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Online Heritage Inventory

Hangar No.2 - South Terminal

General Information
Thumbnail photograph of Hangar No.2 - South Terminal
Click to see full image
Type of Resource: Building
Common Name: Hangar No.2 - South Terminal
Address: 4680 Cowley Crescent
Neighbourhood (Planning Area Name): Sea Island
Construction Date: circa 1931
Current Owner: Federal Government
Designated: No

Statement of Significance
Description of Site
Hangar No. 2 is a large two-storey, arch-roofed industrial structure. It is located within, and is part of, the South Terminal area of Vancouver International Airport.

 Statement of Values
Constructed in 1931, the heritage value of Hangar No. 2 lies in its historical association to the original design and development of the Vancouver Civic Airport of which the hangar is an integral part. The hangar is representative of the historic development of the aviation industry in Richmond because of its function as an aircraft construction and maintenance building at a time when the industry was still in its infancy. It is still in use today as an aircraft maintenance facility.
As a facility used to house and repair airplanes as part of the war effort during Wold War II, Hangar No. 2 has symbolic connections to aviation history related to air combat, and appeals to our sense of nationalism.
As a rare survivor of this vaulted style of aircraft building, Hangar No. 2 is significant as a good example of an early functional hangar structure, one of two identical, original structures in the South Terminal designed by Arthur Bird, Vancouver City Architect. As well as being a landmark in the South Terminal, it is an important component of the collection of structures of similar scale and function which make up the South Terminal and help to reveal its original design intent.

 Character Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the site include:
· The building’s style as an example of an early aircraft hangar structure, including the symmetry of the hangar, the huge barrel vaulted roof which sweeps up at the sides over a large interior space, its low rectangular massing, reinforced concrete building material which reflects its industrial use, and the large, functional retractable doors.
· The associated administrative building component on the north side, which has strong, modern vertical elements contrasting with the curves of the hangar structure.
· The building’s context, orientation, and relationship to the overall spatial layout of the South Terminal, and to the other buildings on the site, which speak to the original plan and the historical development pattern of this area of the airport.
· Its continued use as an airplane maintenance and storage facility, and the various aircraft and industrial objects in and around the hangar which support and reveal this use.

 History
Hangar No. 2 is a large two-storey, arch-roofed industrial structure. It is located within, and is part of, the South Terminal area of Vancouver International Airport.

 Architectural Significance
Architectural Style
Functional

 Building Type
Transportation (Hangar)

 Name of Architect or Builder
Arthur J. Bird (City Architect of Vancouver)

 Design Features
The hangar consists of an arched roof over a larger, open interior space. The front facade has large, folding doors along its entire width. The back facade also has large windows, some to ground level. There are shed additions to either side of centre on the back facade which may not be original. The graceful sweep of the roof is diminished by the block-shaped side buildings.

 Landscape Significance
(No information available)

 Integrity
Alterations
Possibly the addition of sheds to the rear facade. The original plans show a larger height to the block-shaped building on the south side of the hangar. It appears as though this extra height was dropped during construction. The windows are most likely original.

 Original Location
Yes

 Condition
It appears to be in good condition.

 Lost
No

 Documentation
Evaluated By
Julie MacDonald (Julie MacDonald Heritage Consulting)

 Date
Tuesday, February 15, 2000

 Documentation
“Heritage Inventory, Phase II” by Foundation Group Designs, May 1989. Inventory Sheets by Diana Bodnar (Foundation Group), January 1989.

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