The Banffshire

A number of you have asked about the Banffshire – where was it, and does it still exist?  I'm happy to say it is still there, at 610 Jervis Street in downtown Vancouver. It's one of the old buildings that has escaped Vancouver's wretched determination to wipe out all vestiges of its architectural history, quality and character. It was a cockroach-infested firetrap at the time we lived there, an eccentric dump that was not maintained well, but it was OUR dump and we loved it. It was built in 1911, by architects Thornton & Jones in the Georgian/Jacobean revival-style, a  7-floor apartment block with patterned brickwork, oriel windows and columned doorways. It was originally named "The Felix Apartments", and later renamed "The Banffshire". Robin was the first of our crowd to move in and got several more of us signed up within a few months. (We were a mobile lot) As The Banffshire, it was affiliated with the Hotel Vancouver. When we lived there you could still see where the old hotel switchboard had been. It would have been a high-end rental in its day for wealthy travelers or long-term renters.

Apartments varied in size from about 600 sq feet to around 1400 and each featured beautiful stained glass windowed doors inside and out. (Alas, all the stained glass was eventually replaced to adhere to fire codes, as was the lovely open stairwell.)

For a location that was the backdrop for literally hundreds of our photos, we took remarkably few shots of the building itself. I regret never documenting the roof, where we occasionally sunbathed while waiting for the broken down washers and dryers to finish, or the eccentric elevator that sometimes arrived and sometimes did not, forcing you to schlep up the staircase. Below are the only two shots I ever took of the front. That's Robin, documenting the gargoyle.

Although much of the interior character has been spoiled with renovations and safety upgrades, The Banffshire has survived. It was designated a heritage building and is still a rental today (presumably minus the cockroaches). Currently a two bedroom on the sixth floor facing north (which means they have a view) is going for $1900 a month. Washers and dryers are now in the basement. (Did we ever venture down there?) My original rent for a one bedroom in 1977 was a jaw-dropping $124.00. You read that right: $124.00.

Below is the Banffshire today, with its somewhat taller neighbours.