Douglas Coupland's new Metrotown sculptures a nod to Ford factory past (PHOTOS)

Douglas Coupland's new art sculpture in Metrotown is a nod to its Ford factory past (PHOTOS)

One of the four Fordite sculptures at Station Square (left) and the former Ford Motor Company plant at the location (right). (Anthem Properties/City of Burnaby)

The pedestrian-oriented streetscape of the now-completed Station Square redevelopment recently saw a further enhancement of its public realm with significant pieces of public art.

Anthem Properties worked with renowned local artist Douglas Coupland to create four sculptures, spread out over two locations within the redevelopment.

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Three sculptures are outside JJ Bean Coffee at the northwest corner of the intersection of Kingsborough Street and Silver Drive, while one sculpture — the tallest with a height of 50 ft — is at the southeast corner of the prominent intersection of Kingsway and McKay Avenue.

The sculptures are designed to look like the gemstone-like material that is created through the buildup and hardening of automotive paint slag, called Fordite.

fordite douglas coupland station square burnaby metrotown

“Fordite” public art sculptures by Douglas Coupland at Station Square. (Anthem Properties)

Coupland notes the appearance of colourful stacked gems is an explicit nod to Station Square’s historic past of being the site of a car manufacturing factory for the Ford Motor Company.

The plant opened in 1938 and closed in 1968. The building remained on the site until 1988, when it was demolished for the multi-phased development of the first iteration of Station Square mall, according to the City of Burnaby.

Fordite, aptly named after the car company, is the term mineralogists have given to the hardened paint layers found below the former spray-painting booths of Ford factories in Michigan. The chunks of layered automotive enamel paint are often up to 20 cm thick, and they have informed experts what model of car the paint was used, and what year it was sprayed down.

Example of Fordite gems. (Urban Relic Design)

ford plant station square metrotown burnaby

Ford Motor Company car manufacturing plant in 1938, located where Station Square is today. (City of Burnaby)

Ford Motor Company car manufacturing plant in 1938, located where Station Square is today. (City of Burnaby)

ford plant station square burnaby metrotown 1938 3

Ford Motor Company car manufacturing plant in 1938, located where Station Square is today. (City of Burnaby)

ford plant station square burnaby 1938 car assembly

Ford Motor Company car manufacturing plant in 1938, located where Station Square is today. (Vancouver Public Library Archives)

“These coloured paint layers are not unlike the layers of the Grand Canyon and, as with most sedimentary forms, can be called minerals, in this case, an ‘anthropogenic,’ or man-made mineral. Fordite chunks, when broken and polished, become extraordinarily beautiful precious stones and are highly sought after in the gemological world,” stated Coupland.

“So, for the Station Square site, I created stacks of polished Fordite gems that are deliberately bold to remind people in a jubilant way that we once, not even long ago, lived in a world where car colours were used as they still are in fashion, to hasten a vehicle’s shortened lifespan and to build expectation for newer and more differently coloured cars.”

After acquiring Station Square in 2004, Anthem Properties embarked on a years-long planning process for the mall’s redevelopment into a mixed-use, high-density district that forms a part of the City of Burnaby’s eventual Metrotown Downtown Plan. Beedie is also a partner in the development.

The original Station Square mall before redevelopment in 2011:

The original Station Square in Burnaby’s Metrotown in 2011. (Google Maps)

The Station Square redevelopment under construction in late 2020/2021:

The new Station Square redevelopment in Burnaby’s Metrotown under construction in December 2020. (Google Maps)

Station Square in October 2021. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

After a decade of construction, the new Station Square officially reached completion in August 2022. There are five towers with about 1,800 homes, plus 450,000 sq ft of retail and office space in the podiums and at street level, effectively activating the pedestrian-oriented public spaces. The major tenants include Price Smart Foods, representing the return of the previous Save-On-Foods through its sister brand, as well as WeWork, Cactus Club, and Earls restaurants.

The redevelopment was designed by local firm Chris Dikeakos Architects and New York-based Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

The previous iteration of Station Square was comprised of low-storey structures, with most of the 12-acre footprint used as a parkade. It was anchored by Save-On-Foods, which is infamously remembered for the collapse of its roof within minutes of the grand opening in 1988. The collapse of a 6,400 sq ft section of the roof caused 20 cars to come crashing down into the store. There were no fatalities, but 21 people suffered injuries.

The first iteration of Metropolis at Metrotown mall opened in 1986, adding to the area’s existing Sears Canada department store and a supermarket. SkyTrain Metrotown Station opened in the previous year in 1985, as part of the Expo Line’s original segment between Waterfront and New Westminster stations in time for Expo ’86.

Burnaby’s Metrotown area in 1985:

The Metrotown area of Burnaby in 1985. The first iteration of Metropolis at Metrotown mall opened the following year in 1986, and Station Square’s first phase opened later in 1988. (City of Burnaby)

Burnaby’s Metrotown area in 1985:

The Metrotown area of Burnaby in 2016. (City of Burnaby)

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