) or the Province of British

Columbia (“P”). Some of the municipally designated sites in Chinatown and Gastown may not

have an “A”, “B” or “C” category. However, they may still have historic value.

Snip
600 W. Cordova        CB CPR Station Bronze War Memorial -  Angel of Victory
601 W CORDOVA   A(M)   CPR Station             

Snip

A sad, beautiful memorial, covered in soot

By John Mackie

Snip

"They're neglected, they're not taken care of - we aren't proud of them. We think they should be celebrated and preserved, taken care of and cherished. It's something [Heritage Vancouver has] been talking about for a long time, and it's time to take action. Especially since we're hosting the world in 2010 - we don't want people to see the neglect of our commemorative statues and monuments. It's pretty sad."  Vancouver Sun

Snip

Update June 2, 2011

Others have written on this topic before:

Masters Planning
The Heritage Vancouver Society

Angel of Victory Monument  Flickr 

Cut-away view of Vancouver Waterfront CPR Station

Montreal, Quebec

Winnipeg, Manitoba

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Crass

without refinement, delicacy, or sensitivity; gross; obtuse; stupid: crass commercialism; a crass misrepresentation of the facts.


There's got to be a Vancouver City By-Law that covers improper "use" of war memorials.........