Discovering British Columbia · Drawing 10 of 32
A Very Narrow Building
Vancouver Chinatown
In Vancouver’s Chinatown, a building stretches its front along the sidewalk. Look at its short end! The Sam Kee Building measures less than 2 metres from front to back.
Did you know?
The Sam Kee Building was built in 1913.
Look together
Why do you need to see two sides to understand its shape?
An idea to try
Draw a long, thin rectangle, then add windows.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Street widening left the Sam Kee company with a narrow parcel of land. Its commercial building reflects that adaptation and Vancouver’s Chinese community history. Projecting windows and basement space increased the usable area.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Simplified interpretation for colouring. Settings and people may be composed. Details, distances and proportions are not a measured record of the place.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Canadian Register of Historic Places: Sam Kee BuildingPlace, history or habitat described on this page.
Page prepared on October 3, 2026. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book My British Columbia to Colour
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