Vancouver Art Gallery is NOT going on False Creek waterfront after all !
Vancouver, March 7, 2010 Change to longstanding rumour. For quite awhile we have all anticipated that the new home for the Vancouver Art Gallery, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca was going to be on the NE shore of False Creek near BC Place and GM Place.
Below is a letter to members dispelling that, and announcing the new location. Remember the Greyhound Bus Depot of years ago? Actually picture the block of land where Canada House and LiveCity Dowtown as part of the 2010 Olympics is. THAT'S it!
Not as glamourous as waterfront, still an excellent choice in my humble opinion.
(further comments below)
"Dear Gallery Member,
You may have seen the exciting news in the media that the Gallery has determined a location at 150 Dunsmuir Street (the former Greyhound bus depot site), six blocks east of our current location, is the ideal site to build a new Vancouver Art Gallery. The decision to pursue the site at 150 Dunsmuir has been unanimously endorsed by the Gallery’s Board of Trustees. I am thrilled to be able to share this with you.
This conclusion was reached after an exhaustive master planning process initiated five years ago, including a thorough exploration of options for expanding on our current site, consideration of several possible sites in Vancouver’s downtown core, and feasibility studies on a potential Northeast False Creek location. Adjacent to Yaletown, Chinatown and Gastown, the 150 Dunsmuir site is in a dynamic part of downtown Vancouver near many cultural amenities and is readily accessible to the new Canada Line and other public transit---a perfect location for a significant, environmentally sustainable and welcoming building that will become a landmark for our city and province.
The vision for a new Vancouver Art Gallery is bold and ambitious, addressing the serious issues that hamper programs and operations in the current facility, as well as the long-term image and viability of the institution. Unfortunately, while the existing facility has considerable heritage value and holds a place in the hearts of many people within the Vancouver community, a heritage building is extremely difficult and costly to upgrade. The Gallery suffers from a severe lack of functional space (only 3% of the permanent collection can be viewed at any given time), as well as serious environmental problems, seismic vulnerabilities and aging systems. An expanded facility is critical to address the needs of our growing audiences, with dedicated classroom and program space for the Gallery’s important family, teen and school programs, as well as space for the care and presentation of our valuable collection of 10,000+ artworks, for presenting major exhibitions of historic art and the work of internationally acclaimed and emerging contemporary artists, and to serve our greater community in the coming years.
We continue to work closely with the City of Vancouver and Province of British Columbia on this exciting initiative and will provide you with updates throughout this process. Thank you for your interest and belief in all that the Vancouver Art Gallery can achieve. Your continued support of our growth and success means everything!
With best regards,
Kathleen S. Bartels
Director, Vancouver Art Gallery
"end quote"
This will add vibrancy to an evolving area of Vancouver between Yaletown and Crosstown, and possibly enhance the once planned "entertainment district". The gorgous and functional Vancouver Library is a block away, the newly renovated Queen Elizabeth Playhouse and CBC are also only a block away. Did you know that the POST OFFICE is leaving dowtown Vancouver? Did you know that there is a huge expansion planned on the south side of BC Place along with their new opening roof system? (mixed use commercial, me thinks a casino is waiting)
I am sharing this information as I have also told many people of the idea of the new art Gallery on the waterfront. I will be keeping an eye on design plans and short listed architects for what should be a highly functional building. Hopefully it will also be something architecturally significant!
During the Olympics I was priveleged to be invited to a soiree on the roof top of the existing gallery to watch the fireworks and crowds at Robson Square. Let's all ensure that we make our opinions known about what we want to see happen at both the old and new locations. Public opinion does count. Join the Art Gallery, write City Hall and help keep our public buildings, institutions and open spaces vibrabt and accessible to our citizens and guests.
Blair Smith, Downtown Vancouver
Resident, Citizen and your Realtor. 604-313-8732