Heritage 101 May 3, 2008: Observation Exercise Notes
What did participants observe about the condition of the Mission to Seafarers Building, 401 E
Waterfront Rd, after approximately 30 minutes of visual observation?
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Building Site
This is the original site
Railway St. and Dunlevy Ave.
Angle to the street
A showcase of a pre-fab building—BC Timber
Mills
new use – context of the port; an ideal use now
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Roof
wood shingles
addition – asphalt
gutters need maintenance
meant to be seen from all sides
addition circa 1910 (?)
gutters – poor condition
roof c. 10 years old
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Windows
drawn glass / original
basement windows – boarded up
some water damage
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Vault
extended – original part of 1906 plus addition in
1950’s-60’s
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Walls
water
structure
repair
maintenance
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Foundation
poor condition
newer parts
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Paint
Built up paint is present on many surfaces
Remove it? In selected areas, perhaps
southside condition is poor
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Porch
Good condition
water run-off is good due to the sloping floor
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Shingles
good select replacement
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Gutters
Poor
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Electrical wires
southside – many wires need looking at
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Venting
lower-basement area; look at it for a restoration
project
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Repairs
not significant – no rot / insect damage
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Windows
double hung / sash
sealed with paint
panes are rippled due to age
individual replacements in select areas
cracked putty
transom windows – double hung
stained glass windows at entrance looks more
recent – retain as part of the building’s
conservation
basement – fixed multi-pane windows
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Columns
Decent condition, need a bit of paint
Stairs are original balustrades
o Jim Stiven mentioned that they are
made of wood; created in sections
o c. 2” thick; created on a lathe
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Doors
some are out of character; a variety of doors
entrance – front-frame original
bathroom and music room could be a template
for the entrance
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Basement
modernized
o ceilings dropped (upper floor too)
the group took a look at the windows/height in
order to see that the ceiling was dropped
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Upstairs
shadow lines on the floor to see the original
layout (beneath the carpet)
fire escapes as clues to construction
Changes on the Main Floor
dropped ceiling
one window with a transom in the Chapel
chapel – new layer of wainscoting on top of
the old, c. 1970s era
quality of work – thin wooden strips
door frames upstairs
doors with windows, 5 panels and glass
electrical wires – visible on the walls
music room – dropped ceiling with the earlier
version above; flooring changes
picture rail – 6-8 joints sloppily done near the
entrance on the main floor / south of the main
door
no soft ventilation
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Why so many changes?
o Always being used – continually
changing
o Different purposes over the years
o Basement renovated c. 1980s, paid for
by H.R. Macmillan Estate Trust