Kingsway

I don't know who designed the Vancouver Veterinary Hospital building at 1541 Kingsway. Judging from its profile and Roman brick exterior, I would guess it was built in the 1950s.

Semmens & Simpson's Collingwood Branch of the Vancouver Public Library (2985 Kingsway) has a similar presence and opened in 1951. The Collingwood VPL was originally painted to match the colour of the earth. In the 1980s it was repainted to mismatch the colour of the sky.

The Vancouver Veterinary Hospital has undergone its share of alterations over the years. Besides its awning (signage?), the one that got my attention occurs at the southeast corner -- what might have been an entrance/exit in the original design, before its steps were turned into a planter and its door a window. And now its most recent "go away" incarnation: