Known for five decades in Vancouver as the MacMillan Bloedel building, and even as “the waffle,” the iconic and brutalist 27-storey office tower at 1075 West Georgia was rebranded September 27 as Arthur Erickson Place after its designer, Canada’s most distinguished architect.
“It is rare for an architect to be honoured in this way, and I know that Arthur would be very proud to have the building carry his name, as it encapsulates all he strove to achieve architecturally,” said Erickson’s nephew, Geoffrey Erickson, during a swank evening unveiling at the site.
Arthur Erickson, with Geoffrey Massey, created the unique Modernist design of 1075 West Georgia for forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel during a corporate building boom in the 1960s.
The building – the tallest in Vancouver when completed in 1968 – became a multi-award-winning national heritage landmark due to its construction technique of cast-in-place concrete, striking aesthetic of tapered walls and deeply recessed windows, and association with which at the time was Canada’s largest forestry company.
The structure, made of reinforced bare concrete, rises above a spacious public plaza with reflecting pools that span the building’s length.
The building won the 1970 Massey Medal for Architecture, among many other awards.
“It is time to give this powerful, monolithic office building its due place on Vancouver’s skyline by branding it after Arthur Erickson in honour of his excellence,” said Jon Stovell, president & CEO of Reliance Properties. “With its heritage distinction, central downtown location, and strong visual identity, Arthur Erickson Place will continue to be the address with cachet.”
Born in Vancouver, Erickson became a globally celebrated architect and master planner. In B.C., his work includes the Robson Square civic complex and Simon Fraser University. Erickson designed only nine office buildings, two of which are in downtown Vancouver.
Erickson died in 2009 at age 84.
In 2019, KingSett Capital, Crestpoint Real Estate Investments, and Reliance Properties jointly bought the building with a plan to reestablish it as the premier corporate office location in downtown Vancouver.
To celebrate the launch of Arthur Erickson Place, the ownership group is hosting a free seven-day visual experience, Erickson Revealed. The 3D light show will animate the building’s main exterior into a canvas of Erickson’s notable designs augmented with dynamic digital lights until September 30.
