1019 Blanshard Street was constructed in the early 1900’s as a storefront retail building that included alleyway access for wagon deliveries. Over the following century, numerous renovations divided the space into smaller units, which covered over the original character features.
The goal for this renovation was to recreate and reinterpret the original character features and use the building’s newly created Be Love and La Taquisa restaurants to rejuvenate the commercial corner.
Completed in fall 2013, the renovation completely renewed the original 3,000 sq ft building fabric, revitalized the brick exterior, completed seismic upgrading and reinterpreted the storefront using contemporary materials and techniques. Steel frames replaced a heavy timber interior structure, which were re-milled by Be Love for its restaurant bar. The cornice was templated from neighbouring 801 Fort Street to accurately recapture the design elements from the era of its origin.
