Grant's Ormidale

Today we are going to visit a building on the southern tip of Gastown, about half a block from Victory Square.

Built in 1900 by architect George W. Grant, 151 Hastings Street was at the centre of commerce in the early twentieth century. This area housed many warehouse due to its proximity to the docks and the railway terminals. Goods were unloaded here and moved to the warehouses before being distributed to retail outlets.

Originally, 151 Hastings Street housed the offices of several wholesale importers and it was known as the Ormidale Block after the first owner, R.W. Ormidale.

(If you look at the  second photo, you will see that the name of the original owner is engraved in terra cotta.)

This building is designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was fashioned after the Marshall Field's Department store in Chicago, which Henry Hobson Richardson designed and built between 1885 to 1887. Although this building has many characteristics of that style, the window treatments are a bit unusual.

The small, rectangular windows are placed beneath the arch-and-spandrel rows and on the right side of the building, separated from the main facade by brickwork is an oval window set in brick on the fourth floor.

By 1920, the area was changing and the main business was moving west. This building became the home of the Metropolitan Stores - a chain of 'five and dime' outlets that catered to the blue-collar families. The Bata Shoe Company sold footwear from this location in the 1950s. As you can see, it is now home to Asia Imports.

There are some character-defining elements to this building. Such as the rectangular shape and massing, with a scale keeping with the streetscape. It is built right to the lot line with no setbacks; the name Ormidale above the one window as well as the presence of street level shops. 

It is also unique with the characteristics of the Richardsonian Romanesque style including a heavy base; the pattern of fenestration (the design and placement of the windows and other openings) rounded window surrounds on the upper floor, pilasters and corbelled brickwork under the original cornice line.

I was looking for more information to fill out this entry so I did a search on the architect, George William Grant. The one site I found on architects in Canada doesn't have his biography posted yet but his catalogue of work is impressive.

Starting in New Westminster in 1887, Grant has designed everything from the Royal City Hotel to the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral to the Carnegie library in Vancouver. He designed cottages, entire blocks, houses and, as we have seen here, warehouses. 

He also had partners later in his career, someone named Henderson and then an architect by the last name of Cook joined the firm. However, there wasn't any information on those two.

Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to expand my knowledge of George W. Grant and cover more of his creations.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Henry H. Richardson, Ormidale Block, George W. Grant, British Columbia

Red

As you can see, this is the Vernon Apts on Hastings Street. The one I was telling you about on Wednesday. It was built in 1920.

Every time I do a search on Red Robinson, I find more webpages and more information. For conflicting dates, I post the ones on Red's website since I figure that Red would know the dates.

As I stated on Wednesday, Red kind of retired in 2001 although his radio show still broadcast on 650 CISL on Sunday mornings. In 2007, Red made the jump from AM to the FM dial for the first time with the radio station 1049 FunFm.

In 2011, the radio show, the Red Rock Diner returned to its home of 650 AM from noon to 4 on Sundays. Hmm. I think it is time for me to listen to the radio again!

I have mentioned some of the awards the Robinson has won but there are more.

In 1956, a Province newspaper poll named Red as Disc Jockey of the Northwest.
In 1969, the B.C. Association of Broadcasters named him Broadcast Performer of the Year.
It was in 1981 that the Canadian Association of Broadcasters inducted Red into the CAB Quarter-Century Club.
He received two awards in 1991. One was the Record Magazine's second inductee to its Broadcaster Hall of Fame and the other was the North Vancouver Centennial Award "100 Distinguished Citizens".
In 1992, the Government of Canada recognized Red's achievements and he became the recipient of "Canada 125" Achievement Medal.
1994 was the year he was appointed a "Vancouver Museum Honorary Ambassador" on its centennial.
The "Entertainment Hall of Fame" inducted Red into his halls and his name in "STARWALK".
And I have already mentioned the "Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame" in Cleveland, Ohio.

Red has hosted the Timmy's Christmas Telethon since its inception and on the 11th Annual telethon, the B.C. Lions' Society for Children with Disabilities named one of the Easter Seal house after him. This was done in honour of Robinson helping to raise over $22 million up to 1988.

Another report I read from Rockabilly.com states that Robinson has received twenty awards from the BC Lions' Society for Children with Disabilities and has helped to raise over $75 million for the charity from 1976 to 1996.

In 1988, he was proclaimed founding president of NABS (National Advertising Benevolent Society), West Coast Chapter. This society represents the entire advertising community on the West Coast.

Robinson served as director of the Broadcast Executive Society - B.E.S. Western and as a Director of the West Coast Chapter of CARAS.

