Heritage building eyed for demolition for Downtown Eastside flea market

The small art nouveau building at 123 East Hastings St. is the only one of its kind in Vancouver.

It is on the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Register, and is also on the federal-provincial register of Canada’s Historic Places.

But the city recently sent out a notice that it wants to tear the building down to create an empty lot for the controversial Downtown Eastside Street Market.

Heritage expert Don Luxton is baffled.

“It’s the one building in the city that has really identifiable art nouveau architectural features,” said Luxton. “There’s nothing else like it, and it should not be torn down, period. Why would you tear down a building with heritage value when you could do something else?”