NEON BUILDING

Firm: J. A. Cawston

Address: 314 4 Avenue SW

Date of final plans: June 1953

Status: demolished in 2012

The Neon Building was constructed for Neon Products of Western Canada Limited. Oddly, Cawston's plans call the building the "Neon Zeon Building," as does an article in the Herald. I've found no other references to this name and have no idea where it came from. Other articles in the Herald call the building the George W. Sweny Building. One article said it was to be three storeys with a future expansion to ten, and indeed, Cawston's drawings provide provisions for future elevators. Only two were ever built. In the gallery below I've included images of how the ten-storey façade would have appeared.

Neon Products of Western Canada had been founded in Vancouver in 1929. In 1956 it changed its name to Neon Products of Canada, and in 1969 to Neonex International. In 1977 it was acquired by Jim Pattison Limited.

In 1966, after the Michael Building burned down, the famed Hy's Steakhouse moved into building and remained there until it was demolished.