Sun Tower Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sun Tower

Former names	World Building
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	128 West Pender Street Vancouver, British Columbia
Coordinates	49°16′52″N 123°06′30″W / 49.2810°N 123.1084°W / 49.2810; -123.1084
Construction started	1911
Completed	1912
Height
Roof	82.34 m (270.1 ft)
Technical details
Floor area	6,357 m² (68,430 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators	3
Design and construction
Architect	William Tuff Whiteway

The Sun Tower is a famous old building in Vancouver, British Columbia. It stands at 128 West Pender Street. This building is well-known for its unique dome. The dome looks like it's made of old copper, but it's actually painted steel! The building's style is called Beaux-Arts. This means it has a grand, classical design, often with fancy details.

A Towering History
Images for kids
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A Towering History

The Sun Tower was built a long time ago. A man named L. D. Taylor wanted a home for his newspaper, The Vancouver World. He hired an architect named W. T. Whiteway to design it. Whiteway also designed the original Woodward's Building nearby.

Becoming the Tallest

When the building finished in 1912, it was called The World Building. It was very tall for its time! At 82 meters (269 feet), it became the tallest building in the entire British Empire. It even beat the Dominion Building, which is just around the corner.

The Sun Tower was also the tallest building in Canada for two years. Then, in 1914, a 20-story building in Toronto opened and became taller. In 1918, many people in Vancouver watched Harry Gardiner. He was known as the "Human Fly" because he climbed the outside of the building!

New Owners, New Name

The building got its current name in 1937. That's when The Vancouver Sun newspaper bought it. Even though The Vancouver Sun newspaper moved out a long time ago, the building is still called the Sun Tower.

Sun Tower on Screen

The outside of the Sun Tower has even been on TV! It was used as the Watchtower in the TV show Smallville. For the show, the tower was made to look taller using computer effects. In some scenes, it looked like the highest building in the city of Metropolis. The building was also used as an office for characters in the TV show Human Target.

Who Owns the Tower Now?

In 2008, a company called Sun Capital bought the building. They worked to fix up the inside and outside of the tower. Then, in 2011, the building was sold again to its current owners, Allied Properties REIT. The new owners have promised to keep restoring this historic building.