Museum and UBC both want the historic site, but the city says it’s too early to talk about what will happen
Kelly Sinoski
Sun
The Vancouver Courthouse in 1910, 73 years before it became the Vancouver Art Gallery. Potential tenats, such as the university of B.C. and the Vancouver Museum are lining up for the opportunity to occupy the couthouse as the VAG considers other locations.
The Vancouver Museum wants the space for its urban exhibits and the University of B.C. wants to fill it with students and lectures.
They are just two of the prospective hopefuls for the heritage stone building housing the Vancouver Art Gallery when — and if — it vacates its current site.
VAG officials said Wednesday they are negotiating with the City of Vancouver for the entire square block of the former bus depot site at Georgia and Hamilton streets, where they want to build a new, greener, home.
But city manager Penny Ballem said no decisions have been made on VAG’s proposal and “it’s all up in the air” about what’s going to happen. The city had been pitching to have the new VAG on the False Creek lands.
“People have got a bit overexcited on this; we haven’t come to any conclusions whether or not that’s what we agree with,” Ballem said.
“If the art gallery ever did move out of there we would have to have those discussions on what could move in.”
She said whatever came in would have to fit into the cultural mix of the area.
Although it could take years before a decision is made, demand is already high for the VAG’s current location on Hornby Street, where the art gallery has been housed since 1983.
Both the museum and UBC said they have been holding off on serious discussions with the province, which owns the land, and the city, which leases it, until the VAG officially announced it was going to move.
“Now that there’s a possibility, we’ll have to start having conversations with the city,” said Nancy Noble, head of the Vancouver Museum.
“Eventually the politicians will have to make [a decision]. It’s been a cultural centre of the city for some time. We’re hoping that can be retained.”
Noble said while the museum is interested in the site, it has to
determine if it’s feasible. While the VAG is already designed for exhibits, she noted its storage
space is smaller than that of the museum site at Vanier Park. But she added there are other
benefits, particularly the fact that the VAG site is in the heart of the city and this would bode
well for the museum’s new branding, which aims to focus more on the city itself.
She noted the museum may also be interested in sharing the site, offering more space for other arts and culture groups in Vancouver.
Amanda Gibbs, the museum’s director of engagements, agreed that while the museum has a beautiful location, it isn’t attracting as much traffic as it could. As it leans more toward investigating urban issues and what happens in the city, she said it makes more sense to be in the heart of Vancouver.
During the Olympics, she said, it was evident that Robson Square “has the opportunity to provide that sort of hub for people to gather.”
But the museum isn’t the only one vying for the site.
Stephen Owen, vice-president, external, legal and community relations at UBC, said the university is also interested in the VAG site as it would offer “a natural expansion” for UBC’s Robson Square campus.
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