Robin Ward's Heritage West Coast

Denise C. Jakal is a architecture writer in Edmonton.

This is Robin Ward’s second book based on his weekly column for the
Vancouver Sun. Each column usually features a pen-and-ink sketch
accompanied by a short history of a heritage building in Vancouver or
its environs. Although I am sympathetic to Ward’s conservation-minded
argument that the public is best served by authorities who are sensitive
to maintaining the integrity of historical Vancouver and the continuity
of the fabric of the city, the format used in the book does nothing to
support his views. The author presents a string of single buildings that
are isolated from their architectural context. It would have been
instructive to see at least one cityscape illustrated, since this is
precisely what Ward wants us to care about and preserve. For example,
Cathedral Place, Seattle (which includes a variety of buildings that are
in close proximity to each other), is illustrated with a string of
solitary structures. At very least, a site plan would allow the reader
to construct the entire scene in his or her mind’s eye and better
appreciate the points Ward makes in his text.

This book may satisfy Ward’s following in Vancouver, but it fails to
build a sustained and coherent case for architectural conservation in
that city.