Site Name: Pacific Centre Plaza – PROPOSED FOR REDEVELOPMENT
Alternative Name: Four Seasons Plaza
Location:
- Site Address: 701 West Georgia St., Vancouver
- Closest Street Intersection: Howe St and W Georgia St
- Secondary Address2: 791 West Georgia
- Local Area: Downtown
- Latitude: 49.28305801
- Longitude: -123.1185226
Photoset:
Components: Plaza, atrium
Description: Large open area with benches and round circular seating area. Various trees and bushes help to define the edge of the space. A prominent glass domed atrium sits in the NE – providing an entrance to Pacific Centre mall.
Year Built: 1971
Ownership status: Private
Owner Name: Cadillac Fairview
History Notes: Site originally was known as Four Seasons Plaza, and had a more prominent “open” quality. At some point after 1986, the glass dome entrance was added, enclosing part of the space – and further rendering it as “private” space.
Key Events, Usage in History, Timeline: Various musical performances by Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Four Seasons Plaza in 1986 (Photo: City of Vancouver Archives)
Locational Context: Pacific centre plaza is connected to six high rise office towers. These towers are connected to the retail centre and the Four Seasons Hotel.
Site Orientation: South; west
Dimensions:
- Area: 875m2 (est) (excluding atrium)
- Dimensions: Broader plaza area is 44m x 31m (1354m2). However, calculation needs to exclude covered atrium (380m2), and chamfered corner.
Design Features:
- Weather Proofing: No; however domed entrance functions in this fashion.
- Pathways: Connected to Pacific Centre entrance on the corner of Howe and W Georgia
- Surface Treatment and Materials: Hard, cement, marble seating, trees and bushes
Furniture and amenities:
- Formal Seating: Yes- 5 black benches, 5 circular benches. Additional temporary chairs and tables were installed in 2016.
- Informal Seating: Yes – ledges besides the bushes and trees
- Tables: Yes – small moveable tables have been installed
- Washroom: PC’s washrooms
- Waste or Recycling Disposal: Yes- 2 trash cans by mall entrance
- Lighting: Yes- 4 black lamp post
- Street Trees: Trees beside the streets surrounding the plaza, enclosed by marble like wall
- Landscaping: Yes- bushes, flowers, hedges, trees
- Other items of note: Smoke stand on site
- Corporate Signage: Pacific Centre mall sign
- Regulatory Signage: Yes- No Smoking signs in close proximity to the mall’s entrance
Security: Private security (mall)
Access:
- Transit: Yes- bus stop outside on W Georgia St and also adjacent to Howe St, Granville skytrain station nearby, Vancouver City Centre skytrain across W Georgia st
- Universal Design: Yes- Ramps by Four Seasons hotel going up the stairs to the plaza
General Usage or Observational data: Plaza is primarily used as an entrance way to the Pacific Centre mall; however the plaza sees moderate use with people eating, chatting, smoking on benches. Additional moveable seats and tables are encouraging greater amounts of lingering.
Typology: Open Space – Plaza
Evaluation details:
- Date of evaluation: May 22, 2014
- Weather during evaluation: Cloudy and windy