Now that I have everybody's attention. (We'll get to the breasts shortly).
The beaux arts World Tower was built as headquarters for the Vancouver World newspaper in 1912. For a couple of years this was the tallest building in the British Empire. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of another Vancouver landmark that enjoyed that title, briefly.
The Vancouver World eventually folded. For a time the building was owned by Bekin's Moving and Storage. There was a 'Bekin's' neon sign on the dome which would have been visible from across town. I recall moving vans parked behind the tower over many years.
In 1924 the Vancouver Sun newspaper moved in to the building when fire destroyed their premises across the street. The building has been known as the Sun Tower for decades. I can picture, in my hazy memory, a neon 'The Sun' sign with rays fanning out from it on the dome but so far I haven't found a picture of it. Maybe I'm dreaming.
Supporting the cornice, just below the tower, is a string of statues depicting, voluptous, semi-naked, maidens. This architectural feature caused a major scandal in prim and proper (read backward) Vancouver at the time.
Had anyone drawn my attention to these statues when I was a teenager it is a safe bet I would have spent more time in the area, with binoculars.
NB. I have a pretty good little camera but it isn't much for telephoto stuff. Apologies for the quality of the pic below.
Architect: William Tuff Whiteway
