Visiting the Triangle Building / Wosk Block, Vancouver, British Columbia: Dating From 1947, a Hub for Mount Pleasant

The Triangle Building at the intersection of Main Street and Kingsway, in Mount Pleasant, suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia has sometimes also been known as the Wosk Block. (It was thus named for Wosk's Furniture Store which occupied it from 1948 until 1960.) (1)

The more recent name of the building befits the plot of land on which is stands; the ground floor of the building is a café, and it is possible for one to sit at a table at the extreme north of the building and be seated simultaneously alongside Kingsway and Main Street, onto which windows face on both sides of the Triangle Building. This popular meeting place — where paths and streets literally converge — would thus be viewed by some people as a sort of community hub for Mount Pleasant.

Stylistically, the Triangle Building is said to reflect 'Streamlined Moderne' architecture (itself said to derive from Art Deco). This style is characterized by a penchant for aerodynamic curves and smooth planar surfaces; the extreme north end of the building at the intersection of Main Street and Kingsway is a case in point.

The Triangle Building overlooks the Mount Pleasant Clock, a project of Mount Pleasant Merchants' Association's efforts to beautify the neighbourhood (2). This Clock was designed by Raymond Saunders (builder also of Vancouver's more famous Gastown steam clock).

The Mount Pleasant Clock was inaugurated in 1988. It has now become somewhat of a symbol of the neighbourhood (3). As well as bearing the name of the neighbourhood, it displays the word 'Welcome'.

The photo (above) also givens some indication of the steep gradients which characterize Mount Pleasant and some of the adjoining suburbs of Vancouver outside the Downtown area.

The address of Mount Pleasant's Triangle Building is 2414 Main Street, Vancouver, B.C.

February 6, 2020

Notes

(1) See also: https://scoutmagazine.ca/2018/03/12/you-should-know-the-story-of-the-building-at-the-heart-of-mount-pleasant/ (This link contains further views of the Triangle Building and historical information.)

(2) See also: https://www.vancourier.com/community/vancouver-special/mount-pleasant/mount-pleasant-clock-erected-to-beautify-neighbourhood-1.389968

(3) Flower baskets and banners are also used to brighten the ambience of Mount Pleasant.

Among the numerous, outstanding visitor attractions in Vancouver, a very few of these include: The Lookout, with excellent views of the city, the surrounding Rockies and Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park and Lions Gate Bridge, Gastown; False Creek and Science World; the Vancouver Art Gallery; the 1914 Heritage Hall; the 1907 Dominion Building; the 1911 Sun Tower; the 1914 Waterfront Station; Granville Island; and many others.

Vancouver is also ideally situated for day trips to British Columbian mountain destinations such as Whistler (distance: 123.8 kilometres / 76.9 miles) and Peace Arch Park (Peace Arch Provincial Park in Canada and Peace Arch Historical State Park in the United States), shared between the Province of British Columbia at Surrey and the US State of Washington, at Blaine (distance: 48.9 kilometers / 30.4 miles).

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How to get there

WestJet and Air Canada fly to Vancouver International Airport, Richmond (distance from Downtown Vancouver: 10.8 kilometres / 6.7 miles), with wide North American and other connections, from where car rental is available. Some facilities may be withdrawn without notice. You are advised to refer to appropriate consular sources for any special border crossing arrangements which may apply to citizens of certain nationalities.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada