1553 Robson Street, 1949

• Constructed 1949
• Location Vancouver, BC
• Architect Unverified
• Use Commercial
• Status Demolished (2026)

1555 Robson Street once served as the nucleus in a series of offices spanning the 180+ workforce of the venerable architecture firm Thompson, Berwick & Pratt Architects. The low-slung, International Style concrete building, sited at the corner of Robson and Cardero Streets, was two storeys in height with a basement, featuring large roof overhangs, ribbon windows across the second floor, and larger storefront windows along the sidewalk. In the 1980’s, we understand that TBP only occupied the basement and upper floor of the building. The office was entered at street level via the eastern end of the building off of Robson Street, up a set of stairs to reception, meeting rooms, and a reference library. The western end of the upper floor served as a large drafting room. Fook Weng Chan, a retired architect, and former employee of TBP in the 1980’s, recalls hearing many stories of a party Arthur Erickson once championed in that large drafting room when he worked for the firm.

While typical of their work, we have not yet been able to verify whether Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, Pratt designed the original 1949 building at 1555 Robson Street. We understand that the firm owned the building until sometime before the 1980s.

The building was demolished in 2026 as part of a land assembly to make way for two high-rise residential towers.