B.C. Air Lines Hangar
General Information
Type of Resource: Building
Common Name:
Address: 4440 Stark St
Neighbourhood (Planning Area Name): Sea Island
Construction Date: 1956 - 1957
Designated: No
Statement of Significance
Description of Site
The B.C. Air Lines Hangar at Vancouver International Airport is a two-storey aircraft maintenance and
office facility. Constructed in the mid-1950s, the building was purpose-built for amphibious aircraft,
which it continues to serve today.
Statement of Values
The B.C. Air Lines Hangar is valued for its contribution to the aviation history of British Columbia.
Founded in 1943, B.C. Air Lines was initially headquartered in Victoria; the charter airline established
a flying school at Vancouver Airport in 1945. In 1955, the airline embarked on a plan to erect a new
hangar and shops near the seaplane slipway on the southern edge of the airport property. The hangar
opened in 1957 and became the new headquarters of B.C. Air Lines. The airline operated thirty
aircraft at the time and catered its services to the resource sectors of the province. It was acquired by
Northwest Industries in 1959 and then by Pacific Western Airlines in 1970; it was the third largest
airline based in British Columbia at the time. The B.C. Air Lines brand was discontinued after its 1970
purchase, but its hangar has continued to serve the active seaplane industry at Vancouver
International Airport, a relatively unique service that links many island and remote communities
across the southern coast of British Columbia.
The B.C. Air Lines Hangar is also significant for its design by the prominent architectural firm of
Thompson, Berwick & Pratt. Based in Vancouver, the firm was first established as ‘Sharp & Thompson’
in 1908 by George Lister Thornton Sharp and Charles Joseph Thompson. Robert Berwick and Ned
Pratt became partners in 1945, and the firm became ‘Thompson, Berwick & Pratt’. Known for their
extensive work at the University of British Columbia campus, as well as the design of the original
Vancouver Art Gallery, the firm was well-regarded for their Modern aesthetic of the mid-twentieth
century. For the B.C. Air Lines Hangar, the firm employed rational solutions for an otherwise utilitarian
building. The building contains both office space and aircraft maintenance facilities and the
architectural design of the hangar seamlessly integrates both uses into a highly efficient operation.
Character Defining Elements
The elements that define the heritage character of the B.C. Air Lines Hangar include, but are not limited to its:
• location along Stark Street in the South Terminal area at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond;
• continuous use since 1957;
• industrial form, scale, and massing, as expressed by its two-storey height with flat roof, as well as shallow gabled-roof above the main hangar area;
• concrete block construction;
• Modern-era design features, including narrow window openings in the large hangar doors; and
• variety of multi-pane window assemblies along the office sections of the building, which surround the central hangar area.
History
No information available.
Architectural Significance
Building Type
Industrial
Name of Architect or Builder
Thompson, Berwick & Pratt
Landscape Significance
No information available.
Documentation
Evaluated By: Donald Luxton and Associates Inc.
Evaluation Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2020
“Architectural Specifications of Work for Hangers, Shops and Offices for B.C. Airlines Ltd. at Vancouver
Airport.” May 1956 (University of British Columbia Archives, Thompson, Berwick and Pratt Records, Box
43, File 17).
“Airline Gets New Hangar.” Vancouver Sun, May 21, 1957.
“B.C. Airlines sells its fleet.” The Province, Apr. 9, 1959.
“B.C. Company Incorporations.” Vancouver Sun, Sep. 17, 1943.
“BC Airlines changes ownership.” The Province, Sep. 14, 1956.
Correspondences re: B.C. Air Lines Hangar, 1955-1959 (University of British Columbia Archives,
Thompson, Berwick and Pratt Records, Box 44, File 1).
Gent, Doug. “BC Air Lines Ltd.” Doug Gent History Pages. https://www.gentfamily.
com/Aircraft/bcairlinesltd.html (Accessed June 6, 2019).
Hanson, Phil. “PWA takes over B.C. Air Lines.” Vancouver Sun, Jul. 17, 1970.
“Learn To Fly! [Advertisement].” Vancouver Sun, Sep. 5, 1945.
“New Hangar Planned.” Vancouver Sun, May 25, 1956.
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