As Daily Scot reminded me, how can you have a series on Seventies architecture without including the Landmark (Sheraton and Empire) on Robson:
Price Tags started to follow the demolition of the tower (Our Falling Tower), especially since it was going to be slowly drilled apart over 2019. Indeed, it is on Christmas Eve – missing the restaurant, several floors lower. Built in 1973, designed by Ross Lort for developer Ben Wosk.
The problem with the Landmark is that it wasn’t. Unlike the much lower Harbour Centre, also with a revolving restaurant, it didn’t have that Jetson’s flair; it never really showed up on sketches of the city’s skyline. Opened in 1973, designed by Bill Lort for Ben Wosk, it was tall but undistinguished.
It marked no special place, just another block on Robson. It had no dialogue with the Blue Horizon, a few blocks up the hill. Those brothers never spoke. Since the two hotels were built in competition by the Brothers Wosk, trying to outdo each other with the tallest tower (Ben beat Morris with the Landmark), that seems a shame.
And because it has nothing special other than height, it won’t be missed.
I liked its simplicity.
Towers today try too hard to have flair (or are forced to twist, turn or angle away from view corridors).
It would be nice to see, in Vancouver, a square floorplate tower with wrap-around balconies (in the “Toronto” style, like those now being built in various Burnaby locations).
Wrap around balconies also provide sun shading.