Equinox Garden

Since its opening in the 1970s, Equinox Gallery has operated in the West End (Robson Street), South Granville, the False Creek Flats and now East Vancouver, where it can be found at the southeast corner of East 20th and Commercial Street. As far as I know, Commercial Street is the first Equinox location to include garden space: a corner concrete planter (part of the original 1950s? building design) and two narrow strips that run along the north and west sides of the building, with the west side featuring a recessed bed.

When it came time to clean up the garden space, I offered to help with the design, and Sophie was agreeable. A few weeks ago we toured the exterior of the building and decided which of the shrubs would stay or go, and what, if anything, might work as replacements. A practical design, nothing flashy or exotic, more subtraction than addition. For the northwest corner sentry position we chose at camellia, with a run of heathers moving south. The recessed bed would have ferns tucked into its sun restricted southeast corner. We had planned a run of Spanish (French) lavender at the south end of the western strip, but that is now Phase Two.

Here is the intersection of East 20th and Commercial Street looking north down Commercial in 1913 (Equinox is outside the frame to the right, on the south side of 20th; the Bank of Hamilton is now the Commercial Street Cafe):