New office building with heritage preservation for downtown Vancouver
![New office building with heritage preservation for downtown Vancouver](https://dpdajlq3ew794.cloudfront.net/20220712161206/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-f.jpg?format=auto&width=1920)
A two-storey building located mid-block on Seymour Street between Robson and Smithe streets is being eyed for formal heritage designation as part of its incorporation into a modest infill office development.
Local developer Bene Group and design firm Arno Matis Architecture have submitted a development permit application for 852 Seymour Street, just across from the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver.
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The project retains and restores the existing 1926-built structure, which was originally built as the Great War Veterans’ Association Hall for Canada’s largest veteran organization, before becoming Playpen Central, a former LGBTQ nightlife establishment. The building is deemed to be an excellent example of refined Classical interwar architecture.
![852 seymour street vancouver site](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712161602/852-seymour-street-vancouver-site.jpg)
Site of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160819/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-10.jpg)
Site of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 seymour street vancouver heritage](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712161430/852-seymour-street-vancouver-heritage.jpg)
Site of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
To achieve the redevelopment, an adjacent 1924-built, one-storey commercial building and the surface vehicle parking fronting the laneway will be demolished for part of the new structure.
The resulting new seven-storey building effectively provides a four-storey vertical expansion over the heritage building. The contemporary design addition provides contrast with the retained heritage component.
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160837/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-4.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160834/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-5.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
There will be 31,500 sq ft of office space and 3,500 sq ft of ground-level retail space for a total floor area of over 41,200 sq ft. The office space can hold up to about 150 employees.
Workers will have access to various landscaped amenity spaces on patios, including a large rooftop patio on the lower rooftop of the three-storey podium.
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160831/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-6.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160846/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-1.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160840/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-3.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160843/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-2.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
Even with the development site’s narrow street frontage of just 62.5 ft, the project proponents will still provide some vehicle parking, accomplished by using a car elevator to access four underground levels. A total of 31 vehicle parking stalls and 18 secured bike parking spaces will be provided.
A much larger redevelopment is eyed for the major mid-block surface parking lot fronting both Seymour and Richards streets, located immediately adjacent to the Great War Veterans’ Association Hall. A different developer and ownership group are looking to build a mixed-use development with hotel uses, but they have yet to submit a formal application.
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160822/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-9.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160825/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-8.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
![852 Seymour Street Vancouver Great War Veterans Association Hall Playpen](https://images.dailyhive.com/20220712160828/852-Seymour-Street-Vancouver-Great-War-Veterans-Association-Hall-Playpen-7.jpg)
Artistic rendering of 852 Seymour Street, Vancouver. (Arno Matis Architecture/Bene Group)
- You might also like:
- New renderings of the office tower "on stilts" in downtown Vancouver
- Eye-catching skinny office tower on Granville approved by Vancouver City Council
- New office and retail building in downtown Vancouver preserves heritage facade
- Mass timber office expansion for heritage building next to Terry Fox Plaza