Councillor offers up suggestion to help advance plans for new architectural masterpiece
Kent Spencer
Province
Granting permission for an extra-tall office tower would be one way of creating funds for a prestigious new Vancouver Art Gallery.
Vancouver Coun. Heather Deal said Thursday that allowing the extra space — known as “bonus density” — would provide development-generated funds for the gallery’s anticipated move to Beatty and Georgia.
“It’s very exciting. This is the beginning of the conversation,” said Deal, from a conference in Moncton, N.B.
“The gallery might need to share the site with an office tower. Vancouver needs office towers downtown. Other people are interested.
“We need to come up with a proposal which serves the city, the gallery and fits into the overall downtown plan,” she said.
The gallery was recently slated to move to a site on False Creek near B.C. Place, but officials said the seaside venue was prone to flooding.
It was also privately owned, whereas its new preferred location at the old downtown bus-depot site is owned by the City of Vancouver.
The vacant block, which has recently been home to Olympic activities, is near a cultural hub at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
But Deal warned that a move is far from certain.
The gallery needs to raise several hundred million dollars for a 30,000-square-metre, purpose-built facility to house its art treasures.
It wants an architectural masterpiece so stunning it will draw visitors from around the world, its officials have said.
The gallery has promised that large sums can be raised from the private sector, and it already has $50 million from the province.
It says the move is necessary because it current headquarters in the old courthouse building at Howe and Georgia are too small to display its valuable collection.
Deal said precious artworks stored underground are subjected to water damage from the overhead courtyard fountains.
Coun. Tim Stevenson, meanwhile, said the ultimate plan would not necessarily include a tower.
“The art gallery will push really hard for a stand-alone site,” he said.
The present gallery is a heritage landmark and most recently the scene of Olympic festivities at Robson Square.
If the gallery move comes about in a few years time, Stevenson said, the courthouse would likely retain its public function.
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