A scholarship was established in Red Robinson's name at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. This scholarship provides an annual reward to a needy student looking for a career in broadcasting.

This building on Commercial Drive was built in 1928.

Are you getting tired yet? Reading all the accomplishments of people like Red Robinson and Terry David Mulligan and others like them have made me aware of a very important fact. In order to gain just a smidgen of their success, I got to work my butt off! (Which is fine because my butt should be smaller anyway! LOL)

To honour Red, his career achievements and his humanitarian efforts, the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation opened the Red Robinson Show Theatre at the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam. This is a beautiful, 1100-seat theatre that can be used for a variety of purposes.

The acts the theatre attracts are spectacular. Whoopi Goldberg, Air Supply, Joe Walsh, the Charlie Daniels Band and many others. Nazareth has played there a few times and in 2008 I saw one of my favourite acts, Poison, perform there.

Have you enjoyed my three-day look at one of North America's music pioneer's? Whenever I decide to look into someone like this, I am fascinated by the little details I discover - some of which never make it into a blog entry. I also look at what they have done to become the  successes they are. As I said, I gotta work harder! (and smarter.)

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Red Robinson, Red Robinson Show Theatre, Rock 'n Roll, British Columbia

Really Red!

This building is on Hastings Street. There is an empty lot on the one side and then Vernon Apartments. Vernon Apartments was built in 1920 and people I have talked with think this building was built at the same time. This is how 1180 East Hastings looked a few months ago.

Monday we talked about Red Robinson from 1953 to 1963. When we left, Red had gotten married and was program director for C-FUN radio station - a position he held until 1968 when he left to become operations manager at CJOR. If you remember from Monday, this is where it all started for a sixteen-year- old Red Robinson in 1954.

Red is credited with being the first DJ in Canada to regularly play rock 'n roll. He was also the first to play Elvis Presley records and he MC-ed the Elvis concert at Vancouver's Empire Stadium in 1957. Seven years later,  Robinson was the MC for the Beatles show at the Empire.

From 1963 to 1966, Red also hosted a TV show on CBC-TV entitled Let's Go (also known as Music Hop) where he introduced viewers to Canadian rockers such as Terry Jacks, Randy Bachman, The Collectors and so many more.

In 1971, he returned to CKWX as a morning show host. Red also hosted a coast-to-coast trivia show on CBC-TV called Trivia Challenge in 1979 and '80. The show inspired a group of contestants to create the game Trivial Pursuit.

Red hosted the morning show at CKWX until 1983 - racking up a station record of twelve years - then from 1985 to 1993, he was heard as host of Reunion, a cross-country oldies show.

In collaboration with Peggy Hodgins, he authored a book about the history of rock 'n roll in Canada. In 1980, he hosted and produced the Gavin Report Convention. This was the first time the prestigious event had ever been held outside of the USA.

However, the entertainment field wasn't the only arena that Red Robinson shined in. In 1969, he founded Trend Advertising (it later became Palmer Jarvis Advertising). The first client this new advertising agent had was McDonald's Restaurants of Canada. Red was the first to appear in a McDonald's TV commercial and was the company's first agent.

Another advertising venture that Red was part of was Vriak Robinson Advertising. It was a fourteen year partnership with Stephan Vriak that led to one of the biggest advertising agencies in Vancouver. In 1987, Vriak Robinson Advertising merged with Hayhurst Communications Ltd and became Vriak Robinson Hayhurst Communications Ltd.

For Expo 86, Robinson presented the 'Legends of Rock 'n Roll' and brought forty-one rock 'n roll giants to the Expo Theatre. Among those were Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Righteous Brothers. It was a 13-week series, which is unprecedented for bringing together so many Hall of Fame stars to one venue.

In 1989, Red returned to TV as host of Red's Classic Theatre on Bellingham's KVOS-TV. The show was a long running one, lasting until 2001.

Robinson has met and worked with many major personalities. His recorded interviews top 650 performers! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland recognized Red Robinson in 1994 and elected him as a pioneer disc jockey. There are only three such honours bestowed on Canadians and 90 overall. In 1997, Red was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2000.

Are you ready? The next six photos are of the renovated 1180 East Hastings! Someone has done a great job!

It was in 1993 that Red started to build his top-rated morning show on 650 CISL/Vancouver and although he 'retired' in 2001, Robinson continued to broadcast his show Sunday mornings.

I have more to tell you on Mr. Red Robinson and I will do so on Friday. Until then, I hope you find the beauty around you.

On a literary note, I have reduced the price on the eBook versions of Mystique Rising and The Bond, A Paranormal Love Story.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Red Robinson, C-Fun, Rock 'n Roll, British Columbia